The Connect the Dots Method

An overview & handy guidebook of the CTD Method for lasting self-transformation.

Oct 03, 2023

Welcome to Connect the Dots! This is the very first core lesson to kickoff your journey of optimizing your nervous system to get unstuck and find true alignment in life.

Click to download this post as a guidebook to use!

NOTE: Be sure to check out the bottom of this post to see the CTD October 2023 forecast!

Overview

We cannot operate at our potential when we're living in chronic states of survival mode. And if you think you’re never in survival mode, think again! I assure you that you are… because you’re human. (more on this in the next section)

All this to say, it's undeniable then that nervous system regulation is the super-skill needed to handle life's stressors and not just become resilient... but anti-fragile.

What does that mean? Resilience is the quality of bouncing back to baseline from life’s stressors. Anti-fragility is the quality of bouncing back even better than before because of those stressors.

Your life experiences are arguably the fuel to empower you to be the best version of yourself. There's no escaping this rollercoaster of life. BUT, there is learning to navigate the bumpy ride with a whole lot more ease, clarity, authenticity, success, and fulfillment. That’s what this space and my Connect The Dots Method will help you do!

Surviving vs. Thriving

Remember when I said you live in some version survival mode? That’s because your nervous system is wired with survival as the utmost priority. Your instincts kick in to protect you from threats. But instead of facing predators in the wild, our threats today are social and environmental factors that create uncertainty, risk, stress, and danger.

Interestingly, we've evolved as a human species to be capable of thriving more than ever before in history, but our primitive survival system has not caught up yet.

You feel stuck because your mind and body are internally stepping on the gas and brake at the same time.

Your evolved intuition hits the gas and says: "LET'S TAKE RISKS SO WE CAN THRIVE!"

But your primitive instincts hit the brakes and say: "NO, LET'S DO WHAT’S FAMILIAR TO BE SAFE AND SURVIVE!"

This is the dilemma.

So, if you want to thrive and override the brakes, you must learn to retrain your nervous system to associate safety with trusting your intuition and stepping beyond societal conditioning and your comfort zone.

How, you ask? The Gene Keys system gives you the self-awareness to know what survive patterns are limiting you and what thrive patterns to retrain your brain to using Polyvagal Theory principles.

CTD Philosophy + Science

The Gene Keys + Polyvagal Theory = Connect the Dots

The Gene Keys is a self-discovery system created by Richard Rudd. It's codebook based on ancient wisdom and modern science that defines the evolutionary survival patterns that limit us due to fear and the thrive patterns that unlock our gifts.

Polyvagal Theory shows the role the nervous system plays in regulating our health and behavior to optimize our well-being, energy, emotional state, social connections, and sense of safety.

Together, they work hand-in-hand to associate safety with the patterns that help you reach your potential, rather then the ones that keep you stuck in what’s familiar.

Check out the scientific basis behind the Connect the Dots Method…

Epigenetics is the study of how your mental state, behaviors, and environment can cause changes that affect the way your genes work (for better or worse). Epigenetic changes do not change your DNA sequence, but they can change how your body reads a DNA sequence.
Language is a system of communication. It is our tool for learning, connection, self-awareness, and growth. Language allows us to name an experience and therefore, gain the power of understanding and meaning that we can then internalize and express to others.
Neuroplasticity is the ability of neural networks in the brain to form and reorganize through learning, experience, and emotional intensity. This capacity allows humans to continuously change and grow over the course of their lives, as well as improve brain function to enhance wellbeing.
Neuropsychology is a branch of psychology concerned with how a person's cognition and behavior are related to the brain and body. This study allows us to understand the chemical impact of the mental, emotional, social, and behavioral experiences we have and how that shapes our health.

CTD Survival Archetypes

There’s so much to come in CTD, but let’s get a taste of how you can fuse The Gene Keys and Polyvagal Theory to find clarity and transform your survive patterns into thrive patterns.

First, you'll get an overview of the 4 core survival instincts we all have. Next, you'll discover which of the 4 survival archetypes best represents your default behavior patterns. You'll learn some advantages and liabilities of your survival type, as well as one of the gene keys that will assist you to retrain your brain to thrive, not just survive. Let's dive in!

Survival Instincts

FIGHT: Survival pattern to mobilize and confront danger. You spring into action to face the threat directly to reach safety.
FLIGHT: Survival pattern to mobilize and avoid danger. You spring into action to get away from the threat to reach safety.
FREEZE: Survival pattern to immobilize and confront danger. You aim to control and limit the threat to reach safety.
FAWN: Survival pattern to immobilize and avoid danger. You aim to limit the threat by surrendering to reach safety.

Survival Archetypes

Which of the 4 archetypes sounds most familiar to you?

As you can see, this is just scratching the surface! These are only 4 of the 8 survival archetypes. What do you do with these advantages, liabilities, and gene keys from here? Well, that’s what’s coming on the horizon…

So, tell me, what questions do you have? What here resonates the most for you? Did an ‘aha moment’ click for you? Write in the comments below or head over to the chat thread to get a convo started. I can’t wait to hear your thoughts!

Every month in CTD will have a different central focus for the teachings, tools, & resources. Each will build on the next to support you to learn & integrate everything fully! At the top of each month, the first post (like this one) will share the focus so you know what to expect for the month ahead.
October 2023 Forecast: Introducing you to the foundational Connect the Dots Method process. For paid subscribers, each week has at least one lesson, a podcast episode to deep dive into topic, a tool/resource to use, and more.
Week 1: Intro to Connect The Dots Method
Learn the science-based process to use gene keys and nervous system theories to optimize your mind-body connection to thrive in life.
Week 2: Intro to The Gene Keys
Learn what The Gene Keys system is all about and why it’s been a missing link in your growth journey.
Week 3: Intro to Polyvagal Theory
Learn what Polyvgal Theory is all about and how it’ll help you retrain your brain and body to associate safety with your dreams instead of your comfort zone.
Week 4: Intro to the CTD Survival Archetypes
Learn Chrissy’s 8 CTD Survival Archetypes and discover your primary archetype to learn how your survival instincts can limit or empower you.