The Three Emotion Regulation Systems In Compassion Focused Therapy
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 14 มิ.ย. 2024
- Paul Gilbert the founder of compassion focused therapy, suggests that you have three emotion regulation systems. A threat system that focusses on threat detection and self-protection, a drive system that focuses on achievement and resource acquisition and a soothing system that focuses on positive feelings of caring, kindness and safety.
🔵 CHAPTERS
0:00 Introducing the three systems
0:37 The threat system
2:11 The drive system
2:54 The soothing system
4:17 Unbalanced systems example one
5:53 Unbalanced systems example two
7:27 How to self-soothe
🔵 BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS
☐ The Compassionate Mind By Paul Gilbert. amzn.to/406R5Ad
☐ The Compassionate Mind Workbook by Chris Irons and Elaine Beaumont.
amzn.to/3RiZ6ha
☐ Compassion Focused Therapy for Dummies by Mary Welford. amzn.to/3HjHsoZ
☐ Mindful Compassion by Paul Gilbert and Choden. amzn.to/3wChWqa
☐ Mindfulness: A Practical Guide to Finding Peace in a Frantic World by Mark Williams and Danny Penman. amzn.to/3Dm6cvW
🔵 THE THREAT SYSTEM
The threat system is activated by threat and danger. The threat system is actually your ‘default setting’ so it will over-rule both the drive and soothing systems. The threat system has been fined tuned over thousands of years of evolution and has evolved to detect threats quickly and mobilise a response that’s geared towards survival. Over much of our evolution the major threats were predators but nowadays human being have few predators but the threat system can be triggered by emotional and social threats. For example, signals that someone is judging you, feelings of rejection, isolation, criticism and exclusion.
🔵 THE DRIVE SYSTEM
The function of this system is to motivate and encourage you to seek out resources for yourself and for those you love and care about such as food, shelter, work, qualifications and even social position. The drive system is active and centres around striving, achieving and consuming. When you achieve these resources the reward is pleasurable because dopamine is released in your brain. The emotions connected with the drive system include excitement, anticipation and joy.
🔵 THE SOOTHING SYSTEM
The soothing system is a completely different to the threat and drive systems. This is the capacity for feeling soothed, to feel at peace, to feel connected with others and to feel content. Emotions connected to the soothing system are warmth, calmness, contentment and a sense of well-being. Your threat and drive emotions are essential for your survival and reproduction but if you’re constantly on the move, pursuing, fighting or running away you would soon exhaust yourself so the soothing system enables you to slow down rest and recuperate. This system is less important for immediate survival but very important for longer term survival. Mammals can only survive when they are able to receive care, give care and form social bonds. Evolution has shaped the soothing system to be highly sensitive to signals of kindness, care and affection from others. It taps into the hormone oxytocin which is sometimes known as the ‘cuddle hormone’ or the ‘love hormone’ because it’s released when people snuggle up or bond socially.
🔵 WATCH NEXT
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☐ Kindness to self exercise: • Kindness to Self Mindf...
☐ Soothing rhythm breathing: • Soothing Rhythm Breath...
🔵 WORK WITH ME
If you'd like to work with Teresa, or a member of the Lewis Psychology team, please click on the links below:
☐ Lewis Psychology CIC (for face to face therapy): www.lewispsy.org.uk
☐ Lewis Psychology Online (for online therapy): lewispsyonline.co.uk
🔵 ABOUT TERESA LEWIS
Teresa Lewis is the founder and Director of Lewis Psychology and a Senior Accredited psychotherapist with the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (MBACP Snr. Accred). Qualified in 1995, Teresa has been providing counselling and psychotherapy treatment for nearly 30 years. Teresa holds a masters degree in counselling and psychotherapy and is a qualified EMDR Practitioner having completed training accredited with EMDR Europe. Teresa is also a qualified adult educator and an accredited Mindfulness teacher As a recognised expert in her field Teresa is frequently asked to conduct editorial reviews and endorse counselling and psychotherapy books for international publishing houses.
☐ Email: teresa.lewispsy@gmail.com
☐ Buy Me A Coffee: www.buymeacoffee.com/lewispsy...
🔵 GRAPHICS AND THUMBNAIL
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I never tend to leave any comments on any videos I watch, but as a CBT therapist I just wanted to say that I really appreciate your videos. I share them with clients to help subsidise our work and they are well received. Absolutely excellent work and much appreciated. Thank you so much.
Wow, thank you for your lovely comment. Your support is greatly appreciated. Best wishes, Teresa.
Thank you for posting a video. I've been involved with TA for 14 years. I'm not a therapist, just a TA consumer and practitioner.
The most powerful tool I've experienced as you mentioned previously is self-parenting, giving myself permissions. Soothing system becomes stronger and balances other two.
I’m such a big fan of TA. Yes, self reparenting and permissions are incredibly important and life changing. Best wishes, Teresa.
As a Cardiology radiology tech, i truly loved Psychology so much. Learning about the mind, body and soul is very important ❤
That’s really great to hear Gerri. Best wishes, Teresa.
That's amazing.
Thats so interesting> I have a very inefficient soothing system, but had a mega drive system up till the age of 30. Then I totally lost it and I am left with the threat system. I am 60 currently and am trying to work on enhancing my soothing system by MBCT. Great video
Thanks for your comment Rya Rya. It's sad that's it's getting increasingly common to manage the world from the drive or threat systems. I hope you manage to enhance your soothing system, MBCT is a great model to assist with this. Wishing you well, Teresa.
Thank you very much! You are a great psychologist and a great teacher!
@@ryarya3291 thank you so much for your lovely comment.
Hi ! I can see you put a lot of work on this video ! Honestly I'm amazed how you manage to put in so much work with little to no results... I can see your drive system is very active ;). Lots of love going your way from me ! Good luck going forward !
Thank you. It certainly does take a lot of work but I really enjoy the creative process. Thanks for your support. Best wishes, Teresa.
Hello, thank you for this excellent video. So clearly and simply explained. I’m an experienced psychologist trying to learn more about CFT and trauma. I will share this with my clients also as a valuable resource. I’m new to your channel but all the videos I’ve watched so far have been great. 🙏
Thank you so much for your support. Best wishes, Teresa.
I subbed because this was very timely, good and practical advise which I appreciate and could use more of.
Awesome, thank you! Best wishes, Teresa.
Mind blowing. Sometimes i think of doing my higher studies in psychology.
Go for it Anurag. Best wishes, Teresa.
Great video. I am working on myself at the moment and learning about my own past due to hidden emotions that I've blocked of for years. The explanation on this system is great and is really helping out in understanding why we do what we do. Thank you :)
Thank you Liam, I'm so pleased to hear the video was helpful. Best wishes, Teresa.
Expressing emotions through threat system hurt my relationships in the past... Thanks for the video Teresa. Exercise next.
It certainly does hurt relationships. Thanks for your comment EMEK. Best wishes, Teresa.
Wow this is really helpful. Shame they only offer CBT on the NHS
I’m pleased to hear it’s helpful. Best wishes, Teresa.
If during my evening soothing I try frantically to find something new and exciting from online, it means that my soothing attempt actually comes from the "drive"?
Often if I get anxious during the day, the following night I see nightmares. Does this mean that the "Threat" got engaged and in my case doesn't disengage very easily?
I need long time to recuperate from any kind of stress, even from a tiny social event. Does this mean, that my "Threat" system is dominant, and that I need equal amount of time spent in soothing environment, as spent under threat?
Thank you for your comment. Your interpretation sounds about right to me. Great analysis. Best wishes, Teresa.
Great overview of the three systems.
Would you say that people with AD(H)D live life primarily with an activated drive system? AD(H)D has to do with the respective neurotransmitter (dopamine). Also, there is a connection between addictions and AD(H)D. Would love to hear your take on this.
I’m not an expert on ADHD so I’m unable to comment. Best wishes, Teresa.
I have another question. I know some ways to calm down the threat system, but are there also techniques to deactivate the drive system? I feel like my drive system is getting in the way of the soothing system. I can hardly relax my ever racing mind and I am lacking a sense of belonging.
This video helped me with my paper on CFT. Thank you!!
Glad it helped! Best wishes, Teresa.
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What if you were out of balance in that your soothing system was much stronger than the others?
That's a good questions but in my 30 years as a therapist I have never come across someone with a dominate soothing system. Best wishes, Teresa.
How do I turn my threat system off? I feel like it’s always on and can never relax. When I do try and relax (yoga, meditation, mindfulness etc) it’s makes my anxiety so much worse. Iv been stuck in anxiety and depression since having my daughter 2 years ago and I feel like my brain is buzzing all the time
It’s not really an on or off switch. Practice working on the soothing system, the threat system will calm the more you move into the soothing zone. It will take some time for this to happen so rte key is to keep practicing. Best wishes, Teresa.
It may be influenced by your diet. Eat more probiotic yogurts, do YOGA with the focus on gently stimulating your VAGUS nerve which puts your emotion to the parasympathetic mode. Research suggests a balanced gut bacteria(flora) can influence mood.
My soothing system is a.w.o.l. I never experienced feeling safe as a child. Nobody could be trusted
I’m sorry to hear that. Warm wishes, Teresa.