Matrix Your Time for Greater Efficiency Part 2 The Structure of Stress

In Part 1 we discussed some of the reasons for the stressed, fragmented, frozen states of mind and the difference of projecting a Desired or Future You outside of you instead inside of you. We also explored how important it is to have a purpose and from there lay out time increments that you experience with your body by walking on time cards.

Now in Part 2, I would like you to experience the difference of disassociation and association to then get a great “AHA” about the structure of stress. Please project a Self outside of you and far away = disassociation. Then please step into that self, experience the change and feel it in the body = association. As you see the total of you, looking at your face and seeing yourself from top to toe, you are not in your body but outside of your body looking at that you. In psychology called “dis-identified” in NLP “dis-associated”. To there is you now and then the picture of the Desired Future You, and between is interruption. This is also called interrupted time as it appears as if it is two interrupted moments of time are hanging around there by themselves. Mostly they are flip flopping as the one then the other etc…

Let’s use a wonderful example of the “Desired Future You” the You, you really want to be. First visualise this wonderful self with three important qualities you literally step into, experience and feel her, you look from those eyes down your body and see your legs and shoes but you cannot see your face, correct? You are in psychology “identified” and in NLP “associated with that You and into your body. This perception can also be called “aligned”. When you feel your body and speak from that perception, you are aligned, means less chance for failure. As you step into your Desired Future You, for example you literally test it. It gives the feedback “discomfort, kind of wrong” = cannot happen, unrealistic, too far away, the body basically says “no”. Or your body may feel comfortable with that Desired You, and as you step into the sense of “right” = doable, possible, it can happen, positive. It feels good as it is connected in the body, failure is excluded and this is called connected time.

Now let’s understand the structure of stress. OK? Before the brain tells your sympathetic nervous system to shoot out adrenals and cortisol that then result in huffing, puffing, flushing, higher heart rate, higher heartbeat, sweating, shaking, etc… Mostly it is a disassociated picture of yourself being in a scary situation. Examples: not just alone in the dark, but ghosts are visiting, not just failing the exam but everyone pointing fingers at you, which may result in a distorted picture of you looking way smaller with big scary eyes sliding below the school table while the other school kids shout “boo” at you. The brain is good at making pretty bad pictures of self-disassociated. Stress arises not only from the bad picture but from the flip flopping between you, where you are right here and now and that picture. Often it is not only one bad picture, but it could be a series of them. It does not even have to be bad pictures.

Why does normal calendar planning not work? Each entry creates a picture in your brain and there are so many pictures to look at and each of them may represent a full experience. Each hourly appointment from 10 am to 6 pm has its own movie and your brain is able to see all of them as if at the same time. What an overwhelm! Interrupted and fragmented pictures as if they were all there at this moment and time. Your brain is so brilliant that it can become tricky.

Many interrupted moments are flip-flopping with one another in a disassociated manner which is are like a threat, an attack to your limbic brain: Its’ simply too much as it thinks it’s for real! Now your neo cortex gives a message to your sympathetic nervous system to shoot out adrenalin and cortisol. Here you have it, and you huff and puff. You are in danger; you have to protect yourself. Please look forward to Part 3 when I will show you how to change interrupted, fragmented time into connected time and transform stress. OK?

Dr. Doris, Meta Master Trainer & NLP Master Coach