Most of what we experience is processed naturally. Sleep, time, reflection and just living usually allow events to settle without us having to do too much.

 

Some events, though, are overwhelming and don't get processed so easily. In getting processed they bring back the feeling of overwhelm, which no one wants.

Some problems look very different on the surface. Panic attacks, burnout, anxiety, stress, phobias, compulsions, chronic fatigue, trauma and PTSD are all given different names and treated as separate conditions but, underneath, there may be a shared pattern.

When a person’s system becomes overwhelmed a part of their experience cannot be processed. The person may have carried on with ordinary life, but the feeling of overwhelm remains in the background. That could come from being overworked or being blown up by a bomb! We have helped people with these problems and lots of others that lay somewhere between the two extremes.

The Boulderstone Technique approaches these problems by asking a different question:

How can we help process any overwhelming experience, easily, without re-traumatising the person?

The aim is not to suppress the symptom with words or medication. The aim is to process the overwhelming memory so that when it resurfaces there is an established path through the memory that doesn't leave the person in pieces.

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This is the work of the Boulderstone Technique.

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Common names given to problems of overwhelm

Burnout

Burnout can happen when a person continues beyond the point at which their system can recover. The person keeps going, but something underneath no longer resets properly.

Panic attacks
A panic attack may be the system’s attempt to resolve overwhelm, but the process itself becomes overwhelming. The person is not weak or irrational. Something is trying to happen, but it has become too much.


Anxiety and stress
Stress is not always harmful. Pressure can help a person act, decide and respond. But when pressure becomes greater than the person can process, it may leave unresolved tension behind. Anxiety may then appear as the system continues to scan for danger or difficulty.

Phobias and compulsions
A phobia can be a form of protection. A compulsion can be an attempt to reduce unbearable tension. Both may make sense when understood as attempts to prevent overwhelm from returning.

Chronic fatigue
Fatigue can have many causes. But in some people, unresolved overwhelm may be part of the picture. The system may be using energy to hold something down, keep something apart, or prevent overwhelm from coming back.

Trauma and PTSD
Trauma is not only what happened. It is also what could not complete at the time. PTSD is one of the clearest examples of this. The person survived the event, but the system may still be trying to finish its response to it.

How the Boulderstone Technique works
The Boulderstone Technique helps the person stay with what is unresolved without being pushed into overwhelm. When the process can complete, the symptom no longer has the same job to do. The process does not require detailed talking about the problem.

What to do next
If you would like help with unresolved symptoms, anxiety, trauma, PTSD, panic attacks, burnout, phobias, compulsions, stress or chronic fatigue, you can contact In The Clear to discuss whether this approach may be suitable.