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The 4-Phase Approach to Anxiety Relief

Updated: Sep 17




Tuning into the Body-Brain Connection

Anxiety often feels like a relentless storm inside the mind, a whirlwind of "what ifs" that can leave us feeling overwhelmed. But what if the answer to calming that storm lies not just in our thoughts but also within our body’s own built-in systems? Recent neuroscience research reveals that tuning into the body-brain connection can help us take a step back from the often intense cycles of anxiety and regain a sense of inner calm and control.


This blog introduces the Hands of Time Healing a 4-phase approach to anxiety relief that leverages the intricate relationship between the body and brain, highlighting how certain practices—like the ocular cardiac reflex—can be powerfully effective in restoring balance and disarming the alarm.


This method involves:

  1. Alarm Creates Anxiety via the Amygdala

  2. Automatic Becomes Autonomic Awareness via Nervous System Attunement

  3. Avoidance Becomes Agency via Approaching

  4. Acceptance Becomes Autonomy via Authenticity






Phase 1: Alarm Creates Anxiety via the Amygdala

The journey begins by understanding how anxiety is rooted in the brain’s alarm system: the amygdala. As Dr. Dan Siegel states, "The amygdala is the smoke detector of the brain, constantly scanning for danger." When the amygdala perceives a threat—whether real or imagined—it activates the body’s fight-or-flight response. This sets off a cascade of stress hormones like adrenaline and cortisol, preparing us to deal with danger but also contributing to that familiar feeling of anxiety.

By acknowledging how the brain’s alarm system creates anxiety, we can start to see how it influences our body’s responses—tight muscles, racing heart, shallow breathing—all signals that we need to address not just with thoughts, but we can disarm the alarm using neuro-somatic practices that open the body brain highly infleuntial pathways. Our goal is to start recognizing when our amygdala is setting off alarms and how that alarm shows up in your physiology, thoughts, shifts in your energy and pace as well as your breath. This awareness is the first step in learning how to manage our anxiety more effectively.


Phase 2: Automatic Becomes Autonomic Awareness via Nervous System Attunement

Our bodies operate on autopilot more than we realize, particularly when it comes to the autonomic nervous system (ANS). The ANS controls involuntary bodily functions like heart rate and breathing. Anxiety often shifts the ANS into a state of fight-or-flight, activating the sympathetic nervous system. Signs like shallow breathing and a tight chest are clear indicators of this overactivity.

Here, the key is nervous system attunement—paying attention to these autonomic responses and using techniques to bring the body back into a state of balance and calm. Dr. Andrew Huberman, a neuroscientist at Stanford University, emphasizes the power of breathwork in this process. "Longer exhale breathing," he explains, "activates the parasympathetic nervous system, which can slow down the heart and promote relaxation." This phase is about tuning into our body’s signals and using simple practices, like deep breathing, to shift our nervous system from a state of alarm to one of rest and digest.


Phase 3: Avoidance Becomes Agency via Approaching

When anxiety grips us, avoidance often becomes our go-to strategy. We avoid situations, people, or even emotions that might trigger our discomfort. However, avoidance tends to reinforce the anxiety, making it more difficult to break the cycle. In this phase, the focus is on reclaiming agency by gradually approaching the things we fear, allowing the body to realize that it can handle these experiences.

Dr. Siegel talks about the concept of "name it to tame it," where labeling our emotional state can help calm the amygdala's alarm. Combining this with physical practices—like grounding exercises that connect us to the present moment—can help us approach anxiety-inducing situations with a newfound sense of self-care. By breaking the pattern of avoidance, we empower our nervous system to rewire and build resilience.


Phase 4: Acceptance Becomes Autonomy via Authenticity

The final phase shifts the focus from control to acceptance. When we learn to accept our experiences without judgment, we allow the nervous system to relax and open up. Dr. Siegel often speaks about the concept of "mindsight"—the ability to perceive our inner world with clarity and compassion. This mental shift, combined with practices like mindfulness and self-compassion, helps the body-brain connection to function more harmoniously, fostering a sense of autonomy.


Why the Ocular Cardiac Reflex Works So Well

But what if we can't catch our breath? An intriguing method that illustrates the body-brain connection that can help to down regulate teh stress response and disarm the alarm aka your amgdala, is the ocular cardiac reflex. The ocular cardiac reflex (OCR), is a physiological phenomenon characterized by changes in heart rate and blood pressure in response to ocular stimuli. Traditionally observed during eye surgeries or manipulations of the eye, this reflex underscores the intimate connection between our visual perception and cardiovascular function. While primarily studied in medical contexts, the implications of the OCR extend far beyond the operating room, offering insights into trauma recovery and emotional regulation.

This reflex involving the eyes, slows down the heart rate, a technique rooted in the relationship between the vagus nerve (a key component of the parasympathetic nervous system) and the heart.


Dr. Andrew Huberman has spoken about how activating the vagus nerve can help reduce anxiety. “The vagus nerve,” he explains, “is the body's brake system; when engaged, it can help slow the heart rate and promote a state of calm.” The ocular cardiac reflex is a way of stimulating this nerve, signaling to the body that it is safe to relax. By working gently with side to side eyes movements, we send a message to the brain via the vagus nerve that helps dial down the sympathetic (fight-or-flight) response and activate the parasympathetic (rest-and-digest) system.


Evidence: A study published in Autonomic Neuroscience supports the effectiveness of this reflex, showing that it lowers heart rate and decreases anxiety. This simple yet powerful tool exemplifies the profound connection between intrepreting physical sensations [interoception] and emotional states, offering a direct pathway to nervous system restoration and increased resilience.


Bringing it All Together

The 4-phase approach to anxiety relief highlights the importance of understanding and working with the body-brain connection. From recognizing the role of the amygdala in anxiety to using techniques like the ocular cardiac reflex to regulate the nervous system, these practices empower us to reclaim agency and live more authentically.

In the words of Dr. Siegel, "The mind is like a muscle; the more we practice awareness and acceptance, the more we can shape it toward balance and well-being." And by engaging in these body-based practices, we give our nervous system the support it needs to shift from a state of alarm to one of inner harmony and resilience.


So next time anxiety starts to take the wheel, remember: your body has its own toolkit for restoring balance—you just need to tune in and trust your process and that with the right tools for you, your body and brain can begin to support you.


This blog integrates insights from both Dr. Huberman and Dr. Siegel, using the 4-phase approach by Hands of Time Healing to explore how the body-brain connection can be harnessed for anxiety relief.

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