Counselling Edmonton

The treatment method utilized by ShiftGrit is known for reconditioning the responses in the “walnut brain,” which is referred to as our primitive, pre-evolutionary brain, akin to our animal instincts. This process employs psychological techniques reminiscent of classical conditioning, as used by behaviourists like Pavlov with dogs, but in this case, it’s an inverted form of classical conditioning.

The goal is to break associations between the “NNEs” (presumably negative neural experiences), the “LBs” (likely referring to learned behaviours), and current experiences. An analogy is used to illustrate this process:

Imagine rescuing a dog that has suffered abuse in the past, where the dog associates certain triggers, like seeing work boots, with danger. Despite being in a safe environment now, the dog’s survival brain still reacts to these triggers as if it’s in danger.

To retrain the dog and help it become calm around work boots, the treatment involves gradually reintroducing the boots in a safe setting, forming new associations like “work boots = you are fine/safe” through positive experiences, treats, and gradual exposure. The goal is to replace the original association of “work boots = danger” with “work boots = I am fine/safe.”

The key elements of this reprocessing approach include incremental exposure, a controlled environment, and a reversal of classical conditioning to modify the dog’s response to triggers. This method aims to help the dog overcome its past trauma and respond differently to previously anxiety-inducing stimuli.