In 2020, with the arrival of the pandemic, the world entered the Age of the Emotional Brain, a time when stress levels became so high that a new approach to stress and health was needed.
The EBT method gives people the power to spiral up even from high-stress states to joy in a couple of minutes. Our simple, easy-to-learn skills access the brain's hidden pathways of resilience and ease anxiety, carb cravings, and overreactions. They activate positive emotions and a new sense of safety from within. Often a tingle, a lightness of being, and a glow follow. We are instantly rewarded for clearing away our stress.
As stress overload is the new pandemic, EBT's mission is to equip people with these skills to stress-protect themselves and increase their ability to feel joy and be of purpose. To begin transitioning to this EBT approach, listen to this guided visualization by EBT founder Dr. Laurel Mellin:
In 1990, national health statistics showed increases in a broad range of health problems – including anxiety, depression, diabetes, obesity, heart disease, and cancer – all of which were rooted in stress. Then from 2001 onward, things got worse. Stress levels markedly increased in a stepwise fashion: first the terrorist attacks of 9/11, then the global financial meltdown of 2008, and finally the ugly, divisive, and coarse election of 2016. Each event triggered rises in a range of health problems and put the nation closer to the edge.
On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic, and the Age of the Thinking Brain, a time when cognitive methods for controlling our stress were thought to be enough, came to an end. With higher stress levels, the emotional brain was in charge, and we needed emotional tools to clear that stress quickly and easily.
Yet EBT was not widely available. Stress overload rapidly emerged as a second pandemic, impacting 70 percent of Americans, with anxiety, depression, PTSD, addictions, suicide, overdoses, violence, diabetes, and obesity on the rise. Our mental health system is now reeling from trying to treat this crisis. With population-wide stress overload a new phenomenon, bringing EBT to more people is a national priority.
EBT is unique and science-based, with skills that use the brain’s natural resilience that is rooted in evolutionary biology, so that stress can be cleared independently, privately, and quickly. This allows the thinking brain to be focused, sharp, and effective in moving us forward. The EBT method became possible because of advances in the sciences of neurophysiology (the brain controls our physiology) and neuroplasticity (we can change our brain), what we call the "7 Perfections" of the emotional brain. After 40 years of development and use by 500,000 people, the EBT tools are now available in an app, so that more people can access the full power of their emotional brain to take them from stress to joy. The 7 Perfections are:
The EBT program begins with downloading our app, spiraling up a few times during the day, and noticing the benefits of having that control over your emotional brain.
Next, take one of our 30-day basic courses and learn one small but important skill daily (or at the pace that is right for you). Just read a few pages on the EBT website and watch a video demonstration of the day’s technique.
Then, move right into training the brain for higher-order rewards: There is one 30-day course on each of the seven rewards of higher purpose. As your brain learns to access these rewards more easily, the set point of your brain rises. A high set point is the foundation for resilience, optimal health, and longevity. These rewards are:
Along the way, use EBT with others. Our research has shown that the more you connect with others in using EBT, the more you will like it and the better your health outcomes will be. Share EBT with your partner, spouse, family members, and friends. We are all stressed, and we all need this reset. The emphasis in EBT is on having fun while learning and unlocking our brain’s natural power, resilience, and purpose.
Also, as well as using our mobile app, log into our EBT Online Community portal. It’s private and anonymous and you will meet up with others who are accessing the seven rewards. Phone in for our complimentary drop-in workshops, post on our forum boards, and, for best results, join a weekly or daily group by telephone. We make it easy. Call in from work, home, or on the road. All our groups are facilitated by Certified EBT Providers who support you in realizing your personal goals as quickly and easily (and with as much fun) as possible.
Continue with the EBT Program until you have the rewards that matter most to you or complete the program for all seven rewards. Either way, you will have reset your approach to life for the Age of the Emotional Brain and will have the skills to move through any stress that comes your way and feel secure, loved, loving, and in joy.