How To Break A Negative Self-Talk Loop (With Free Meditation)

Tanner explains how danger self-talk can keep the nervous system dysregulated by continually reinforcing a sense of danger. When your nervous system is dysregulated, your brain naturally moves toward worry, negative biasing, and problems. This is reversible! But the intervention requires more than just targeting thoughts.

We guide a simple practice to watch thoughts with distance, shift into the body, and coach the nervous system toward safety.

Tanner Murtagh and Anne Hampson are therapists who treat neuroplastic pain and mind-body symptoms. They are also married!

In his 20s, Tanner overcame chronic pain and a fibromyalgia diagnosis by learning his symptoms were neuroplastic, not structural. Post-healing, Tanner and Anne have dedicated their lives to developing effective treatment and education for neuroplastic pain and symptoms.

Listen and learn how to assess your own chronic pain and symptoms, gain tools to retrain the brain and nervous system, and make changes in your life and health!

The Mind-Body Couple podcast is owned by Pain Psychotherapy Canada Inc. This podcast is produced by Alex Klassen, one of the wonderful therapists at our agency in Calgary, Alberta. https://www.painpsychotherapy.ca/

Tanner, Anne, and Alex also run the MBody Community, an in-depth online course that provides a step-by-step process for assessing, treating, and resolving mind-body pain and symptoms. https://www.mbodycommunity.com

Check out Tanner's YouTube channel for more free education and practices: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-Fl6WaFHnh4ponuexaMbFQ

And follow us for daily education posts on Instagram: @painpsychotherapy

Disclaimer: The information provided on this podcast is for general in...

Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:37

Links in the description of each episode.

Chronic Symptoms And Negative Thinking

SPEAKER_02 0:52

Hi everyone, welcome back to another episode. In our therapy practice, we work with people who have had chronic pain, chronic fatigue, or other chronic symptoms for years. And we noticed that a lot of them struggle with negative thinking. Now this makes sense because if you've been experiencing chronic pain symptoms or nervous system dysregulation, thinking can become very negatively biased.

Danger Self-Talk And Nervous System State

SPEAKER_02 1:21

In our approach, we call this danger self-talk. Now, danger self-talk can include worry, obsessiveness, self-critical, or hopeless thinking patterns. Now, dangerous self-talk arises when your nervous system becomes dysregulated. There's a concept from a famous polymedical therapist named Deb Dana, and she talks about this concept of stories follow state. So what this means is that if your nervous system is in a state of dysregulation, this danger self-talk in your mind is gonna develop. The story follows the state. So an example of this is if you wake up feeling on edge, nervous, and anxious, what is the story that's gonna start to develop in your mind? Well, you're probably gonna have dangerous self-talk that's placed in worry and fear. Now, unfortunately, dangerous self-talk also increases nervous system dysregulation. So it creates this feedback loop that I've seen people stuck in for years.

A Free Practice And Safety Coaching

SPEAKER_02 2:31

Now, by changing your thinking patterns, you can coach your brain and nervous system towards safety. And this is going to reduce your chronic pain and symptoms over time. Thinking is not just a metaphysical experience. Beliefs and ideas directly impact your physical body through neuroplasticity and your nervous system state. So in today's episode, we're gonna provide you with a free schematic practice that comes from our course, the schematic safety method. Now, if you benefit from this practice, consider signing up for our digital course to access over 60 thematic practices. In this practice, we're gonna support you in observing your danger self-talk from this detached place. Then shift out of your mind and into your body and cultivate regulation inside. And by consistently doing this, you can learn to reduce danger self-talk and take a step towards healing your chronic pain and symptoms. I do want to note that during this meditation, if unpleasant sensations or thoughts get too intense, you can pause this practice and come back to it later. Let's dive in.

Settle In With Breath And Attention

SPEAKER_02 4:12

Begin, closing your eyes, lowering your gaze. At first attending to your breath, inhaling through the nose, filling your belly full of warm air, and exhaling through your nose softly and slowly.

Watch Thoughts Like A Stream

SPEAKER_02 5:19

Thoughts occur on a stream of consciousness. Thoughts come into consciousness, go by, and eventually fade out. Imagine you are sitting on the bank of this stream of consciousness, detaching yourself from your thoughts going by. If this occurs, practice letting go of the thought gently and return back to observing your thoughts from a detached, curious place.

Thoughts Are Not Facts

SPEAKER_02 8:43

Spend a moment re-examining the thoughts, realizing the thoughts occurring may not be true or helpful. Any negative thoughts occurring are because your nervous system has been stuck in a state of survival for a prolonged period of time, and your brain has been wired over time to think in this way.

Stop Resisting The Mind

SPEAKER_02 10:10

We are not resisting our thoughts, as this just creates more negative thinking. It is like if I told you, don't think of a pink elephant. I know it's the first thought that took place for you. Instead, see if you can begin to treat your thoughts like background characters in a movie. Background characters are always there, but unfortunately for them, no one really focuses on them. Slow down your breathing and allow your thoughts to fade into the background.

Shift Into Body Sensation And Touch

SPEAKER_02 12:47

Also, notice if any emotions are taking place within practice being curious about where you're feeling sensations of emotions in your body. Allow your breath and touch to soften and soothe the sensations without trying to make them change. Continue to explore the sensations occurring in your body, and if you get pulled back to focusing on your thoughts, just gently shifting your focus back onto the body. Attend to the sensations that your touch creates.