Page 142 - Advance Copy: Todd Kaufman, Author

TODD KAUFMAN
You might call “deep values” the “truth” of who you are, your “soul purpose” or your “raison d’etre.” There may very well be a disconnect between your deepest values and the reality of how you are living your life and relationships. It seems that a frequent response to this kind of disconnect is high levels of anxiety and even panic. On a more existential level, your brain may seem to know it needs to be in flight mode, fleeing an existence that is out of alignment with your best self.
So how do you recognize this disconnect, and what can you do about it?
Over the Long Term
There has never been, nor will there ever be, someone just like you. Even identical twins are not identical; they have dif- ferences. You are unique.
How you became who you are up to this moment, and in particular, up until you implemented this technique and began easing your panic attacks and settling your anxiety, is a deep, complex and long story. Part of what makes you unique is that your story is not identical to anyone else’s. It is not just your DNA or heritage that made you who you are; it is your story.
As you’ve learned in this book, we have the ability to stimulate our brains in ways that lay down new neuro- connections that give us desired responses in any given situation. By now you should understand both how and why you can choose and change your responses by changing this wiring.
It is by recalling and understanding the complexity of our stories that we can use various techniques to ultimately rewrite our stories in our brains, and to ensure that if we regress in a moment where we lacked presence, we still find ourselves moving to our better, desired outcome.
Wait, what?! Did you just say rewrite our stories? Is this
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