A survivor’s nervous system toggles between collapse and compulsion; healing begins by honoring both protectors and learning to pause in micro-doses.

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ANA TEACHINGS & PROGRAMS

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Core teaching

• Two-part tug-of-war: Ana names an inner split many trauma survivors feel:

  1. a part that wants to shut down and hide (resignation/exhaustion), and

  2. a part that demands relentless doing (pressure/perfection, “get the next thing done and do it right”).
     This maps to a nervous system oscillation between collapse and overdrive.

• Ancestral pressure, present body: The “screaming part” carries inherited survival instructions—keep moving or you’ll be overwhelmed. It’s an adaptive strategy passed through family history and lived experience, not a character flaw.

• Fear of pausing: Stillness threatens to surface unprocessed pain. The body anticipates that if I stop, the memories will catch me, so it pushes activity as a protective shield.

Somatic & nervous system lens

• Shutdown part (dorsal vagal / collapse): Fatigue, numbness, retreat, invisibility. Function: reduce exposure and conserve energy when safety feels out of reach.

• Screaming/doing part (sympathetic / fight–flight): Urgency, perfectionism, productivity compulsion. Function: outrun the pain; if I keep moving, I won’t feel it.

• Oscillation as the symptom: Many survivors pendulate between these poles, rarely landing in ventral vagal states (connection, rest, play). The conflict is protective but exhausting.

Parts work (IFS-informed view)

• Manager part: the “screaming” achiever managing risk via control, speed, and standards.

• Exile(s): the pain and memories that feel too much to contact directly.

• Firefighter/shutdown: the resigning, hiding part that douses overwhelm via withdrawal.

• Self/compassionate witness: the healing stance Ana invites—curious, nonjudgmental, capable of contacting each part without fusing with it.

Intergenerational frame

• Inherited alarms: “As if all my ancestors are behind me” evokes intergenerational vigilance: families who survived war, displacement, or scarcity often transmit implicit rules—don’t stop, don’t feel, keep moving.

• Respect the purpose: These rules kept people alive. Healing means honoring their intent while updating them for present conditions.

Why pausing is hard (and necessary)

• Threat of memory: Pausing reduces the noise that kept pain at bay; the system anticipates a flood.

• Capacity-building, not white-knuckling: The work isn’t to “just pause,” but to titrate stillness so it’s digestible—seconds before minutes before longer rests.

What Ana is teaching you to notice

1. Name the parts, not shame them. “Resigned one,” “screaming one.” Each is trying to protect you.

2. Track directionality and state: Am I in collapse, overdrive, or available for connection right now?

3. Honor ancestry without obeying alarms: Thank the protectors; ask what today’s body needs.

Micro-practices (titrated, somatic)

• Two-breath truce (20–30 sec):

  • Breath 1: name both parts out loud (“Part that hides… part that pushes…”).

  • Breath 2: place one hand over chest, one on belly and say, “Both of you are welcome. We will move—and we will rest—in small steps.”

• 1% pause: Keep doing, but insert a 30–60 sec timed pause between tasks; eyes open, feel feet + chair. End by stating the next tiny action. This builds tolerance for stillness without triggering collapse.

• Balanced exit ramp: If you overwork, plan a micro-rest before you start (e.g., 2 minutes of gaze-softening to the horizon), then a 90-second body scan after. Pairing motion + rest teaches the system that stopping is safe.

Therapeutic applications

• Session pacing: Begin with mobilization (gentle orienting, seated rocking) for over-collapsed clients; begin with containment (wall push, isometrics) for over-activated clients, then titrate into brief stillness.

• Parts dialogue script:

  • To the doer: “Thank you for keeping us moving. I’ll give you a clear next task and a short window.”

  • To the hider: “Thank you for keeping us safe. I’ll schedule a protected rest you control.”

  • To both: “You don’t have to fight; I’m here to coordinate.”

• Safety contract for pausing: Agree on a time-boxed pause and a restart cue (timer, song end) to prevent free-fall.