S1E8: Vision And Meditation: How To "See" Your Ideal Life With Your Spiritual Eyes

This episode is all about vision and meditation.

We are all excellent meditators whether we realize it or not! Worry is a form of meditation about all the things that are or can go wrong.

When I say “vision,” I am not referring to seeing with your physical eyes. While there are some people who think in words, most of us think in pictures and we might not even realize that.

If you were to design your most ideal life for the next 12 months, what would it look like?

If you were to look forward a year from now and say, “this was the best year of my life” what would your life have looked like?

Grab your journal and come along as you use you use your imagination to envision your ideal life!

Hello my lovelies! Welcome to another episode of The Dream Lab podcast.

In last week’s episode, I walked you through the first journaling homework assignment which was all about looking back over your life to see how far you’ve come.

When I did this with friends, I went through the questions with them, asking for more detail and probing for the back story to mine for the gold. This process was so precious each and every time. I am a genuinely curious person and to have a friend trust me with the details of their life is humbling.

In the questioning, inevitably they came to a deeper revelation of their own heart and God’s love for them. And often I could see patterns that they couldn’t.

It would be super fun if you did the journaling homework from last episode with a friend!

Grab a friend and review the answers to “looking back” questions.

This is an opportunity to practice:

• Being fully in the present moment with your friend and grounded in your body
• Listening without speaking and without judgment
• Asking brief, clarifying questions to get to know your friend’s heart more fully
• Reflecting back on what you hear without giving advice
• Being vulnerable

Before moving on to the second journaling homework assignment, practice some deep breathing and get into t a still and quiet frame of mind.

After answering all the questions, review your answers and ponder:

• What stands out to you?
• Did any answers surprise you?
• Did you experience any emotions as you wrote?
• Did you see any patterns or recurring themes?
• What might the patters and themes reveal to you about what God made you to do or be in your life? Or about your unique design?

Get with a friend to review the answers to your questions just like you did with the first homework assignment!

In this episode of The Dream Lab Podcast, we are going into the first homework assignment of The Dream Lab workshop.

If you are driving, you may want to come back to this episode later when you have time to take some notes.

Sometimes it’s helpful to look at how far you have come. This homework is designed to help you remember the people, circumstances, and things that you loved and enjoyed, your accomplishments, life events and gifts that shaped who you are today. 

This exercise is not intended to stir up old failures, regrets and traumas. While answering the questions, if a painful memory resurfaces, take a moment to explore it with God. Invite God into the emotion of the memory. Ask, “Is there something you want me to know about this?” If you don’t hear answers, move forward in answering the questions.

When journaling the answers to these questions, please use a pen and paper rather than typing. Journaling with your own handwriting has a number of benefits which you can google, but the two most important ones for this exercise are, journaling by hand connects you to your heart, and it forces you to slow down in this hurried, fast-paced world.

When you are finished answering all the questions, review your answers. 

• What stands out to you? Did any of your answers surprise you?
• Did you experience any emotions as you wrote?
• Did any recurring emotions come up as you wrote? Do the recurring emotions coincide with particular answers, e.g., “When I wrote answers about my family, I felt happy, “or “When I wrote answers about past jobs, I felt sad.”
• Looking over all of your answers, write down the top 3 themes.

In this episode of the Dream Lab podcast, host Christina B delves into the profound impact of neural pathways on our ability to dream. She explores the crucial role of the vagus nerve in central nervous system regulation and how beliefs form strongholds in our minds, affecting our emotions and actions. This episode offers insights into breaking free from limiting beliefs, with a focus on deep breathing, checking in with our bodies, observing our thoughts and asking, "What if that's not true?"

Two resources for additional exploration:

1. David Bayer's podcast How Thoughts Become Things
2. Ed Silvoso's podcast Breaking Strongholds and Building Love-Filled Relationships

How chronic stress and your central nervous system can affect your ability to dream

In this episode, we talk about

• The central nervous system
• Survival mode, chronic stress and central nervous system dysregulation
• Fight/Flight/Freeze/Fawn

What symptoms should you look for in your body and in your behavior that indicate your central nervous system may be dysregulated?

• Not recognizing normal hunger and thirst cues that lead to irritability, headache, cravings, etc.​
• Continuing to eat beyond the normal fullness cues until the stomach is bloated​
• Pushing through strenuous exercise despite deep fatigue and sleep deprivation​
• Unable to discern your body in space (proprioception) leading to accidents and injuries, trips/falls, bumping into things​
• Forgetfulness​
• Inability to calm, insomnia​
• Always in your head, trying to ”figure it out”​
• Not recognizing normal hunger and thirst cues that lead to irritability, headache, cravings, etc.
• Continuing to eat beyond the normal fullness cues until the stomach is bloated
• Pushing through strenuous exercise despite deep fatigue and sleep deprivation
• Unable to discern your body in space (proprioception) leading to accidents and injuries, trips/falls, bumping into things
• Forgetfulness
• Inability to calm, insomnia
• Always in your head, trying to "figure it out"

Resources to help regulate your central nervous system

• Dr. Peter Levine: Developed a healing modality called Somatic Experiencing. Wrote the book “Waking the Tiger”
• Dr. Aimie Apigian: Created a program called Trauma Healing Accelerated
• Dr. Gabor Mate: World renowned trauma expert and author of “When the Body Says No” and many other books
• Dr. Bessel Van Der Kolk: Author of “The Body Keeps the Score”
• Irene Lyon’s 21 Day Nervous System Tune-Up or her 12-week SmartBody SmartMind

In Part 2 of the inaugural episode of the Dream Lab podcast, host Christina B shares her deeply personal journey from grief to healing following the loss of her mother. Struggling with unresolved grief, she found solace and growth through counseling and EMDR therapy. Christina discusses the significance of moving past comfort zones, as she embarks on a new path in creating this podcast. The Dream Lab is a space dedicated to exploring our unique design and dreams as a reflection of God’s heart, aiming to inspire listeners to pursue their passions and navigate life’s challenges with faith and courage.

In the inaugural episode of The Dream Lab podcast, host Christina B. shares her inspiring journey from working in Washington, D.C. to embracing the entertainment industry in Los Angeles. She explores her process of self-discovery through journaling, which led her to recognize three core themes in her life: creativity, physical activity, and the joy of community. Through this exploration, Christina found a deeper connection to her purpose, culminating in the creation of The Dream Lab, a space inspiring others to embrace their unique design and dreams as reflections of God's heart for the world around them.