Rewire Your Brain: Part 4
Britta Van Dun- Apr 22
- 4 min read
Updated: May 12
""Master the basics. Then practice them every day without fail. Small disciplines repeated with consistency every day lead to great achievements gained slowly over time" - John C. Maxwell
From Awareness to Integration – Embracing the Growth Process
If you’ve been following along in this “Rewire Your Brain” series, you’ve already started laying the foundation for deep and lasting change. In Part 1, we explored how self-defeating patterns stem from “Saboteurs”—inner critical voices that pretend to protect us but actually keep us small and disconnected. In Part 2, we introduced Presence Practices, simple yet potent sensory exercises that shift us out of stress loops and back into grounded, embodied awareness. In Part 3, we explored the Five Sage Powers—Activate, Empathize, Explore, Innovate, and Navigate—which help you respond to challenges with wisdom instead of fear. Now, in Part 4, we bring it all together with a powerful process to help you move from reactivity to resilience—and ultimately, into the life you’re meant to live.
The Growth Process
An Every-Day Path to Self-Mastery
As I can easily attest, healing and growth don’t happen overnight or in one straight line. Evolution occurs in micro-moments of awareness, acceptance, choice, and action—again and again.
Please consider the following Growth Process a simple roadmap. It’s not a checklist to perfectionism, but offers a gentle rhythm to return to whenever you feel stuck, activated, or ready for "next!"
1. Become Aware of Saboteur Thoughts & Behaviors
Notice when you're triggered—perhaps by a person, situation, unmet need, or fear—and what your mind starts to do. Are you judging yourself? Avoiding? Over-controlling? Just naming the moment of activation is powerful.
2. Identify the Saboteur(s)
Each of us has particular Saboteur voices—like the Judge, Achiever, Stickler, Pleaser, or Avoider—each whisper familiar fears and stories. Naming them helps us dis-identify from them. “Ah, this is my Hyper-Achiever again. Got it.” Maybe smile. It’s all pretty absurd.
3. Intercept the Saboteurs in Real Time
When you notice you are mid-pattern, pause. This is huge. You are disrupting the automated reaction/thought pattern. This is where change begins.
4. Celebrate the Interception
Yes, celebrate! Even if it feels nerdy, give yourself a full 10 seconds of appreciation. Smile. Take a breath. Feel the shift. Saboteurs loathe celebration—it short-circuits their hold on you.
5. Engage a Presence Practice
Do something simple and sensory to anchor yourself—rub your fingertips together, trace your palm, listen for a sound far away, or tap your sweet feet on the ground. Just 10 seconds is enough to shift your brain into Wisdom or Sage mode.
6. Accept What Is—or Pin It for Later
Ask yourself: Can I accept this moment as it is, just for now? Acceptance is not passivity—it’s presence. If the situation needs to be changed, pin it. Save it for when you have the clarity and capacity to respond with greater clarity and coherence.
7. Feel and Name Your Emotions
What are you feeling right now? Sadness? Fear? Anger? Disappointment? Can you feel it in your body? This is part of the healing. Your emotions are messengers, not enemies.
8. Activate Your Inner Wisdom
Which Sage Power is most needed here?Do you need to Empathize with yourself or someone else?Do you need to Explore what’s really going on? What’s at the root of this? How can I help?Do you need to Innovate a new way forward? Brain/heart-storm for 60 seconds - see what arises. Ask for help here: a higher power, a trusted friend, mentor, coach, family member etc. Do you need to Navigate closer to your values? How does this align or compete with my core values? Do you need to Activate and simply take the next right step? If you are ready to take a step . . .
9. Take a Small, Easy Step
Choose something manageable and meaningful. Call a friend. Do 10 jumping jacks to get the energy flowing. Open a new email and write the Subject heading. Gently stretch for a few minutes. Whatever it is, do it intentionally and with kindness.
10. Celebrate Again!
This rewires your brain. Taking one small action + feeling good about it = confidence and self-trust. This is how we build momentum towards self-mastery.
Gentle Reminders
This work, like every process and all of life, is not linear. There will be days of breakthroughs and high energy and days of low energy and inertia. Moments of ease and those of challenge. All par for the course. The phrase “this too shall pass,” can work wonders - keeps us in solution and out of the worry saboteur.
If you slip back into old patterns, notice the slip, give thanks for noticing, return to the process. Every moment is a new beginning.
Awareness is everything. Each time you pause and choose again, you’re building new neural pathways. I personally love the 3 As: Awareness, Acceptance, Action.
Proceed gently. This process is about progress, not perfection. It’s about presence - moment to moment to moment.
I created this series in hopes of catalyzing an evolution. If you found it helpful, please pass along to friends and family. If there's another topic, book or growth process you’d like me to explore, please let me know - I want to learn about what you're most interested in!
May you deeply connect with your inner wisdom, and help you reclaim a life you haven’t dared yet dreamed.
If you or a loved one would like personalized support, I’m here for you in-person in Tucson AZ as an intuitive life coach offering acupuncture Chinese Medicine, reiki, and craniosacral therapy, specializing in deep healing and transformation. Virtually, I’m available online via Zoom, FaceTime and phone for intuitive and transformational life coach sessions and distance energy healing.
Xx
Britta
Licensed Acupuncturist, Online Life Coach, Intuitive, Healer, Energy Medicine Practitioner
📞 917-519-2432
For more information about Positive Intelligence: https://www.positiveintelligence.com/
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