Dr. Elisha Stein studies depression and has found that a depressed brain has significantly more activity in the right prefrontal cortex than the left prefrontal cortex.The right side is associated with avoidance, negative emotions, and stuckness while the left side is associated with more positive emotions and resiliency. She states that we can counter depression by supporting the left prefrontal part of the brain (the resilient part) with a simple practice called SAFE.
S – Soften into the feeling.
Recognize what you are feeling in the moment. Name it. Breath into it.,Open to the vulnerability that is there, breathing out, softening into it.
A – Allow it to be as it is, without resisting, clinging or over-iidentifying with it..
F – Feel into the emotion with a kindness
Get curious. What do I need right now? Can I give myself what I need in this moment? For example, if I sense that a need to feel loved and to feel safe, I might say, “May I feel loved, May I feel safe, etc…”
E – Expand awareness of all people who also experience this vulnerability.
This feeling of depression, or any difficult experience is just part of the human experience.
We are not alone in our experience. In fact, in this very moment there are thousands people who are experiencing this very same feeling. The “E” of SAFE is where we inspire connection with the rest of humanity.
In this practice we can also take what we learned from the “F” of SAFE and send it outward saying, “May we all feel loved, May we all feel safe, etc…
SAFE is a practice. The more you do it the stronger your self-compassion gets. Studies show that self-compassionate people experience less depression and can manage the depression they do experience, easier. The more you practice, the more your brain strengthens around left pre-frontal cortex and weakens the connection to depression. Cool stuff. Try it and let me know what you find.
