We witnessed massive changes around us. Between 2020’s wildfires, COVID-19, George Floyd, the civil unrest, to a heated presidential election, and the fresh Capitol riot of 2021, we’re all forced to cope with changes fast, some redefining our normal lives. So, how are we all dealing so far with the changes? Are there things that we rather would not change? How do we go about processing and accepting these changes?
Duane T. Bowers is back on the Justice Clearinghouse to help us make sense of all the changes happening around us in this webinar. Duane is a Licensed Professional Counselor and Educator and the Author of Guiding Your Family Through Loss and Grief and The Child is Missing: Providing Support for Families of Missing Children. He provides support to survivors of trauma, traumatic loss, child exploitation and trafficking; their families; organizations that work in this arena; and wellness programs for professionals in the tech and law enforcement industry.
This session’s discussion revolved around:
- What change is, the facets of one’s being that are changed, and the precursors and motivation to change.
- The role of the brain in planning, processing, and driving change.
- The sacrifice, failure, and discomfort that may come with change and overcoming these effectively.
- The three elements required to develop a sense of coherence required to making lasting changes.
- A step-by-step look into the stages of change, when these occur, what specifically happens, and the challenges that may be encountered in each.
- The likelihood for failure to change and relapse, the threshold where the potential for relapse drops significantly, and how to avoid this from happening.
- The role of dopamine in experiencing novel events and anticipating, planning, affecting, and maintaining change.
- The steps of change
- Starting with a goal and motivation for the change.
- Following through with a pathway that involves strategies to maintain the course, support systems, and the environment.
- Working on the momentum through emotional encouragement and acknowledging progress.
- Recognizing and preparing for potential failure and relapse.
- Concepts and teachings that relate to the process of acceptance and how we tend to block acceptance.
- The shift in mindset required for acceptance and tips on how to process acceptance efficiently.
- The inner work needed to maintain balance amidst changes and situations that require our acceptance.
In the Q&A, Duane clarified these points:
- How self-sabotage is embedded in our subconscious, and how we can avoid it from derailing us.
- Confusing acceptance and permission to continue allowing unhealthy things to happen.
- How to avoid jumping from one negative behavior to another.
- Applying acceptance to the process of loss, death, and grieving.
Other Webinars with this Speaker:
- Change and Acceptance: Why We Succeed, Why We Fail (this webinar)
- Long-Term Coping Skills
Audience Comments
- “This was one of the most informative webinars I’ve attended to date. Thanks very much!” — Bob
- “Great slides and I liked the audience participation with questions. Well covered and informative. I really enjoyed the presentation. — Corinne
- “We are constantly learning about MI & Stages of Change. I think that this broke things down a little more by the comparisons and examples. They were much appreciated. Great job! Thank you!” — Kylee
- “I found the topic very interesting and helpful in the way I may look at things now and how I could change that way of thinking.” — Laura
- “I love how Duane always mixes the brain activity and chemicals associated with the emotions and behaviors exhibited and experienced. The way he intertwines science with real-world examples is so helpful to learning. Please keep bringing him back to talk about all he knows. I learn so much every time regardless of the topic he is covering.” — Leah
- “I appreciated the statistics on relapse and the stages of change and where one could re-enter after relapse. Very informative and would love to dig deeper in a future training.” — Stacy
