This morning, I read an article out of Switzerland about the nervous system, and how we must care for it, and how it is impacted in toxic workplaces. It was an interesting read, but I felt it was limited, like so many endeavors around mental and psychological health are.
The reason I believe it was limited because, like so many researchers, there seems to be an unyielding need to bind everything to the physical body, to physiology, biochemistry, and organ function.
It seems that a fear driven desire to be able to anchor a theory in a measurable domain is crucial to the author’s authenticity. But for me, it destroys the outer realms of curiosity and exploration.
There is much more to this.
Back in 2006, after having completed all The Avatar® Path Courses, an extraordinarily experiential, deep dive into the workings of human consciousness, I wrote the following article.
Do you ever feel that your life is like the computer that crashes at that most inappropriate time when you are in the middle of pulling a major project together, corrupting data and losing previously unsaved work? The event sets you back, forcing you to start again, hoping that you can recapture some of that creative power.
You may think that the problem lies in your application software or even in faulty hardware, but really it is deeper and less obvious than that.
When things go wrong in your life you look for reasons. Eventually you move on with a new plan, some new goals, and affirmations for success.
But the problem may be caused by a belief, a belief buried so deep in your subconscious that you cannot either reach it or detect it with conscious or intellectual effort.
This belief is like a bug in your computer's operating system, an ever present destructive "do-loop" that appears to activate itself just when everything appears to be on track.
Maybe you read a book, do a course, or get some counselling. But the bug is still there.
Making mental plans, new goals and creating affirmations is a bit like updating your application software. While it might give you renewed resources, it is still running over the top of, and dependent upon your operating system.
When you get running again, and all is looking good, there is every likelihood that your destructive little "do-loop" will kick in and crash the system again.
Analysing the event mentally is like searching through the error logs of the applications software. The bug in your operating system, the belief, is so deeply beneath the applications error recording systems that it cannot be detected.
So again, you set about upgrading your application software. Maybe you read a book, do a course, or get some counselling. But the bug is still there.
Avatar is your answer. It is the diagnostic software that first flushes out the bugs in your operating system, then as a bonus, it expands your systems resources, optimizes your application, and installs a feature that allows you to optimize your use of all your applications' power and features.
Now, it doesn't relieve you of the job of sitting at the keyboard, you are still the operator, but when you do start to type, your power to create will know no limits.
Beliefs, Labels and The Mind
The bottom line in all of this is that your body, including your brain and central nervous system, is the hardware and your mind is the software. Of course, the software includes all your life applications plus a lifetime of cookies, spam, and malware.
Most of the cookies, spam and malware comprises unhelpful beliefs, transgressions, fixed viewpoints, and resisted experiences. For example, something else I wrote years ago:
Let’s say you were 4 years old and your Dad was reading you a story. In that story was a Tiger and your Dad, being a typical Dad, says, "Rrrrooowww. Tigers eat people." You decide at that time to avoid tigers. Next page you find out the tiger lives in the jungle, so you decide that the jungle must be dangerous.
Two weeks later you have forgotten the story, but you decided at that time, and it became one of your beliefs. It became a belief that you forgot you hold.
20 years later you go to Thailand with some mates and stay at a nice resort and a friend comes out one day and says, "Guess what. That mountain over there can be climbed and the sunrise from there is meant to be amazing. Tomorrow an activity leader is going to take a group of people up there at 4:30am. It is a 20 min walk through the jungle then 40 min up the mountain path".
Now all that happens for you is that you think of it and say, "No. I don't feel like doing that." You don't consciously relate it back to the belief. You just simply don’t feel like it because the word Jungle sucked all the enthusiasm out of the experience.
We call these beliefs "Transparent Beliefs". They are highly self-sabotaging, and we are totally unaware of them.
When we look at the world, we see what we see. We rarely see things as they are as our minds have become so skilled at placing labels on everything that all we get to experience is our own labels.
If the label I have on dogs is that they are dangerous, a Cocker Spaniel may well make me nervous. If you are home alone late in the evening and hear a loud bang on the roof, your mind may well label that “intruder.”
Our senses, especially sight and hearing, perceive things, run them through the mind’s software and then we respond.
Fight or Flight and Physical Survival.
Fight or flight is a survival mechanism. Here is how it works. Let’s just assume you are living in the wilds of Africa. One day, you are walking along and as you step into a clearing you are confronted by a very large predatory cat.
Within microseconds, your adrenal glands are pumping adrenaline into your blood. The adrenaline raises heart rate and respiration rate, constricts upper body blood vessels, and dilates lower body blood vessels, and opens the bowels. You are ready to run for your life.
If you escape, there is no residual stress because the intense running burns off all the adrenaline. And of course, if you do not escape, well, we would have another well fed big cat on the planet.
Fight or flight, hopefully, keeps us out of harm’s way.
Fight or Flight and Our Self Perception.
When we are fully grounded, comfortable in our own skin, and confident of our place in the world, we will be comfortable around other people, even strangers, and not be too fussed about how others perceive us.
But in this modern world, that describes a minority. Social status, peer group pressures, competition, recognition, acknowledgement, approval, and disapproval are all powerful social forces at work in our world.
If we have built a persona for ourselves that is designed to find acceptance in this jungle we call modern life, then we may encounter threats to that persona.
This morning my wonderful partner Lassen asked me to clarify something I had said, and she thanked me for the clarification. We segued into a discussion about clear communication, asking questions, and the result of being fearful to ask questions due to a risk of appearing stupid. She is brilliant at asking questions whenever she needs to. I have certainly gotten so much better at doing so.
But any time anything happens that might challenge the validity of that persona we have created; we will experience a fight or flight response. The nervous system will kick in and the body takes over. Living in the pretense of being something or someone creates an unwelcome vulnerability to attack, exposure, or failure.
Needs versus Wants
We all have basic needs. Air, water, food, shelter, a community, and a sense of purpose, i.e., our contribution brings value to our community.
In a modern, money driven world, many people are irresponsible with their money, neglecting to create a nest egg, a fallback position. In such a case, the loss of a job, or walking away from a job is a compromise of needs, particularly food and shelter.
When a person fears a loss of their employment, then they live their life at work in an activated state. The slightest negative look from a superior, a reprimand or a seemingly angry action can be a sign of catastrophe. This creates powerlessness.
People who are responsible with their money, and who create savings and work hard to pay down their mortgage, can then enjoy work for what it is. They have far less to lose if they need to walk away. And further, the employer or managers will not have unearned power over them. They will feel powerful.
Creating Happy Workplaces
As Grant Gamble states. People first, Always!
What would happen if an organisation placed a lot of attention on educating, developing, and nurturing their people to grow, to evolve, to become more well-rounded, grounded, and confident human beings? What would happen if an employer took time to support and teach people how to become financially responsible, to give them a deep sense of personal security and balance in their lives?
In such cases, organisations could create teams of fearless creators, who care for each other, feel purpose in their work and deliver magic to the world. It is a pretty good pay off, really.
And the really cool piece out of all this is that we can all shift our perception, stretch for another perspective and discover new pathways and solutions, if we can simply relax out of our present drama and allow ourselves to recapture some childlike curiosity.
If the idea of exploring and integrating your consciousness appeals to you, The Avatar Course is a wonderful pathway.
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