self-Regulation training
Break the mold for mental health with one solution: enhance self-regulation by training the autonomic nervous system (ANS).
To Boost Self-Regulation
One nervous system to another
The fastest way to change the autonomic nervous system is by "connecting" with someone else's nervous system. This 'co-regulation' technique is the secret power behind most therapeutic and coaching endeavours. Learn more.
Introductory self-REGULATION training
DeCoding the Brain is an online program that's like an app for the mind-body. Just apply the techniques anytime your mental/emotional state declines. Release any backlogged emotion and then gently shift into positive states using proven somatic techniques. Learn More
myShrink is dedicated to heralding a paradigm shift in mental health. With our signature program DeCoding the Brain, it showcases a new understanding of the mind-body connection. The science behind this revolutionary approach promises to provide relief and in some cases, complete remission of some so-called mental health "disorders". myShrink has isolated one application of this approach giving recipients a way to achieve maximum level of self-regulation training and maintain a lasting sense of well-being.
How's your nervous system doing? Take this quick quiz.
*Be sure to put the audio on.
What is Emotional Regulation?
Emotional regulation is the ability to respond and recover with equanimity to life's challenges while staying true to oneself.
The simplest indicator of emotional regulation is the health of the autonomic nervous system (ANS). The ANS communicates with every organ, so improving its functioning has a reparative effect throughout the body. Click the video to learn more.
Self-Regulation Training & the Polyvagal Theory
DeCoding the Brain - our signature product - and our Coaching Practices are based on somatics and the Polyvagal theory.
The Polyvagal Theory explains that one's emotional regulation is reflected in the combination of our connection needs and the fight, flight, freeze response of the autonomic nervous system.
When the autonomic nervous system is working optimally we can get charged up by stress and a little while later, easily and seamlessly release it through our body. We don't hold onto the stress, we're free to relax in the evening.
When the nervous system is NOT working optimally, we run into these types of problems:
FIGHT
Impatient, irritable, frustrated, rageful, tight jaw & fists
Flight
Fidgety hands & legs, restless, anxiety, panic, tight chest, "frequently feel like moving".
FREEZE
Numb, collapsed, heavy, exhausted, unmotivated, staring off, frequently cold in hands & feet.
GOOD NEWS: the nature of the autonomic nervous system is infinitely malleable.
myShrink utilizes this knowledge and helps you to achieve emotional regulation using these two strategies:
- Tracking psychophysiological states and repeatedly returning to states of balance and,
- Resolving our connection needs (ie. addressing the patterns of how we connect to ourselves and others).
Emotional Regulation
When our "connection needs" are met and our nervous system is self-regulating, we're comfortable in our own skin.
Engaging with others is easy; we're joyful, curious and resilient (ie. we bounce back from stress).
Self-Regulation = A balanced brain
“We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.”
Albert Einstein
GREATEST FACTOR FOR CHANGE
IT'S ALL ABOUT CONNECTION
When two people meet, two nervous systems shake
hands. Your nervous system LEARNS from the nervous
system of your coach/therapist.
It's an energetic exchange.
GREATEST FACTOR FOR CHANGE
IT'S ALL ABOUT CONNECTION
When two people meet, two nervous systems shake
hands. Your nervous system LEARNS from the nervous
system of your coach/therapist.
It's an energetic exchange.
A positive connection generates deeper results
Decades of clinical research has shown that the biggest factor controlling positive change is the relationship between the practitioner and the client. We believe the health of your coach's nervous system determines how much your nervous system benefits.
Growth is possible at any age
Humans experience exponential growth in the first years of life. Based on burgeoning research into neurobiology and infant development, we've identified key conditions that assure positive changes in the brain no matter what your age.
Somatics for faster growth
Growing research into the area of right-brain to right-brain interactions is the source of change in therapeutic interactions. At myShrink we believe the use of somatics* —right-brain activities—optimizes brain growth and development.
*For our purposes, we define somatics to include body-based sensations, visualizations and mindful movement.
The Problem
Traditional therapeutic and life coaching methods rely on self-reports to evidence changes in functioning. However, while useful for tracking purposes, "self-report" is notoriously unreliable as an objective measure of progress.
The Solution
New scientific methods that track biomarkers of health and well-being are now available through "wearables" and other devices that measure autonomic nervous system (ANS) health, especially heart rate variability (HRV).
The power of neuroscience for self-regulation training
myShrink is committed to exploring—in measurable ways—how somatic techniques and emotional regulation improve different aspects of human functioning. One biomarker in particular, heart rate variability (an important marker for biological age) has been shown to steadily improve with these methods. (Yes, by improving emotional fitness you'll look younger! (in time :-))
Serving the NEEDS OF PARENTs who want more for their KIDS
To succeed in a rapidly changing world a child must be able to adapt and manage their emotional mindset. It all requires a resilient nervous system.
Self-Regulation Training = offers a new way of looking at developing resiliency. Begin with the knowledge that the greatest factor for change is the parents' own nervous system. Learn more.
. . . and anxiety sufferers
Anxiety in the general population has reached new highs.
Self-Regulation = freedom from anxiety ie. circling thoughts and worries and chronic body tension.
With repeated use of self-regulating techniques the autonomic nervous system becomes emotional resilient in the face of triggers, and curiosity in the face of challenges.
...therapy and ex-therapy clients dealing with transference
Therapeutic techniques that give rise to transferences (wherein clients become attached to their therapist or health care practitioner) can sometimes leave clients with no opportunity for a successful resolution.
Self-Regulation + inner child work = freedom from obsessive yearning and a dramatic reduction in feeling out of control. Coupled together this approach provides a way for individuals to move beyond their transference into satisfying adult relationships and feelings of belonging. Learn more.
Serving the needs of Startups
Being part of a StartUp often means pushing the envelope for an extended period of time. Deadlines and financial stressors keep the nervous system in a constant state of heightened arousal.
Better self-regulation = improved productivity and adaptability to change, longer peak-time concentration and expansive out-of-the-box thinking.
After years of declining powers in concentration, comprehension, and struggling with a general malaise—that she was unwilling to attribute to the aging process—Dr. LaCombe began a journey of personal transformation (described here). She ultimately came to see that the dependence on pharmaceuticals and an over reliance on arbitrary diagnostic categories within the mental health field had to be recognized and overcome.
2006. Launched website myShrink while on a mission to promote a revolutionary idea to the mental health field. Led ultimately to 'self-regulation training'.
2010. Developed the first version of DeCoding the Brain (formerly called the Brain Coaching Program). Based on neuroscience, polyvagal theory and instructional design. Ultimately attracted over 600 members—and growing.
2021. Based on years of research & testing, DeCoding the Brain launched with a focus on emotional regulation training. An Introductory Coaching Package was launched in January 2022.
Click here to learn more about Dr. LaCombe.