Tools for dealing with distress states
Oftentimes if we are really dealing with a distress state we don’t want to read. (I don’t.)
The Autonomic Compass (our self-healing software) is pretty darn effective at triaging distress states in real-time. It was built to help people identify, understand, and treat dys-regulated autonomic states, and build the neurobiology of connection. It has a dynamic interactive diagnostics tool to help you locate yourself on the autonomic mandala, and then will provide a range of tailored practices to help you reset your system. The more you know about what you like and what you want - are you looking for practices to do alone or with others? Nature practices or creative practices? Movement or sensory, etc.– the more it can identify uniquely useful practices at the intersection of your autonomic needs and your personal meaning-making. It also provides deep educational films and conceptual frameworks. It has a 7-day free trial, so if it isn’t helping you, you can use it for a week and cancel. It is inexpensive and self-guided.
I sat down last Friday to record a podcast on The Neurobiology of Connection with psycho-acoustics pioneer Paula Scataloni of the Embodied: Step into You podcast. We had a long and interesting wide-ranging discussion with her and co-host Leslie Rhyne. In addition to deep-diving into the importance of connection, we walked through a number of scenarios around dealing with autonomic challenge. This will be out in a week. You can find it any place you ordinarily get your podcasts.
If you are dealing with a distress state and you do for some reason want to read, we have just digitized the first draft of the Autonomic Fluency handbook. I was calling it a workbook last week, I realize, but after having several trusted colleagues review it, I’m thinking its more of a handbook. (Full disclosure: They are thinking of it as more of a handbook, and because I’ve never written a workbook, I’m going to defer to my advisers.) I didn’t want to call it a pocket guide, both because at 8.5 x 11 (when we do print it) it will not fit in any of your pockets, and because I do not find that a pleasing phrase.
The book is focused on helping folks develop autonomic fluency, which I’m thinking of as a basic foundation grasp of how the ANS works, and how to work with it. If you do read it digitally, please give us feedback (you can send to support@restorativepractices.com with FEEDBACK on AUTONOMIC FLUENCY in the subject line). This is an early draft (we will automatically continue to update the digital version to its most current release), as I am currently waiting on a hardcopy for the next stage of editing, which I don’t like to do on a computer.
As you can see, we’ve repurposed some of the design language of The Neurobiology of Connection, as the impetus for this book was to provide cliff notes for the much larger and deeper text. I need to continue simplifying the language– I don’t write at an 8th-grade reading level easily, and people continue to remind me that I do not always use the simplest words for things. I’m not trying to be obstreperous or anything, but I like precision. So still some work to do there ;)
Autonomic Fluency was designed with ease of printing in mind, so it will have an accessible pricepoint when it does come out as a paperback later this year.
The last time I looked at The Neurobiology of Connection on Amazon, the hardcover price was $102, down from $133. We are still trying to unfuck the pricing. Are you astonished that Amazon, a company founded by a man trying to leave the planet in an aspirational model of his own erect penis, is trying to exploit an asymmetry between supply and demand? I imagine that you are not.
In other news, our January Autonomics Bootcamp has sold out, but I’m going to teach it again in March. I am quite incentivized to get the word out to as many people as possible about how deeply understanding the living functioning of your autonomic nervous system can improve your life. This is a class for wellness professionals, coaches, and interested laypeople wanting to understand the deep terrain of the ANS. It take place over 10 hours in 5 x 2 hour sessions. I hope to see some of you there!