deconditioning
Artwork: Katty Hertas
shedding all that is not authentically you.
We have to take time to Decondition. If we’re walking around with narratives and beliefs that are low vibration then we need to release them so they don’t stand in the way of what we’re calling in. Check out this post I wrote on the power of Deconditioning and why I favor some of these tools. In the most simplified way of thinking about it, we want to release all that is not ours as well as the energetics that put us into contraction in any way and we want to lean into the high vibrations + gifts that create expansion in our selves and our lives.
We can begin by having awareness. Starting to see where we feel triggered or confronted, patterns that keep emerging in our lives. What are the stories we’re carrying. What are the ways we feel contracted. What do we wish to rewrite. Identifying obstacles and writing them down so you can bring it through and let it go. Unraveling it and processing through long form journaling - how are you feeling? Why? Respond. Why? Respond. Why? Keep going until you get to the bottom, to the root. What do you NOT want to write about? Where do you not want to go?
And then get it in your body. This is not just something we can do with our minds. There are tools absolutely for working with the mental default settings that do not serve us AND we are typically going to need to always get in there on a somatic level.
Checking in with the fixing vs. the allowing mind
A lot of times our mind wants to fix something so we can move on but in doing so we don’t allow for the feelings that came with the incident and therefore they get stuffed down. It’s the difference between “oh, he didn’t mean it” vs recognizing that he hurt you and made you feel unsafe so you can allow the illogical physical sensations to come out, accept or release and move on.
prompts
All of the prompts I offer throughout The Collective are meant to bring you closer to your authentic self. When you notice an obstacle, shadow, limiting belief, energy that’s not yours, a belief that was imposed on you; mark it down and bring it through one of these practices. Find what resonates with you. Pick one for awhile that you use and then alternate. Healing is not one sized fits all and I often change up what I need in the moment.
Currently I’m using the Decondition + Align meditation for deep old limiting beliefs and EFT for conscious patterning and default settings that keep popping up (like when I get stuck in a negative or fearful thought rut throughout the day). I use the prompts that follow the transits to dig deeper and find clarity. I also empty out every morning for 22 minutes just feeling into my body, yawning, softening, crying, letting go. You may have heard me say crying is self care and this is why. For me I need to cry most days. I feel deeply and if I don’t move the energy I get full fast.
This may be right for you or you may want something completely different. We can take different paths on our journey and we can take a right or left turn whenever we like. This is why I want to offer you options, not to overwhelm you but to create freedom and movement in your own practice. Just pick one to start and try it on!
rewiring + neuroplasticity
Emotional Freedom Technique or EFT. You can also find a blog post about EFT here and a video introduction here.
Deconditioning Yoga Nidra’s (see below)
Rewiring through awareness + contemplation
EMDR with a licensed therapist
Working with a Flower Essence. You can use code: BARNEYANDFLOW19 to receive 10% off at checkout. I love a personal dowsing for a custom essence.
Visualizing at bed time. See actionable steps.
The Cold Snap. At the end of your shower turn the water all the way to cold (which is good for you for so many reasons) and then repeat your new programming. What are you creating; say it aloud or in your mind as you stimulate your brain and reinforce your intention. This is also balancing for our Root Center/Stress Response.
One of the ways we de-condition is by focusing our awareness on what is ours (defined centers) and really getting to know the energy there, therefore having clearer awareness around what is not ours (able to filter rather than attach or miss-identify).
Mantras + the power of sound.
Human Design Writing Prompts
Empty
SPEND TIME ALONE IN YOUR OWN AURA. Emptying out just by sitting alone for 20 minutes a day and allowing yourself to just be in order to release energy you’re taken on from other people.
Internal Rinsing Meditation (see below).
Get it Out Journaling. Write a letter you will never mail.
Check out the tools in Boundaries.
Stretch, breathe into the places where you are holding, exhale to unclinch.
Allies for your open centers
Take a corpse pose. Let yourself be. Let all that doesn’t serve you be drained into the Earth to compost. Soft gaze at the ceiling if you risk falling asleep.
Shaking, bouncing, rebounding.
Trauma Release Exercise. I did one session with a practitioner and am now able to get into it on my own, typically after I workout. I’ve seen people enter into it in Breathwork as well. Animals shake it off when they experience trauma and we tend to freeze it into our bodies so this is one way we can clear it out as well as release stress from the day.
Lion’s breath, Bumblebee Breath and Horse breath.
Walking alone, especially in nature.
Showering and imagining all the “stuff” going down the drain.
Earthing!
Cleaning/clearing space in your home.
Dance out a song, move your emotion, stomp it out
Physical exercise
Doing something creative with your hands on your own.
Take a bat or foam roller to your bed or a face towel to a hard surface (get the good FWAP!)
Do this release breath
Do some squats while you flick the energy off your fingers
Take a run around the block with intention
Scream in your car or amongst the trees, sing, make weird noises, big sighs
Listen to this frequency for clearing all negativity.
Take space to look up at the trees, to watch the ocean, to allow yourself to just BE.
Full immersion in salt water baths.
Practice
get in your body
When doing work to release we need to get fully into our bodies. Check out the tools in The Root Archetype as well as whatever practices help you get into your body; movement, dance, earthing, breath, etc.. Here is one of my favorite tools for finding safety in the body and grounding in so then we can unravel and release.
EMBODIMENT BREATH
Try this embodiment breath at least once to see if there are places where your breath is restricted. We often cut our breath off from certain places in our body due to stress or trauma.
If you find places that are restricted then I recommend either before Breathwork (which I’ve been enjoying and feeling it helps me go deeper) or when you have time, working with the safety exercise to open this place up and get some breath back in there. It can even be good before bed and you’ll find you sleep better.
When I first found this exercise I realized I was still very cut off from my solar plexus and throat due to trauma. The throat is one I’m still working to be consistent with but after using a few times it’s night and day with my solar plexus and I can connect in with my throat quicker. My voice almost always drops in to my body in a much more authentic embodied way after this exercise.
