INNER WORK over again. Even more significant, approximately 80 % of those thoughts are negative“ fear-based” thoughts.
These fear-based thoughts, which can be referred to as our shadow side, can sabotage our best intentions with harrowing ease. Neuroscientists estimate we are processing 11 million bits of data at any given time, but our conscious brain is only able to process 40 bits of that data( Wilson, 2002). Our limbic system( subconscious and emotional epicenter of our brain), which operates at 100 times the speed of the prefrontal cortex( conscious executive epicenter), holds 99.99 %+ of our experience and largely drives our behaviors. The amygdala( survival brain / fear response, often referred to as the fight, flight, freeze, flock) can override the prefrontal cortex any time it perceives a threat, resulting in behaviors that can further perpetuate the trauma we are experiencing.
An example of this may be our response to a child not following the rules in a classroom. In today’ s world, a heightened activation may occur due to new hypervigilance around elements of safety, such as a student touching multiple desks, taking off his mask, or high-fiving his friend. Witnessing this may cause activation of our sympathetic nervous system, dumping adrenaline and cortisol in our body, and resulting in particular behaviors / reactions.
When this activation occurs, because we have been conditioned to disconnect
“... because we have been conditioned to disconnect from that inner self, we tend to either shut down our fears through negative self-messaging(‘ what is wrong with me? It’ s not that big a deal’) or to project that fear outward...”
from that inner self, we tend to either shut down our fears through negative self-messaging(“ what is wrong with me? It’ s not that big a deal”) or to project that fear outward( e. g. punishing the child). In both these responses, we experience emotional and somatic discomfort, which is an indicator of a disconnection between our intuitive brain and survival brain. Turning towards these“ shadow” responses can produce powerful insights that deepen our consciousness and therefore shift our being, aligning our intuitive and behavioral reactions.
Here are some sample“ inner work” related questions that may offer that insight:
• Past: What in your past is getting activated when you watch the student touch desks, etc? Where does that reaction come from? How else does that
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CSEE Connections Fall 2020 Page 11