What is The Hudson Mind Process©?
The Hudson Mind Process© (HMP) is a light, gentle, and effective way of improving both mental and physical health. This tried and tested approach has been helping people to change their mind and change their life for over 30 years.
The Body Mind Workers are a group of dedicated professionals determined to empower people acorss the world to live happier, more fulfilling lives.
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The theory provides an explanation for how physical symptoms manifest in the body from the mind; this occurs through a stimulus-response mechanism between the mind and the brain.
A specific stimulus in the mind causes the brain to respond by releasing an excess of neurotransmitters and hormones (norepinephrine and cortisol) into the nervous system. These chemicals cause immediate physiological changes in the body, such as an increased heart rate, increased blood pressure, increased breathing rate, and increased sweating.
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Long term exposure to these chemicals can affect many of the body’s internal systems such as the circulatory system, the digestive system, the endocrine system, and the muscular system. When these effects accumulate over a period of time, they can cause a wide range of health conditions ranging from anxiety, depression, Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), and chronic pain, to name but a few.
These chemicals have been extensively researched and long term exposure has been shown to cause a weakening of the immune system, leaving the body vulnerable to a myriad of other health conditions.
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This ‘stimulus-response’ mechanism therefore creates a ‘dysregulation disorder’ within the brain and body.
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An example of a stimulus-response mechanism would be if you were to accidentally touch a hot stove. You would immediately and unconsciously pull away from the heat before you even had time to think about it. Similarly, when the stimulus in the mind is registered by the brain all of the effects take place instantly and before you are even aware of them, leaving you only to notice the negative effects after the response has taken place.
Case Study: A person experiencing anxiety.
Quite often a person will report feeling absolutely fine, and then all of a sudden have a rush of anxiety for no apparent reason. This is a perfect demonstration of the stimulus-response mechanism in action. The response is so instantaneous and automatic the person only becomes aware of being anxious when the feelings are in full flow. Through the Hudson Mind Process© this process can be interrupted so that there is no response, and therefore no experience of any stress or distress. The Hudson Mind Process© is a means of restoring health without pharmaceutical intervention through the disruption of this mechanism, leading to a natural resolution of symptoms, and improved overall wellbeing.
How does the mind create physical changes within the nervous system?
When you are involved in an event or trauma that has a strong emotional component, your mind will store information about that event in the form of an ‘Emotional Memory Image©’ (EMI).
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An Emotional Memory Image© is a mental visualisation that has a strong emotional attachment. This mental visualisation is stored in a below conscious area known as ‘The Screen’.
The EMI has a specific spatial location which the client will repeatedly access with their eyes when discussing the problem. The coach works with the client to manipulate and change the EMI, thus interrupting the mechanism.
How does the Emotional Memory Image© create changes in brain activity?
When an EMI is on a person’s ‘Screen’, the EMI is registered by a part of the visual cortex of the brain called Brodmann area 19 (B19). This area of the brain is involved in registering images as they enter the brain and interpreting their meaning.
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When B19 registers the EMI as having a strong emotional attachment, B19 communicates with many other areas of the brain such as the Amygdala and the Cerebellum.
The Amygdala is involved in threat detection, and will become engaged when there is a perceived harmful event or attack, this state of hyperarousal leads to an acute stress response, which is commonly known as the ‘Fight or Flight’ response.
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The Cerebellum is involved in the coordination of movement, balance, and speech, and plays an integral role as a source of continuous feedback and adjustment to several of the other major brain areas. When as EMI is present the Cerebellum will have a much increased energy expenditure, requiring more of the brains resources and therefore leaving less for elsewhere.
The activation of the stress response in the Amygdala causes the release of the aforementioned chemicals norepinephrine and cortisol, which influences the brains circulation and diverting blood flow from the higher thinking and processing centres of the brain (the Prefrontal Cortex). This prevents us from rationalising and thinking the problem through clearly.
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Through The Hudson Mind Process© this entire process is disrupted allowing the brain to return to normal functioning and to a state of balance.
A CLIENT'S JOURNEY...
An ‘Event’ happens with a strong emotional component.
An EMI is created and stored on the below conscious screen.
B19 registers the image as having a strong emotional attachment and sends information to the Amygdala and the Cerebellum.
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The Amygdala initiates the stress response and causes the release of norepinephrine and cortisol. The cerebellum has a significantly increased workload and movement/speech may be affected.
Long term exposure to these chemicals leads to a common health condition (e.g anxiety/stress/depression/chronic pain.)
This individual then begins the Hudson Mind Process©. The coach helps the client to gain conscious access of the EMI, helps the client to manipulate and change the image to remove the strong emotional attachment.
Once this is complete, B19 does not register the image as a threat, the amygdala stress response is averted, and there is no excess release of norepinephrine and cortisol.
The brains chemistry then returns to balance, and the physiological symptoms resolve.