Revive Counselling & Neurofeedback

So important to remember with kids- "Bottom-up behaviors do not respond to rewards, consequences or punishments. Bottom-up behaviors are brain-based stress responses that require understanding, compassion and actively helping an individual feel safe, based on that individual’s unique neurology. When we punish a bottom-up behavior, we can easily make matters worse. And this is why so many of our treatments fall short, or even deepen a child or teen’s emotional and behavioral challenges. As a point of reference, almost all toddler tantrums are bottom-up because the ability to reliably control one’s emotions and behaviors begins in late toddlerhood and continues through early adulthood."

Top-Down and Bottom-Up Behaviors: Understanding the Critical Difference - Mona Delahooke, Ph.D. - Pediatric Psychologist - California Knowing the difference between top-down and bottom-up behaviors is a most important consideration in how we help those who struggle.

Yes! I've encountered so many people who have found that deep breathing makes them feel worse, not better! If you're one of these, here's some other alternatives and ways to work up to deep breathing

Why 'Take a Deep Breath' Can Be Terrible Advice How trauma and stress can lead to constricted breathing muscles, suggestions for alternatives to grounding when working with trauma, and a way to teach people how to get their diaphragm moving again.

Vulnerability takes real courage!

The root of the word courage is cor – the Latin word for heart. In one of its earliest forms, the word courage had a very different definition than it does today. Courage originally meant "To speak one's mind by telling all one's heart."

Over time, this definition has changed, and today, courage is more synonymous with being heroic. Heroics is important and we certainly need heroes, but I think we've lost touch with the idea that speaking honestly and openly about who we are, about what we're feeling, and about our experiences (good and bad) is the definition of courage.

Heroics is often about putting our life on the line. Ordinary courage is about putting our vulnerability on the line. In today's world that's pretty extraordinary.