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"Welcome!" Author/Support Coach Dan Britt Contact Dan: Dan@DannyBritt.comor Fill out the form
Mission Statement: To be of high-quality service in providing and guiding clients with support, understanding, empathy, compassion, acceptance, inspiration, and hope, to find peace and achieve goals.
The management of stress and support in tough times will be a primary focus for most as I will invite this type of client, predominantly. This is not to say a client will not be encouraged to achieve whatever said goals are, but it will be watched with an eye for potential temperance (against stress/possible debilitating accompany states) if needed. While some may be overly-ambitious, it will be a focus of mine to take heed and acknowledge any potential pitfalls ahead, and realistic self-limitations the client may have. I experienced this lack of acknowledgement of self-limitation, and as positive psychology teaches us, it is best to focus more on applying our strengths rather than focusing on applying weaknesses. At the same time, if a client has any debilitating weaknesses, we will focus on “patching up the hole” as these could take everything down. As for those seeking goal achievement, it is empowering to have a coach alongside the mission for several reasons: motivation, inspiration, dealing with hiccups or “failures”, positive reinforcement, reward, and to have an ally on their side unconditionally. The following values inform my coaching philosophy toward accomplishing my coaching mission, coaching-related goals, and coaching success: Values: Love, humility, humanity, and peace. Experiences: My life experience includes careers in multiple fields to include Wall Street (NYC), teaching one-on-one for over 20 years, public speaking (including two international events), interactions/friendships with people of various ages, religions/cultures, backgrounds, having an exceptional renowned coach for over 20 years, and having a very effective uplifting resilience coach. Education: B.A. in Psychology at TCNJ; Graduate Certificate in Positive Psychology from Mizzou; and near completion for a Positive Coaching Graduate Degree at University of Missouri – Columbia (Mizzou). Strengths: Deep empathy, care, compassion, understanding, patience, active listening, open-mindedness, resourcefulness, creativity, sensitivity, flexibility, and resilience. I intend to serve clients who are struggling, globally, via any online platform such as FaceTime, Skype, Zoom, Marco Polo, phone, email, a messaging app, etc., because I identify with longterm struggle, and having sessions online is easier, efficient, and eliminates the need to drive. However, an in-person session will be conducted if requested. Further research will be done on the topic of ACT cognitive defusion. It derives from mindfulness practices. Cognitive defusion is a technique with many possible exercises in acceptance and commitment therapy that allows one to separate, or gain distance, from one’s thoughts and emotions. Rather than trying to eliminate the thought, one is taught not to fuse to it. My professor/psychologist in the applied positive psychology course recommended it to me for my situation earlier in the year. The positive psychology theory, Three Happy Lives, will guide and inform my coaching practice and be applied to client sessions. According to this theory, life satisfaction results from three types of “happy lives” (Seligman, 2008): 1) The Pleasant Life. This refers to experiencing as much positive emotion as possible. Certain skills, such as mindfulness, can enhance these emotions and be conducive to the Pleasant Life. A few disadvantages to pursuing this type of life solely is that researchers have found that it is 50% genetic, positive emotions are not completely in our control, and positive emotions happen rapidly, meaning we adjust to it quickly. 2) The Life of Engagement. This entails incorporating flow. In this life, much of your time is spent doing activities (career, parenting, leisure, etc.) that are so engaging to you that you lose track of time. To pursue the Life of Engagement, Seligman suggests that you identify your best strengths and design your life to use them as often as possible. 3) The Meaningful Life. This involves living with a deep sense of meaning. Similar to the Life of Engagement, you are aware of what your greatest strengths are. But, you find greater meaning by applying your strengths in the service of something larger than yourself. The assessment I will use to bring awareness to clients’ strengths is VIA Character Strengths – http//www.viacharacter.org – This is a 10-minute, free self-assessment which yields the positive parts of your personality. VIA strengths consist of 24 character strengths and, in general, everyone possesses them all to a degree; however, the dominant strengths will be revealed by taking this survey. Here are the 24 character strengths: Creativity, Curiosity, Open-Mindedness, Love of Learning, Perspective, Honesty, Bravery, Persistence, Zest, Kindness, Love, Social Intelligence, Fairness, Leadership, Teamwork, Forgiveness, Modesty, Prudence, Self-Regulation, Appreciation of Beauty, Gratitude, Hope, Humor, and Religiousness.. Each strength falls under the category of one of six virtues: Transcendence, Courage, Wisdom, Justice, Temperance, and Humanity. If applicable, we will tap into a client’s strength story, and how it will help one get through difficult days. Thinking about the way we overcame past challenges, using our strengths, mindfully, we can do it again (Pierce, 2020). By identifying clients’ strengths, enabling them to view them, embrace them, feel good about them, and perhaps write them on notes and place them around the house – will serve as a reminder that will reinforce their confidence. Moreover, the client will find ways to leverage their strengths, making them feel good, bringing a sense of peace, achieving results, creating possibilities, and providing value to others. The intervention clients will incorporate between sessions as “homework” is deep breathing. There are various types and various counts. The basic process of deep breathing is to take a breath in through the nose, hold it, then exhale slowly through the mouth. There are also a multitude of benefits from deep breathing. It regulates the nervous system. Deep breathing with a slow rhythm can increase relaxation responses by activating the parasympathetic nervous system and decrease stress responses by inhibiting the sympathetic nervous system (Saoji et al., 2019). It also decreases blood pressure, improves digestion, minimizes hypertension, provides pain relief, improves immunity, lowers heart rate, decreases emotional problems, massages your organs, improves posture, enhances quality of the blood, strengthens the lungs, assists with weight control, improves cellular regeneration, etc. In sum, this coaching practice is primarily focused on enhancing the quality of life in clients in whatever that means to them. It is about learning about the individual as a whole – from genetics to background to present day to future desires – and leading them on a journey that will enable a sense of self-discovery and enlightenment – and discovering their own answers.
Seligman, M. (2008, July). The new era of positive psychology [Video]. TED Conferences. Pierce, R. (2020). Character strengths in adversity. https://www.viacharacter.org/topics/articles/character-strengths-in-adversity Saoji, A.A. (2019). Effects of yogic breath regulation: A narrative review. Journal of Ayurveda and Integrative Medicine, 10(1), 50-58.
"Author and musician Dan Britt, known in the spiritual world for his contribution to the spiritual discipline of drumming, knows first hand the power of having a small flame lit in his spirit that led to great things. After being exposed to the art of spiritual drumming, Britt, began to seek instruction from the world’s best authorities in the art that personally led him to become one of the world’s leading instructors himself. Telling his life story, Britt states, "I cannot overestimate the power of finding something and someone that can influence you, and spark the flame within you." He recalls one of his own teachers telling him, "The cycle of self empowerment begins with respecting the flame and feeding that flame until it glows from within you. Turning you into a beacon that not only has the power to show you the way, but can be a source of guidance and inspiration for others. Do it before it’s too late. Find that flame. It’s where a happier life begins" (Quoting Dom Famularo). Today Dan Britt not only is a world class teacher and performer, but donates his time and talent to teaching the art of spiritual drumming to children in inner city public schools. – Reading his story makes me reflect on the mustard seed sayings of Jesus. Something as small as seeing another drummer inspired Dan Britt’s life to become "a tree where the birds of the air can make their nests, and is powerful enough to say to mulberry trees ‘be cast into the sea.’" - Reverend Shawn Kafader, First Congregational Church of LaGrange (in his Sermon entitled "Mustard Seed Faith", 10/3/04) |