Skip to main content

Trending Now: What everyone's reading.

So… Is Your Higher Self the Same as Source?

By The Artful Woman
  Not exactly. Think of it like this: Source is the origin —pure consciousness, God/Goddess/Divine Light, whatever you want to call it. It’s the everything-and-nothing energy from which all things come. Your Higher Self is your personal bridge to Source. It’s your soul in its purest form , untainted by fear, ego, or human distortion. Your Higher Self is you , just on the zoomed-out level —the version of you that remembers the full story, all lifetimes, all lessons, all missions. So: Source is the sun. Your Higher Self is the sunbeam that still holds its essence but is uniquely you . Is Your Higher Self Your Soul? Pretty much— but here's the nuance: Your soul is eternal. It’s the part of you that has lived countless lives. Your Higher Self is like the fully awakened version of your soul —the one not currently squeezed into a human body trying to pay bills and avoid family drama. When you're in human form, you're kind of like the tip of the i...
Post a Comment

The Reticular Activating System: Your Brain’s Gatekeeper and Its Role in Stress and Anxiety

Image
By The Artful Woman

Have you ever noticed how once you start thinking about buying a certain car, you suddenly see it everywhere? Or how a single negative thought can spiral into a whole cascade of worries? That’s your Reticular Activating System (RAS) at work. The RAS is a powerful network of neurons in the brainstem responsible for filtering sensory information, regulating alertness, and influencing our focus. But beyond helping us pay attention, it also plays a key role in stress, anxiety, and emotional regulation. Understanding how it works can help us manage our thoughts, emotions, and overall well-being.

What is the Reticular Activating System (RAS)?

The RAS is essentially your brain’s filter. Every second, your senses take in massive amounts of information, but your brain can only process a fraction of it. The RAS determines which stimuli are important and which can be ignored. It keeps you alert when necessary and helps transition between wakefulness and sleep.

Here are its key functions:

  • Regulating Wakefulness and Sleep: The RAS controls transitions between being awake and asleep, ensuring that you wake up in response to relevant stimuli (like an alarm clock) while filtering out unimportant noise.

  • Filtering Sensory Input: It determines what information reaches your conscious mind, ensuring that your attention is directed toward what’s most relevant.

  • Enhancing Focus and Attention: By prioritizing certain stimuli, the RAS helps you concentrate on tasks and ignore distractions.

  • Affecting Emotional and Physiological Responses: The RAS is involved in the body's arousal system and can influence how we react emotionally to situations, particularly in stress-inducing scenarios.

The RAS and Its Connection to Thoughts and Emotions

Your RAS isn’t just a passive filter—it actively influences how you experience the world. Here’s how it connects to thoughts, emotions, and mental health:

  1. Selective Attention & Thought Patterns:

    • The RAS brings to your attention what aligns with your thoughts and beliefs. If you consistently think about positive goals, it helps you notice opportunities. Conversely, if you focus on fears or anxieties, it makes you hyper-aware of threats.

  2. Emotional Regulation:

    • The RAS is connected to the limbic system, particularly the amygdala, which processes emotions like fear and anxiety. This connection means that your emotional state can influence what your RAS prioritizes, reinforcing certain emotional patterns.

  3. Stress and Hyperarousal:

    • When stressed, the RAS can become overactive, making you hyper-alert and reactive to potential dangers. Chronic stress can put the RAS in a state of constant overdrive, leading to heightened anxiety, difficulty relaxing, and sleep disturbances.

How to Hack Your RAS to Reduce Stress and Anxiety

Because the RAS responds to what we focus on, we can consciously train it to work in our favor. Here are some strategies:

  • Mindfulness and Meditation: Practicing mindfulness helps train your RAS to focus on the present moment, reducing anxiety and intrusive thoughts.

  • Positive Affirmations: Repeating positive affirmations programs your RAS to notice and prioritize uplifting and constructive thoughts.

  • Visualization: When you visualize success or a desired outcome, your RAS helps you notice related opportunities and resources in real life.

  • Journaling & Gratitude Practices: Writing down positive experiences or things you're grateful for shifts your focus, training your RAS to filter for positivity.

  • Reducing Negative Inputs: Limiting exposure to negativity (news, toxic environments, etc.) helps prevent the RAS from filtering in stress-inducing stimuli.

Your Reticular Activating System is a powerful tool that shapes your daily experiences. It determines what you notice, how you react to stress, and how you process emotions. By understanding its role, you can take steps to train it in ways that support mental clarity, reduced anxiety, and a healthier, more focused mind. Are you looking for a way to manage stress, increase focus, and break free from negative thought patterns? Hypnotherapy can help you tap into your subconscious mind to create lasting positive changes. It’s a safe, effective tool for those wanting to feel more calm, clear-headed, and in control. I am a certified hypnotherapist and mindset coach. 

Unlock your potential. Contact me and break free from negative thought patterns. Transform your inner dialogue and achieve your dreams. Learn more about mindset coaching, take the first step. Schedule your consultation. Artful Living Coaching 


Labels:
Location: Dana Point, CA, USA

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular Posts

Breaking Free: How Clearing Limiting Beliefs Transformed My Life and Can Transform Yours

By The Artful Woman
In our journey through life, we often encounter invisible barriers—limiting beliefs that subtly dictate our actions, decisions, and perceptions. These beliefs, deeply embedded in our subconscious, can manifest as self-doubt, fear of failure, or feelings of unworthiness, hindering our personal and professional growth. Recognizing and addressing these barriers is crucial for achieving clarity and unlocking one's full potential. ​ My Personal Journey to Clarity My decision to undertake a course on clearing limiting beliefs stemmed from a personal desire to overcome the limitations that had held me back. Despite my dedication to healing and transformation, I found myself not fully where I aspired to be in life. This realization propelled me to seek tools and techniques to clear these mental and emotional blocks, aiming for a more liberated and empowered existence. ​ Empowering Techniques for Transformation Throughout the course, I encountered several powerful techniques that ha...
Post a Comment
Read more

Mesmerism vs. The Emotion Code: A Look at the Use of Magnets in Energy Healing

By The Artful Woman
During my training to become a hypnotherapist, I learned about Franz Anton Mesmer and his intriguing use of magnets in healing. Mesmer believed in a concept called "animal magnetism," a vital energy force he thought could be manipulated to restore balance in the body. His methods, though controversial, were an early exploration of the mind-body connection and the power of suggestion. Fast forward to today, and magnets are still being used in energy healing practices—most notably in The Emotion Code, a modern modality that claims to identify and release trapped emotions through muscle testing and magnetic energy. But how do these two approaches compare? While they both involve magnets, the philosophies behind them and their applications are vastly different. In this blog, I’ll explore the historical use of magnets in Mesmerism and contrast it with how magnets are used in The Emotion Code, shedding light on their similarities, differences, and what we can learn from both. Mesme...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Power of the Vagus Nerve: Unlocking Your Body’s Natural Healing Potential

By The Artful Woman
The vagus nerve is one of the most remarkable and powerful parts of our nervous system, but it's often overlooked. As the primary player in the parasympathetic nervous system, it helps regulate key bodily functions such as digestion, heart rate, and mood. What’s even more fascinating is how stimulating this nerve can enhance your health and well-being in profound ways. Having recently earned my certification as a Master Life Coach in Mindset, I found that understanding the vagus nerve is essential to achieving greater balance, healing, and resilience. In this blog, I’ll walk you through the core functions of the vagus nerve, why it’s so critical to your health, and how you can activate it to improve both your physical and emotional well-being. Core Function of the Vagus Nerve The vagus nerve, also known as cranial nerve X, is a major component of the parasympathetic nervous system. This system governs the “rest and digest” response, which is essentially the opposite of the “fight o...
Post a Comment
Read more

Energy clearing or cleansing techniques.

By The Artful Woman
  For Individuals: Grounding: Connecting with the Earth's energy by walking barefoot on the grass, sitting on the ground, or visualizing roots growing from your feet into the Earth. Meditation: Focusing on the breath and cultivating a sense of inner peace can help to clear mental and emotional blockages. Visualization: Imagining white light or a cleansing energy flowing through your body can help to dissolve stagnant energy. Sound Healing: Using sounds, tones, or frequencies to clear blockages and promote healing. 5 This can include listening to calming music, chanting, or using tuning forks. Essential Oils: Diffusing or applying certain essential oils, such as lavender, sage, or eucalyptus, can create a calming and purifying atmosphere. For Spaces: Smudging: Burning herbs like sage, palo santo, or sweetgrass to cleanse the air and remove negative energy. Sound Cleansing: Using Tibetan singing bowls, bells, or chimes to create vibrations that clear stagnant energy. Salt Lam...
Post a Comment
Read more