Corrections_Today_Winter_2024-2025_Vol.86_No.4

COMMITTEES

1. Is it true?

looks at the mental practice of re hearsal prior to a performance and determined it “has a positive and significant effect on performance, and the effectiveness of mental practices is moderated by the type of task, the retention interval between practice and performance and the length of duration of the mental practice intervention. (APA Psycinfo Database Record © 2016 APA, all rights reserved.)” You’ve probably heard your favorite athlete describe envisioning the golf shot or basket ball swish prior to making it happen and this is the same idea applied to improved mental wellness through a practice of gratefulness for what is desired. Visualization is supported by brain plasticity which is comprised of millions of neurons where new pathways are created when new ac tivities occur, or “what fires together wires together” or “Hebb’s Rule”. Continue the activity and the pathway deepens. Psychology Today https://www.psychologytoday.com/ us/basics/neuroplasticity notes that the brain can change its design through experiences and the “wiring and firing” ability or neuroplasticity. Research has shown that the brain creates new cells throughout life and is called neurogenesis. Practicing and repeating positive activities or mentally rehearsing them (visualiza tion) drives neurogenesis or new brain cells and deeper pathways which when continued can make the practice effortless … walking in a state of gratefulness. Trying a new practice may feel like putting on new shoes ... so get comfortable with being uncomfort able and look forward to the beauty,

strength, efficiency and innovation of each step in these new shoes. Practical applications and finding your tribe Daily Priming: “Imagine that life is happening for you and not to you” (Tony Robbins). A practice to consider is daily priming with a stacking of past, current and future goals, achievements, and pleasures with a focus on gratefulness that is accomplished in 15 minutes. It provides a simple mechanism to clear out the unwanted thoughts and recall the positive moments while creating a future vision with goal setting. It can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=faTGTgid8Uc Good: It is important to align with those who can support in sights and steps or to “find your tribe” be it in person or online. Consider the two-minute encourage ment from former Navy Seal Jocko Willink called “Good” which has been his guidance to those within his command to take the offense in every situation for improved mental wellbeing. It can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=IdTMDpizis8 The Work: Byron Katie devel oped a four-step question process called The Work https://thework.com to create curiosity and to help bring truth regarding personal situations. It is unwise to believe everything you may think because thoughts and memories can be inaccurate or influenced by environment and the unknown. Instead, investigate the personal topic with The Work questions:

a. Remain objective in the thinking process. 2. Can you absolutely know it’s true? a. Are you really sure it’s true? b. Be curious. 3. How do you react when you believe that thought? a. How is your approach impacted when you believe the thought? 4. Who would you be without this thought? a. Visualize who you would be without the thought. b. How would you treat others or yourself without the thought? This is a practice worth repeating for various situations. Plato’s Allegory of the Cave : Taking a chance on change in gratefulness Plato was a student of Socrates who penned the teachings and this is a conversation between Socrates and Plato’s brother where the idea is that the cave holds several people who are chained to the wall and the campfire shows shadows which the dwellers believe is reality. While their conversation contin ues as to the results if the dwellers broke free, walked away and found the real world outside of the cave, one application is to think of the cave experience as the 90 percent repetitive daily thoughts where some can be inaccurate yet believed,

Corrections Today | Winter 2024-2025

58