It's important that the practice of IRS supports your healing.
And not the continuation of your PTSD.
In order to keep the focus on your healing.
It's helpful to create a list of continuums of opposites.
Which is a series of paired opposites that relates to and describes how a particular emotion or experience begins and gains strength.
In this way,
A series of paired opposites describes a timeline of a particular feeling or emotion.
You create continuums of opposites in order to more fully welcome a particular emotion or experience without activating your PTSD symptoms.
First,
You do this by working with less intense feelings and emotions so you can build your tolerance,
Strength,
And ability to handle more intense feelings and emotions later.
In the examples of continuums of opposites that follow,
The emotions chosen by actual iRest participants are enraged,
Numb,
And joyful.
Before entering into their practice of welcoming opposites of feeling and emotion.
Each participant identified a series of pairs of opposites related to his or her emotional experience that he or she then worked with during the actual IRIS practice.
During I-Rest,
Each pair of opposites is worked with step by step,
Feeling by feeling,
Or emotion by emotion,
Until the entire continuum has been fully explored.
Generally,
This occurs during several I-Rest practices.
Listen to the following examples.
Notice how the pairs of opposites are related.
Also,
Notice how the pairs of opposites describe the timeline of the emotion,
From its more subtle beginning to its intense end.
Enraged.
Hot,
Cool.
RG.
Calm.
Cranky Peaceful.
Irritable.
Relax.
Frustrated,
At ease.
Angry Peaceful.
Livid,
Unperturbed.
Furious,
Unruffled,
Enraged.
Tranquil numb.
Cold,
Warm.
Heartbeat fluttering.
Heartbeat steady anxious.
Kong fearful,
Courageous.
Terrified.
Paralyzed.
Responsive.
Helpless.
Engaged.
Nom.
Thriving.
Joyful.
Form.
Comfortable,
Uncomfortable.
Relax.
Uneasy.
Smiling.
Frowning Pleasureable.
Painful.
Happy.
Sat.
Glowing.
Contracted.
Joyful Miserable Now,
It's your turn.
Choose an emotion you want to work with.
Now,
Place your feelings and emotions in a series that forms a continuum.
Write them down in your journal.
Once you've recorded a list of pairs of opposites on a continuum,
Write down each of the pairs on separate index cards.
Arrange the pairs in the order that most accurately describes your emotion along a continuum.
Keep or toss out pairs by following your instincts.
Most people end up with four to six pairs of opposites for each continuum of emotion.
