(Ps. Sorry for the typos or grammatical mistakes here, typing fast to capture my through :P )
So I’ve been thinking about how we can create an identity shift in NSM.
I think it was hard for me to connect the dots at first because my life is pretty good these days, and getting better at mastering my emotion was just something nice to have lol
But then a short-circuit experience I had this week made me realize why all this knowledge of NSM is so important for students- it’s because they are the determinants of whether we can become the person we want to become, have the resources we have, and live a thriving life or not. ( In this way, NSM helps me be my own north star, guiding me where I should walk to)
With this in mind, I think every student has a picture of what it was like when they are thriving, can easily show their authentic self, and build connections with the people that are key to successfully building the life they want (similiar to the Heaven exercise but less course focus). Naming some casual events where they feel they are being reactive might be helpful, but it was those major fight or flight, the repeated pattern that comes up over and over again that made them feel their ideal self is so hard to reach that will be the game changer for how they perceive how much they take out of this course.
So I wonder if it’s helpful to prompt them to do the “5-whys” of why they REALLY wanna master their NS on week 0. How can better nervous system mastery help them achieve their vision for life? Helping them tie back to this bigger meaning might help create a bigger identity shift through mastering their NS .
Then instead of naming that emotional dojo only in week 4, maybe they can start searching for that key experience that prevents them from being that person, so the whole course becomes a build-up for that moment when they no longer feel like there’s a gap between who they are and who they want to be (or at least getting closer) (like a hero’s journey building up to solving this ultimate problem)
Set a goal and share with other students the recurrent theme in their life that they find hard to deal with- maybe they are facing an important challenge, or they always feel ___ when____ and they wish to be _____ instead. Use that to unpack all the things taught in the course.
At the same time, prompt them to find ppl they vibe with as their support, and when they are ready, maybe week 1 or 2, share that challenge in a public space in a circle as a chance for ppl to witness their courage/ determination to change.
And in between, continue to remind them that each protocol is not just an exercise, it’s a chance to help them become who they want to be. Every time they do a protocol, ask themselves what the things that are stopping being who they want to be or the life they want to live. What is the theme that they kept seeing in the course, and how is it related to the core of their being? Letting them know they are responsible for our becoming who they are now, but they also have the autonomy to choose to become what they want to become by mastering their nervous system.
For week 5, I wonder if you would consider moving this section to the earlier part of the course for this or future cohorts? (1) Because I felt that if students could remove these environmental barriers earlier, they might see a greater shift in their energetic state throughout the course too. (if a person is trying to practice protocols but constantly in an overstimulating room, might be hard to notice the effect of the practice?) Also, I imagine each individual will come with huge diversity in their environment and needs, introduce this section earlier might give them more time to ask questions throughout the course.
(2) because experience looking through the whole course is that I went from the emotional high of week 4 to the objective environmental design in week 5, it is a drop in my emotional journey. I feel like I’m left with questions and more unknowns than before.
But I feel like for a CBC, the final week should be reaching the highest of the whole learning experiences in terms of emotion, and it’s a time to recap and celebrate, so they can reinforce the proof of the identity shift they have. This emotional climax will also more likely to propel them to share their fruits from this course with the public more.
So, I wonder for the final week, if you decide to keep the original curriculum, maybe you can incorporate some rituals to help them celebrate the transformational process of this journey. Ask them if they have become a different person? are they closer to who they want to become? what have they successfully implemented? what are they still experimenting with?
Also, I think one thing important for CBC is guiding them on how to take the course content forward with their life after the course ends. Would there be recurrent calls after the course available in addition to the follow-up call? (pain or unpaid?)
Overall it’s a SUPER AWESOME course! I believe it can help so many ppl who experience the same thing with me!