Interview: The Stress Overload Solution Laurel Mellin, PhD

Do you sometimes feel overloaded with stress? Dr Laurel Mellin may have some solutions to help you cope.  Check out the Interview below and learn about EBT.

1. Why is joy so important to overcoming stress?

The shared stress we face now is so overwhelming that it can shut off the brain’s natural capacity for joy.The ultimate sign that we’ve erased the stress in our brain is a burst of joy and a profound state of well-being.

2. How do you rewire your brain for joy?

You start your day with the intention to create joy in your life. Then, whenever you don't feel joy, you identify the stress level of your brain. There are five stress levels and a different emotional pathway from stress to joy for each one. You use the corresponding tool and get on that brain pathway to joy. Over time, your brain rewires stress circuits that block joy, and it gets into the joy habit. The method is emotional brain training (EBT), and it is based on the latest science of neuroplasticity. 

3. What are the 4 most common stress circuits that the program rewires?

Most of us have 4 stress circuits that cause stress overload and block joy. One is a mood wire, a love wire, a work wire, and a habit wire. By rewiring all four of these circuits, we can reset our brains to access more joy. 

4. What is an example of a mood circuit? How is it encoded?

It’s really easy to encode a mood circuit. When we are in stress, the brain launches a fight or flight drive to feel safe. One of the easiest ways to feel safe is not to be present to our balanced emotions. The brain remembers that we can avoid being present to our emotions by escaping into worrying, overthinking, depression, numbness, or a false high. Then even small daily stresses trigger it!

5. How do you rewire a circuit that causes stress overload and blocks joy?

The most important point about rewiring stress overload is that the circuits that cause it are emotional circuits. You need emotional tools to rewire them. Thinking does not rewire them, not does behavior change. You need emotional tools to activate the circuit, unlock its neurons, and change that faulty message that causes that stress overload. This is the perfect example of "two for one." The EBT tools not only can rewire the circuit that stresses us, but replaces it with a wire the promotes joy and well-being.

6. How can I use EBT to wire my brain for joy?

I wrote this book for stress overload and another book, the stress eating solution, so that it is easy for people who cannot find an EBT provider in their community to learn the tools. Also, using the tools with a buddy or small group makes them far more effective, so we have access on the ebt.org community website to join telegroups and access private telecoaching.  Virtually anyone can have a way to be with others via telephone and the internet to help wire their brains for joy. Once people read the book, they can join a group. Once in a telegroup, it becomes the high point of their week. Becoming wired for joy is a great addition to your week. Our research has shown that people in EBT telegroups improve their stress, weight, and other health issues more rapidly than people who aren't using the tools with others.

7. Do you have a mobile app for becoming wired for joy?

Yes, all memberships in the EBT online community (www.ebt.org) include our amazing app. You track Joy Points, and use the EBT 5-Point System of asking yourself, "What's my number?" Then be guided by the app through the tools, and in a short while, you find your joy. I use it daily, as by having an app as well as a small group, the brain changes more easily. It takes the guesswork out of wiring your brain for joy.

8. Why do we need EBT so much now?

We all have more stress now, and each of us faces a fork in the road, either surrendering to toxic stress, the root cause of up to 90 percent of health problems, or choosing joy. Personally, I choose joy. To make that real and lasting in our lives, we need the EBT emotional tools. We erase internal stress by processing our emotions, not by thinking or doing alone. The wires are emotional, and fortunately, right when stress levels are off the charts, a new set of simple emotional tools can give us the power to turn stress into joy.