Your body is a lean and mean fighting machine. That is all it is designed for and intended to do. We somewhat cheated nature in that we possess consciousness and language, so we are able to control and manipulate our environment to our advantage. Human consciousness is a recent development. Dinosaurs lived between 160 – 200 million years ago. Consciousness has been around for less than 40 thousand years. Consequently, we rule. Humans are at the top of the food chain.
Thoughts
The central nervous system is the command center that translates all sensory input into chemistry and action. Any threat triggers a survival response in varying degrees. The problem of human consciousness is that this automatic, unconscious reaction can be set off by thoughts alone. So whether the threat is real or perceived, the chemical response is the same. That is why thoughts are real: they immediately create physical responses, but they are not your reality. The neurophysiological basis of pain
They become your reality if you do not recognize thoughts as simply thoughts because, with repetition, they become deeply embedded in your nervous system. Your belief systems will run your whole life. You cannot see past them, and instead of being connected to your environment and those around you, you are more attached to these stories. How else can you explain a significant percentage of terrible human behavior? I do not need to provide examples. We intellectually know that many activities we engage in are simply wrong, but that does not stop us. We rarely keep New Year’s resolutions. We regularly do things that we would never want our children to do. Do you think anyone addicted to a drug or behavior wants to be that way? No!! So why do we consistently act this way?
The unconscious brain
Because the unconscious brain is hundreds of millions of times more powerful than the conscious brain, and bodily reactions are strong. Any stress is perceived as a threat, triggering a corresponding physiological response. Since you cannot escape your thoughts, you will become progressively buried by anxiety under this onslaught of consciousness. The progression of thoughts may be the basis for developing chronic pain. Attempting to control this massive reaction with a conscious response cannot work – and it doesn’t. It is like trying to stop a long freight train with car brakes. (1)
Consider what your nervous system pulls off second by second. Every muscular movement is balanced by an opposite force. For example, when your biceps fire, the triceps is also firing almost equally hard to regulate the movement. When this sequence is out of balance, you will experience spasticity. Blinking, balance, swallowing, speech, pupil dilation, heart rate, digestion, and bladder function are examples of the complexity of this elegant system. Avoiding actions that would cause pain is another example. When you sit in a chair, your brain tells you to keep shifting positions so your skin doesn’t break down.
The mismatch
You cannot solve your mental or physical pain with willpower. You cannot win the battle with the unconscious brain. But once you are aware of this, you can redirect your nervous system in a more enjoyable direction, and it can happen quickly.
For example, I worked with a group focused on spreading compassion. It is a great concept, and it helps to remind people that it matters. But we all already know this. I have long-observed, both in me and others, that when you become angry (ultimate survival response) most of the time compassion is simply buried. You may feel terrible later about your outburst, but the odds are high that you will act the same way in a similar situation. It is also hard to see your effect on others because it is all about you.
The need to become aware
To solve this problem, you must first become aware of and feel your automatic survival reaction to stress, then substitute a more functional response. Without this awareness, you have little chance of creating a happy life. This is the basis for stimulating your brain to change structurally. You must first become aware, separate, and then replace it with a more rational response. This is one reason expressive writing may be effective. You are aware of your thoughts and physically separated from them. In that physical and time space, you are able to substitute a more functional and possibly more enjoyable response. With repetition, your brain will physically change structure. It is well-documented that your brain will decrease in size while in chronic pain. Fortunately, it re-expands after the pain is gone. The descriptive term for this process is “neuroplasticity.”
We need to figure out how to deal with this imbalance between the conscious and unconscious brain soon. We will do anything to avoid the deep feelings and physical sensations that are generated by thoughts. That is why so much of individual and societal behavior is irrational – and destructive. We want to avoid pain. Nothing else matters. I think our conscious brain can figure this out once we become aware of the problem.
- Trincker, Dietrich. 1965 lecture at the University of Kiel. German physiologist.