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ACT RESLILIENT

  act resilient BLOG

 
 
Natural Resilience
I have discovered there are three types of resilience.  The first we are born with.  It is our human nature.  It is our innate life force and enthusiasm to experience what life is all about.  This natural resilience protects us and causes us to play and learn and explore our world.   Natural Resilience allows us to go forth and do and be our best, and to take the knocks of life in stride.  Children, under the age of seven or so,( if they haven’t been traumatized), show an abundant and inspiring resilient approach.  I call this our “Natural Resilience.”
Adaptive Resilience
The second form I call “Adaptive Resilience.”   This is the “trial by fire” kind, where challenging circumstances cause you to adapt and grow.  This is what some people refer to as character.  Sayings like “When the going gets tough, the tough get going,” are expressions of this type of resilience.  This is why some people who have been faced with adversity, actually become stronger and more resilient, because of what they have encountered.
Restored Resilience
The third type of resilience is what I call “Restored Resilience.”  This is learned resilience.  We can learn techniques that will restore our natural resilience, such as we had when we were young children.  We can all learn to become more resilient.  This Restored Resilience can help with past, present or future trauma prevention.  This is why it is so important for all military personnel and their families to experience this training as soon as possible.
The Three Resilience Tanks
Although it is great to be strong in all three types of resilience, one form can compensate for low levels in another.  Think of these as mental “resilience tanks.”  If one is filled to the top, another can be low and the person will still be in good shape.  When all three tanks are nearing empty, the person is headed for vulnerability.  This is why it is important to build and refill the restored resilience tank.  This is the easiest one to support and it is filling this tank that is the foundation of the Act Resilient Training Program.
Trauma Lowers Resilience
Trauma, especially repetitive, multiple incidents or extended periods of trauma can lower resilience, either temporarily -- or without intervention, life-long.  Trauma gets the brain “stuck,” and it keeps it on “high-alert” like an alarm that you can’t turn off.   The brain gets stuck in the survival mode of flight/fight/freeze response mode – even though the source or cause of the trauma is no longer present.  This is the brain state that is often activated down range, and without high levels of brain flexibility and resilience, it can be hard to turn it off once the warrior returns home.  It is as if the brain is still trying to protect you from the danger that is no longer literally present.  Unwanted memories and thoughts keep replaying.  Being in a state of trauma sucks your energy away.  The sooner trauma intervention and help is received, the better, but I have found that even decades-old trauma can be healed.  When resilience is low, a person may feel depressed, victimized, demoralized, hopeless, disconnected, fatigued, stressed and out of willingness or desire to continue.  However, resilience can be restored.
Resilience Can Be Restored
All of the activities in the Act Resilient Program are designed to restore resilience.   According to students in the program, we have a higher than 90% success rate in restoring optimism, creativity and resilience.  This is because the Act Resilient program gets the brain unstuck.  It teaches the brain and nervous system how to let go of the “fight/flight/freeze” and panic response.  It allows the over-stimulated brain to relax, by stimulating the other side of the brain. 
What is often referred to as the “Right Brain” is where our creativity, enthusiasm, spontaneity, sense of connection, emotional expression, joy and optimism are generated.  Children are naturally resilient.  They operate from a “fully operational” right brain.   The games and techniques of Act Resilient are designed to turn the right brain back on.  This is why it works so quickly and effectively. 
The restoration of resilience is a by-product of restoring the right brain.  This is one of the ways that Act Resilient restores resilience – and protects you by giving you skills to insure this precious part of ourselves.
Genie Joseph, M.A.
Please visit our other Blog entries to read more about Act Resilient.

Summary Points:


Natural Resilience


Adaptive Resilience


Restored Resilience


Resilience Tanks


Trauma Lowers Resilience


Resilience Can Be Restored