Summary of Francine Shapiro's Getting Past Your Past

By IRB Media

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book.

Book Preview: #1 Our minds are programmed to react in the same way as our bodies, which can sometimes lead to automatic responses that are not always positive. The same brain processes that allow us to recognize a rhyme, or sing along with a tune we haven’t heard in 20 years, can also lead to anxiety, depression, and at times physical pain.

#2 The first case is the most common, and it stems from the fact that our brains store experiences as memories. These memories include experiences that took place years ago, and our conscious mind is often unaware that they have any impact on us at all.

#3 When we understand the connections between our present problems and past memories, we can work to change them. It is not just understanding where something comes from but also knowing what to do about it that is important.

#4 The brain’s information processing system is what is targeted by the therapy known as Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing. By activating this system, old memories can be processed and discarded, and new memories can be stored in a way that is no longer damaging.

• Language: English
• Publisher: IRB Media
• Release date: Feb 19, 2022
• ISBN: 9781669349594

IRB Media

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Book preview

Insights on Francine Shapiro's Getting Past Your Past

Contents

Insights from Chapter 1

Insights from Chapter 2

Insights from Chapter 3

Insights from Chapter 4

Insights from Chapter 5

Insights from Chapter 6

Insights from Chapter 7

Insights from Chapter 8

Insights from Chapter 9

Insights from Chapter 10

Insights from Chapter 11

Insights from Chapter 1

#1

Our minds are programmed to react in the same way as our bodies, which can sometimes lead to automatic responses that are not always positive. The same brain processes that allow us to recognize a rhyme, or sing along with a tune we haven’t heard in 20 years, can also lead to anxiety, depression, and at times physical pain.

#2

The first case is the most common, and it stems from the fact that our brains store experiences as memories. These memories include experiences that took place years ago, and our conscious mind is often unaware that they have any impact on us at all.

#3

When we understand the connections between our present problems and past memories, we can work to change them. It is not just understanding where something comes from but also knowing what to do about it that is important.

#4

The brain’s information processing system is what is targeted by the therapy known as Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing. By activating this system, old memories can be processed and discarded, and new memories can be stored in a way that is no longer damaging.

#5

The unconscious is the part of the brain that stores our experiences, and the reactions that come from those experiences. It is the source of our knee-jerk reactions and our stuck points.

#6

Ben’s anxiety about doing public presentations stemmed from a memory from when he was a child. He was walking with his grandfather on his farm in North Carolina when he met a strange man who said to his grandfather, Well, howdy, if I had a youn-gun, I’d drown him in the creek.

#7

The brain’s automatic reactions are controlled by neural associations that are independent of our higher reasoning power. This is why you can watch in amazement as you do something you know you’ll regret later.

#8

We are all on a continuum of suffering and happiness, of sickness and health, of families who contributed to our problems and those who were supportive and loving. The kinds of experiences we have encountered range from the usual ones of childhood humiliations, failures, and arguments to the major events needed to diagnose posttraumatic stress disorder, such as combat, natural disasters, or sexual or physical abuse.

#9

There is no clear distinction between types of events, and there is no clear distinction between symptoms. We all have had the experience of feeling anxious, fearful, jumpy, or shut off from others. These feelings are often a sign that there