Dharma Dr. Resource Hub

Although mild stress can help performance and focus, moderate and severe stress can hinder focus and performance. Dharma Dr. tabs can be used in moments when stress is impairing concentration.

Procrastination: Procrastination is often modulated by an unconscious signaling to avoid something uncomfortable. When these feelings arise, try using the tabs for 1-2 minutes to break through avoidance and make it easier to start a task. Many users report that using the tabs breaks down that unconscious barrier and allows them to get started.

Losing Focus Because of Stress: If you're writing a difficult paper or an important email and stress takes over, often the words stop coming, distractions grow, and writer's block can set in. Use the tabs for 1-2 minutes and return to the task. You'll likely find continuing easier and any "stuck points" resolved. When we alter the state of stress, all higher order functions work better and things that were difficult during a state of stress are no longer difficult.

Distractions from Notifications: Seeing a stressful message—like an urgent email or unexpected news—can instantly derail focus, impair performance, and compromise learning and memory. Use the tabs for at least one minute to reset. Once calm, your mind will likely shift back to focus naturally.

Stress can make studying and test-taking more difficult at any age. Whether you're tackling schoolwork, professional exams, or high-pressure work projects, Dharma Dr. Tabs can help create a more effective learning state.

Homework & Studying for Kids & Teens: Using the tabs during homework or studying is a great tool for kids, teens—and even parents. A quick 1-2 minute session before starting can help with focus, and using them during breaks can ease frustration or stress. If homework tends to cause tension, parents may also benefit from using the tabs before helping their child.

For Students of All Ages:

• Before & During Studying: Use the tabs for 1-2 minutes before starting and as needed during breaks to manage stress and improve focus.
• Homework & Test Anxiety: If frustration, procrastination, or negative thoughts interfere with studying, the tabs can help reset focus.
• Signs You May Need a Reset: If you feel time pressure, struggle to retain information, or notice frustration and worry about performance, take a moment to reset with the tabs. If stress persists and this is a chronic issue, consulting with a professional who can do EMDR therapy or another type of therapy to fix this issue may be recommended.

Intrusive Thoughts & Past Test Stress: If past negative experiences with studying or test-taking trigger stress, the tabs can help break that pattern. Use them whenever intrusive thoughts arise—over time, this can reduce their impact or even stop them entirely.

Additional Tip:

Try Visualizing Positive Results: Use the tabs while imagining a successful outcome—whether that’s completing an assignment, recalling key information, or confidently answering test questions. If you attempt this multiple times and negative, intrusive thoughts come in, a therapist may be able to help.

You can use the tabs anytime you feel stressed—even if you’re unsure of the cause. Physical signs like chest tightness, stomach discomfort, or a racing heartbeat may indicate stress, and the tabs can help calm your system in real time. While not a substitute for medical treatment, a quick 1-minute session can often reduce stress and restore focus.

For ongoing relief, use the tabs intermittently throughout the day to reset your stress response.

Research shows that tactile bilateral stimulation helps lower cortisol, a key driver of inflammation after stress. Use the tabs before, during, or after challenging moments to improve performance, prevent excessive stress, and support recovery.

Quality sleep is essential for mental and physical well-being, but stress, anxiety, and an overactive mind can interfere with rest.

Using the tabs before bed can help transition your nervous system into a more relaxed state, making it easier to fall asleep. If you tend to wake up during the night, try using the tabs for 1-2 minutes to help return to a restful state.

For best results, experiment with different frequencies to find what works best for your body at bedtime. Many users find that slower frequencies are most effective for promoting deep relaxation.

Often the barrier to meditation is that the stress switch is too high to get into a meditative state. Quieting the mind and eliminating distraction can lead to distressing thoughts and stress, which is the opposite of the intended effect!

If you have difficulty settling into meditation or experience meditation as being stressful, use the tabs for 1 minute prior to meditating and during your meditation session.

Find a frequency that works for you, and know that often a slower frequency than your normal "go-to" might be what feels best during meditation. If stressful thoughts and feelings come up during meditation, allow the tabs to help your body restore back to a calmer state.

Remember, you don't have to work hard in your mind for this. The technology gently adds an input to the brain networks associated with sensing and stress modulation. Relax and enjoy!

Tabs can be used during the course of most therapeutic modalities. Even if the therapist is not aware of how to use the technology or the science behind it, you can use the tabs during sessions to help regulate your stress switch and get additional benefits.

Gone are the days when clients simply talked through issues and waited for their nervous system to reset on its own. This process takes time, increases inflammation in the body, and slows therapeutic progress. Using the tabs in sessions can accelerate emotional processing and stress reduction.

Faster Results: Adding the tabs to therapy can improve emotional regulation, helping you access insights and process memories more efficiently. Dr. Serin’s unpublished research suggests approximately a 67% reduction in the number of therapy sessions needed when using the tabs throughout treatment (Serin, in press, 2024).

Using the Tabs in Couples Therapy:

During couples therapy, each partner can use the tabs throughout the session to help regulate emotions when discussing sensitive or challenging topics. The famous couples researchers John and Julie Gottman recommend couples self-soothe and state that self-soothing is one of the most important skills you can learn (How to Practice Self-Soothing)—but many self-soothing techniques fail when stress levels exceed a certain threshold. The tabs can lower stress quickly, allowing couples to communicate more effectively.

Rather than needing to step away from a difficult conversation or revisit it later, couples can use the tabs in real time to maintain emotional balance and prevent unnecessary conflict.

The brain has many networks that can have different levels of power and control in different moments. It's no coincidence that in moments of stress, we are all more likely to turn toward bad habits as a way to cope, self-soothe, or feel differently.

Use the tabs prior to engaging in a habit you'd like to change and, if possible, leave them on while engaging in the habit. This can shift the brain’s reward processing and help reduce future cravings.

Food Cravings: If eating high-fat, high-sugar, processed foods when stressed is your go-to, turn the tabs on a minute prior to eating and leave them on while you're eating. The next time you feel stressed, your brain may not signal you to engage in the same behavior, because the tabs helped bring the stress down—rather than the food. Repeating this over time can reduce cravings without requiring excessive willpower.

Try This:

• Rate the intensity of your craving from 0-10.
• Use the tabs on your preferred setting for one minute.
• Reassess your craving level.

In an unpublished study, Dr. Serin observed an average 4-point reduction in craving intensity in less than a minute. With lower cravings, it's much easier to resist engaging in behaviors you want to change.

Why does this work? Stress modulates cravings. When stress is high, cravings are high. When stress is low, cravings decrease, and the brain’s executive functioning (your internal "command center") has more control over decision-making.

Tabs can be used in anticipation of performance. If the thought of performing increases your stress, try this:

• Rate your stress level from 0 to 10.
• Use the tabs for 1 minute.
• Reassess your stress level and repeat if needed.

Aim for a stress level of 4 or lower—this is the optimal range where you stay motivated and engaged without feeling overwhelmed. The right balance of stress can enhance performance, while too much can hinder it.