Free Mind-Body Workbook for PTSD by Stanley Block

between the fixer and natural functioning. Remember, the naturally functioning true self comes out only when your I-System rests, which means there’s no body tension.
Go back over your fixer items on your log, using your bridging awareness and thought labeling tools. What happens? Natural functioning is the engine of life. It’s simply all the activities of your daily life without the I-System’s adding anything or taking anything away.

Sample To Do Map

    Day Four     Date:____________
    Remember Mary and her kids, from Day Two in this chapter? She had trouble telling the difference between thoughts the fixer produced and those from natural functioning until she remembered to use her bridging awareness practices. Now she comes out of the shower with a relatively calm mind and body. When she looks at the clock, thinks The kids will be late for school , and feels her shoulders tighten, she knows that her usual response of yelling, “You’ll be late for school! Hurry up!” is a fixer. She listens to the traffic sounds outside the window, feels her feet as she walks across the hall, feels her shoulders drop, and calmly gathers everyone up. She befriends her fixer and returns to natural functioning.
    Now that you can identify the activity of the fixer on your maps, it’s time for you to befriend your fixer. Remember, the best time to befriend your fixer is right in the middle of an activity where you notice excess body tension, storylines, mental pressure, overwhelmed feelings, and so on. To befriend the fixer, you have to have a strong bridging awareness practice. Only when you know what it’s like to have a quiet I-System can you recognize when your fixer is active, because the I-System is so disruptive that it’s difficult to tell the difference between the fixer and natural functioning. The fixer is so persistent in our lives that most of us come to see its activity as “It’s just me.” How many times have you ignored your body tension and dismissed your mind clutter with an “it’s just me” attitude? Remember, when your I-System is at rest, you can befriend your fixer by simply being aware of its activity and then bringing your awareness back to what you were doing.
1. During the day, notice the difference between activities prompted by your fixer and those that come from natural functioning.

2. Do a map titled “What Will Happen to Me If I Give Up My Fixer.” Jot whatever comes to mind when you imagine giving up your fixer (for example, I won’t have any motivation , I’ll lose my job , I’ll never accomplish anything , I won’t be successful , or I’ll never get well ). Write for three to four minutes. Describe your body tension at the bottom of the map.

    Body Tension:
    ______________________________
    ______________________________
     
Is your mind cluttered or clear?
    ______________________________
Is your body tense or relaxed?
    ______________________________
What are some of your requirements?
    ______________________________
In this mind-body state, how do you act?
    ______________________________
    Some people feel panicked about this map. Their I-System is so strong that they feel that it’s who they really are. They feel as if they’ll lose who they are and have nothing left without their fixers. Some fears people have shared are: “To give up my fixer would be like giving up my right arm!” and “If I let my fixer go, I’ll go right down the tubes.”
3. Do the previous map again, this time using your bridging awareness practices. Before you start writing,listen to background sounds, feel your body’s pressure on your seat, sense your feet on the floor, and feel the pen in your hand. Once you’re settled, keep feeling the pen in your hand, and start writing. Watch the ink go onto the paper, and listen to background sounds. Write for three to four minutes.

     
How is this map the same or different from the previous