Psychological vs. Biological Wiring/Conditioning

[Gianna]

In another thread, some of us were having a conversation about why we resist our own creative energy; why we resist God Energy from flowing through us. It was inspired by some of the quotes below (for reference): 

19 hours ago, Gianna said:

• "creativity is God's energy flowing through us, shaped by us like the light flowing through a crystal prism." 
• when we are clear about who we are and what we are doing, the energy flows freely and we experience no strain 
• when we resist this energy we often experience a shaky, out-of-control feeling. we want to shut it down and regain control
• the shaky feeling comes over them and feels as if they are going too fast and god knows where
• so we resist/block/shut it down 
   
• we do this on purpose because as we start to feel our real potential, we get scared. we try to slow our own growth

 

10 hours ago, RickyFitts said:

[This] Brings to mind a Marianne Williamson quote: 'Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our Light, not our Darkness, that most frightens us.'

 

33 minutes ago, Gianna said:

I remember @Leo Gura saying something like, "God's love is so great you can't handle it."

So, I was contemplating all of this deeply. I figured, "Yeah, it's probably a self-worth thing. Like, 'this is so great and I don't think I am worthy of something so great so I resist it.' But, a lot of my experience with resisting this energy is somatic." And so, I realized in this contemplation that it is not so much my mind that is telling the energy no (psychological resistance) as it is my body (what I am making up as 'biological resistance' idk if that's a thing). 

Because it's like my body thinks the energy is going to kill it so it goes into flight or fight– the sympathetic nervous system (SNS). I start to feel panicky, shakey, anxiety, and like I am out of control and going to die. When the SNS is triggered but nothing is going on people reach for food, alcohol, drugs, sex, t.v., to stuff the feeling down. They are trying to self-soothe because they are subconsciously trying to get into "rest and digest"– the parasympathetic nervous system which counteracts the SNS.

And so, at the mind-level, nothing is going on. Yet, the body is like, "we are under attack." The body is trying to get away from itself because it is feeling God– what it interprets as a 'void' but it is really just infinity. Long story short the body is threatened by God which is your own creative energy. But I don't think it was meant to be this way. I think it is trained this way because as kids we are trained out of our own creativity. We are shamed on our creative/authentic expressions and so we shame ourselves for this. Which means shutting it down– perceiving this energy as a threat. Everything is connected in our mind-body organism/system so if our creative expression is a threat psychologically it is a threat biologically.

I don't know how to deal with this kind of resistance, body resistance. It's like the thing I want the most is the thing I am afraid is going to kill me– my own creative energy, potential, expression. I have worked through a lot of the psychological conditioning of shame, guilt, worth. But I have not yet learned how to rewired this biological reaction/conditioning I have of my own nervous system. It's a beast. Every time I feel the energy my body thinks it is going to die (anxiety, panic, fear, etc.) and so I reach for something to distract me. I can't build.  

Does anyone have any books or advice or something to say on this? 

[Hulia]

God energy is like a happy expectation, like something will happen soon, a kind of climax. But then nothing special happens, and you don´t know any more why you are so idiotically happy without any reason, without any outcome.

Or you are so full and want share. But nobody get it. Since the people around you are unnerved colleauges which don´t like relaxed smiling heads around. "Like she can afford to have her head empty! Since me since me is drowning in the work and requirements!" 

So what is the point? No outcome, no sharing. What to do with all that energy?

But maybe it´s not a god energy I am speaking about, just some sort of energy, idk

 

[SriSriJustinBieber]

Yes it may be said to be a challenge of worth but there is a little bit of complexity involved.

On what we may describe as an absolute level, resistance itself is also just a form/expression of that creative energy you refer to.

Ibn Arabi (a sufi master) says : "His veil is His oneness since nothing veils Him other than Him. His own being veils Him. His being is concealed by His oneness without any condition. No one other than He sees Him. No sent prophet, perfect saint or angel brought close knows Him. His prophet is He, His messenger is He, His message is He and His word is He. He sent Himself from Himself, through Himself to Himself. There is no intermediary or means other than Him. There is no difference between the sender, that which is sent and the one to whom it is sent."

Krishna says : "You and I have passed through many births, Arjuna. You have forgotten, but I remember them all. My true being is unborn and changeless. I am the Lord who dwells in every creature. Through the power of my own maya [illusion], I manifest myself in a finite form. [...] Others follow the path of jnana, Arjuna. They see that where there is One, that One is me; where there are many, all are me; they see my face everywhere."

Many many others have said similar things. But, even if this was true, why would it be relevant to say that resistance is part of "god" ? Is this not, at best, poetry ?

Well, it can be taken in a poetic or intellectual manner and, if so, probably very little will be extracted from this.

However if you feel into this with your heart, you may see that if resistance is an expression of the one, if you are an expression of the one, if what you want is too an expression of it, etc, then the fact that you feel bad about resistance is an invitation to deepen your faith.

How do I deepen my faith ? By seeing why it would make me feel bad to be faced with internal resistance in this case (works too for external resistance) : I have smashed myself into another way I believe in lack.

In an infinite universe which is also one, lack can only exist as a concept. In other words, lack is the only thing that's lacking. It's the only thing that is absolutely false. Since it's false, and since we have learned earlier that "if it feels bad, it must not be true" you can see the connection : there is a resistance, I feel bad because I compute this resistance into lack, my higher self says "it makes no sense that you believe in lack, therefore because I love you so much, I will make you feel bad about it in the hope that perhaps you see the truth that there is no lack."

But the way it is generally computed by we humans is: "I resist, I feel bad, I believe that if I feel bad, the resistance must really be something that is important, that I must go against it, therefore I create more resistance, and more feeling bad" and bravo! I have now created a loop that I will find very funny once I transcend all this

The way, or one way, to go about it in my view is to see that there is no lack, that it is only the universe flexing on me its abundance and love in yet another form and therefore I naturally relax into it. I naturally have faith. Faith is natural when you know that there is no lack.

And guess what happens when one relaxes ? Resistance melts away, or takes the form of a redirection towards what is actually best for me.

If you are stubborn in a good way about seeing more and more as the One sees, you will start to see yourself more and more as the One. You will discover that you are a being of infinite worth. And therefore, the deeper layers of resistance, that may have been stored in circumstances or in the body will melt away (not that you care at this point).

I don't know if what I said makes any sense because it is a little complicated to explain but try to feel into it!

Edited August 31, 2021 by SriSriJustinBieber

[Leo Gura]

@Gianna See my video: Body Awareness

You have to feel into the energy and relax into it.

Do that over and over and over again until it becomes natural and automatic.

Shamanic breathing can also help. Then there's stuff like Reichean therapy. There are many body work modalities you could explore which I rarely talk about on my channel.

[Gianna]

1 hour ago, Hulia said:

God energy is like a happy expectation, like something will happen soon, a kind of climax. But then nothing special happens, and you don´t know any more why you are so idiotically happy without any reason, without any outcome.

Or you are so full and want share. But nobody get it

YES!!!

1 hour ago, Hulia said:

So what is the point? No outcome, no sharing. What to do with all that energy?

You have to put it towards something to create. But as far as other people 'getting it'... yeah I don't know. I struggle with that too. Maybe it's because we don't even get ourselves? Haha. I don't even understand myself sometimes which is why I wrote another thread about dissociation. But then you have forums like this one where similar people come together and 'get it'. Thank god for this forum  I say that like every day haha.

 

[Gianna]

11 minutes ago, Leo Gura said:

@Gianna See my video: Body Awareness

You have to feel into the energy and relax into it.

Okay great!!! Thank you  

[Gianna]

@SriSriJustinBieber Okay, you're right. That was really difficult but I think I understand! Here is how I am interpreting this:  

 

55 minutes ago, SriSriJustinBieber said:

•  resistance itself is also just a form/expression of that creative energy you refer to. this reminds me of what you told me about confusion (how it is also just a 'contraction' of oneness.)
• ...resistance is an expression of the one, if you are an expression of the one, if what you want is too an expression of it, etc, then the fact that you feel bad about resistance is an invitation to deepen your faith.
• How do I deepen my faith? By seeing why it would make me feel bad to be faced with internal resistance...

1. The resistance is an opportunity to deepen my faith by seeing it for what it really is.  

56 minutes ago, SriSriJustinBieber said:

• I have smashed myself into another way I believe in lack.
• ... lack is the only thing that's lacking. It's the only thing that is absolutely false. Since it's false, and since we have learned earlier that "if it feels bad, it must not be true" you can see the connection: there is a resistance, I feel bad because I compute this resistance into lack, my higher self says "it makes no sense that you believe in lack, therefore because I love you so much, I will make you feel bad about it in the hope that perhaps you see the truth that there is no lack."

 

2. What the resistance really is is the belief in "lack".  So I feel bad about resistance because my feelings are trying to tell me that the resistance is causing me to believe something that is untrue: that there is such thing as lack. 

3. Lack is not possible when you are infinite. So my feeling bad was an indication that I was thinking wrong. Except, I would say that I was not interpreting it as "lack" I was interpreting it as "holding me back from getting something I want or from being what I want." This felt bad because it was not true– I already am everything.  

1 hour ago, SriSriJustinBieber said:

• there is no lack, that it is only the universe flexing on me its abundance and love in yet another form and therefore I naturally relax into it. I naturally have faith. Faith is natural when you know that there is no lack.
• And guess what happens when one relaxes ? Resistance melts away, or takes the form of a redirection towards what is actually best for me.
• If you are stubborn in a good way about seeing more and more as the One sees, you will start to see yourself more and more as the One. You will discover that you are a being of infinite worth. And therefore, the deeper layers of resistance, that may have been stored in circumstances or in the body will melt away (not that you care at this point).

 

Okay. So next time this happens I will just relax into it and wait. 

[SriSriJustinBieber]

Your interpretation is close to what I tried to convey, congratulations because I just read it again and I was like "wtf I must have watched too much star trek" hahaha (I actually didn't watch star trek and I don't know what I mean by this joke, but whatever)

Just for the sake of clarity and suggesting more straightforward things here is what I have to say on what you said :

1 hour ago, Gianna said:

1. The resistance is an opportunity to deepen my faith by seeing it for what it really is.  

For what it really is, that is, another confirmation that your true heart's desire is on the way (even if it seemingly negates it). This is a significant point which we may discuss more in detail if reading it feels bad or seems untrue.

1 hour ago, Gianna said:

2. What the resistance really is is the belief in "lack".  So I feel bad about resistance because my feelings are trying to tell me that the resistance is causing me to believe something that is untrue: that there is such thing as lack. 

Yes, however if one were to totally stop believing in lack (= seeing abundance/life in everything), resistance could still occur as a way to tell you that what you currently desire is not aligned with what you ultimately desire by having that current desire. This is quite rare but it happens. What's more common is that resistance without belief in lack is simply feeling "meh" about something : you simply don't want it anymore. You simply see that it's not part of your journey. The same way you currently would feel "meh" about let's say getting into an abusive relationship, or doing 100000 push-ups right now.

1 hour ago, Gianna said:

3. Lack is not possible when you are infinite. So my feeling bad was an indication that I was thinking wrong. Except, I would say that I was not interpreting it as "lack" I was interpreting it as "holding me back from getting something I want or from being what I want." This felt bad because it was not true– I already am everything.  

Yes I agree, in my book they are the same thing (:

 

1 hour ago, Gianna said:

Okay. So next time this happens I will just relax into it and wait. 

Relaxing into it, yes.

Waiting is a no no.

Have you noticed ? Each time you start actively waiting for something or someone, it feels bad. This is because while waiting, you are constantly referencing the absence of the thing you're waiting for. "It's not there yet. It's not there yet. It's not there yet. etc" in other words "There is a lack of this. There is a lack of this. There is a lack of this."

Relaxing into it means expanding into it. It means interpreting the resistance in the manner that feels best (which brings us back to what I said about point n°1). By doing that relaxation happens spontaneously.

If my house was on fire, relaxation would be difficult, I would have to be a yogi and perhaps force relaxation mechanically through the breath or something. Relaxation is easier to "achieve" when the way I perceive things is at the very least peaceful.

Edited August 31, 2021 by SriSriJustinBieber

[Gianna]

5 hours ago, SriSriJustinBieber said:

(I actually didn't watch star trek and I don't know what I mean by this joke, but whatever)

you are so me <3 

 

5 hours ago, SriSriJustinBieber said:

your true heart's desire is on the way... if reading it feels bad or seems untrue.

this doesn't make me feel bad it makes me light up 

 

5 hours ago, SriSriJustinBieber said:

Waiting is a no no.

Have you noticed ? Each time you start actively waiting for something or someone, it feels bad. This is because while waiting, you are constantly referencing the absence of the thing you're waiting for.

oh boy. I'm happy I said it then because this definitely has blocked me in the past but I haven't realized why until now; until you mentioning this. you create the absence by thinking of it so much while waiting– definitely a sneaky trap I have fallen into! 
 

[SriSriJustinBieber]

54 minutes ago, Gianna said:

you are so me <3 

 

this doesn't make me feel bad it makes me light up 

 

oh boy. I'm happy I said it then because this definitely has blocked me in the past but I haven't realized why until now; until you mentioning this. you create the absence by thinking of it so much while waiting– definitely a sneaky trap I have fallen into! 
 

Hahaha much love to you <3

No trap can survive one who is sincere in wanting to understand/love

[LastThursday]

@Gianna a few thoughts, let me know what you think:

• The body likes to be in homeostasis, so creative energy requires to push it away from that. So the body signals its dissatisfaction (resistance) through anxiety and panic. Maybe the body overreacts sometimes?
• Signals from the body need to be interpreted and elaborated on (by the mind). The body doesn't really signal concepts such as anxiety and panic, it just gives out sensations. Is it possible that the mind could be misinterpreting the signals?
• Could it be that the anxiety and panic is caused by the mind first and then the body follows suit? After all, we need to live in a web of social responsibilities and rules and expectations, and using our creative potential to its fullest means breaking away from a lot of socially derived belonging? Maybe we're fighting our own mental conditioning and our bodies complain in sympathy?

[hamedsf]

it's quite normal.

don't expect yourself too much and too much growth in the short timeframe.

don't try to defeat your biology wirings, it will come back and dominate you, so one step at a time!

"Many a mickle makes a muckle" 

Edited September 1, 2021 by hamedsf

[Gianna]

3 hours ago, hamedsf said:

don't expect yourself too much and too much growth in the short timeframe.

 

@hamedsf  thank you for reminding me of this because I am definitely going hard, haha. 

 

 

4 hours ago, LastThursday said:

The body likes to be in homeostasis, so creative energy requires to push it away from that. So the body signals its dissatisfaction (resistance) through anxiety and panic. Maybe the body overreacts sometimes?

Hm, yes. Homeostasis is a good point. And I think with the energy flowing through you and out of you (almost like a cleansing) elicits a lot of growth for the body that it feels it needs to push the brakes (resistance,anxiety,panic). 

4 hours ago, LastThursday said:

Signals from the body need to be interpreted and elaborated on (by the mind). The body doesn't really signal concepts such as anxiety and panic, it just gives out sensations. Is it possible that the mind could be misinterpreting the signals?

Ooo yes! This is why I always confuse anxiety with overwhelming excitement or enthusiasm. They are both concepts, but how they feel in my body is the same. 

4 hours ago, LastThursday said:

Could it be that the anxiety and panic is caused by the mind first and then the body follows suit? After all, we need to live in a web of social responsibilities and rules and expectations, and using our creative potential to its fullest means breaking away from a lot of socially derived belonging? Maybe we're fighting our own mental conditioning and our bodies complain in sympathy?

I think feelings trigger associated thoughts and thoughts trigger associated feelings– which hits first? I think it is a chicken and an egg problem. They are both intertwined and follow one another. But you're right, it very well could be starting in the mind in this instance (social responsibilities, rules, expectations), and then the body is following suit (complaining in sympathy). In other instances, you could walk into a coffee shop for instance and a scent could trigger trauma-related feelings, then you start to have accompanying thoughts that propel the feeling even more, etc. I think it all just depends on the person and the circumstance. 

[StripedGiraffe]

This topic of relaxing and opening through our automatic reactions is one of the main pillars of the book, "The Untethered Soul". The book came to me in a dream last week and it's woth listening to/reading imo.

[Gianna]

@StripedGiraffe Is it the chapter about the heart? Or Love? The Untethered Soul also came to me in a very magical way but then I randomly only read a chapter in the middle and then forget about it! Maybe I should go back and read the whole thing. 

[Matt23]

On 8/31/2021 at 0:14 PM, Gianna said:

And so, at the mind-level, nothing is going on. Yet, the body is like, "we are under attack." 

First, I'd say that the distinction between mind and body isn't so simple or clear, and that most, if not all, emotional resistance in the body has its roots in the mind somewhere.  Also, speaking from the biological perspective, the nervous system is basically an extension of the brain/mind, so treating them as separate may not be so wise as you may overlook things.  

I see it as if you can work on the same psyche from either the mind or from the body (and I'm sure there are mediums as well).  Like, say you feel resistance in the body.  You can, as I've done, observe it and then literally just ask it questions and get responses.  You may even get an image-representation of that feeling in your mind so you can better relate to it.  Alternatively, you could use a body-first approach where you do things like yoga, stretching, massages, cold shower, etc..

But in terms of practicality, I think it can be useful to make a distinction between various types of practices, like body-practices vs. cognitive-practices vs. emotional-practices, etc..  I think this enables one to more clearly choose what type of practice they need or are craving, and then make better choices. 

If you're looking for more body-based practices, here's a few that I've used and have helped reduce my nervous system:  

• This one may sound silly, but try it out, it's worked for me == literally just looking to your 3 o'clock.  You can do this lying down and hugging yourself as well.  This has reduced my stress.
• Spinal rotations.
• yoga.
• Humming == you can then play with moving it to various parts of your body through changing the frequency.
• Sitting or laying so your feet are above your head. Feet on the wall helps. 
• Tapping the center of your chest - i don't use this one but I've heard it work for others.
• Feet on the ground without shoes or socks.  -- "ground" as in earth, rather than concrete, etc..
• Hugging your self.
• Butterfly hugs = hug yourself and then rub your arms like you're trying to warm yourself up.
• Play with focusing on various parts of your body to find a place that feels good. Back, feet, legs, arms, etc..

[Gianna]

20 hours ago, Matt23 said:

emotional resistance in the body has its roots in the mind somewhere.

Yes. But if it's happening in the subconscious mind (which is where a lot of trauma resides) the conscious mind does not recognize/register it. Everything seems normal. For instance, a smell you come across at the store could trigger something subconsciously that creates an emotional reaction. Yet– at the conscious level of mind– the source is not apparent. 
 

20 hours ago, Matt23 said:

the nervous system is basically an extension of the brain/mind, so treating them as separate may not be so wise as you may overlook things.  

Yes I agree! Sometimes it's why the body even reacts in the first place– because it is following suit of the mind. You cannot treat them as separate when one causes the other. Cause and effects are linked. But your conscious mind (ego) likes to believe it is separate. So it tries to cut itself off from feeling the body. But you can never cut yourself off from feeling the body– you can only misinterpret or deceive yourself from what's really happening (just like it does with the Truth). 

20 hours ago, Matt23 said:

I see it as if you can work on the same psyche from either the mind or from the body

This is such an interesting idea. I've never really realized I can cure my mental reactions from my body; because I've only ever tried to cure my bodily reactions from my mind. But if they are linked (which they are) I guess you can go both ways! I never really thought of that. Great point! 

 

20 hours ago, Matt23 said:

I think it can be useful to make a distinction between various types of practices, like body-practices vs. cognitive-practices vs. emotional-practices, etc.. 

So useful!! I agree so I am going to focus more on the body because I lean towards cognitive practices.
Hm, I never thought of emotional-practices. Does this just look like emotional awareness or emotional regulation in the moment of emotions? 

 

20 hours ago, Matt23 said:

• This one may sound silly, but try it out, it's worked for me == literally just looking to your 3 o'clock.  You can do this lying down and hugging yourself as well.  This has reduced my stress.
• Spinal rotations.
• yoga.
• Humming == you can then play with moving it to various parts of your body through changing the frequency.
• Sitting or laying so your feet are above your head. Feet on the wall helps. 
• Tapping the center of your chest - i don't use this one but I've heard it work for others.
• Feet on the ground without shoes or socks.  -- "ground" as in earth, rather than concrete, etc..
• Hugging your self.
• Butterfly hugs = hug yourself and then rub your arms like you're trying to warm yourself up.
• Play with focusing on various parts of your body to find a place that feels good. Back, feet, legs, arms, etc..

 Thank you SO MUCH for these!! I'll definitely be using this list. 
 

Edited September 3, 2021 by Gianna

[Matt23]

42 minutes ago, Gianna said:

For instance, a smell you come across at the store could trigger something subconsciously that creates an emotional reaction. Yet– at the conscious level of mind– the source is not apparent

Agreed.

42 minutes ago, Gianna said:

But you can never cut yourself off from feeling the body– you can only misinterpret or deceive yourself from what's really happening

Agreed.

43 minutes ago, Gianna said:

I never thought of emotional-practices. Does this just look like emotional awareness or emotional regulation in the moment of emotions? 

I guess you can kind of "slice the pie" whichever way you like really, in terms of naming stuff.  I guess you could call any psychological work emotional work.  For me, I suppose I would say that techniques which focus on actual thought patterns, like CBT or mantras, are more cognitive.  Whereas things like the Sedona method, feeling through emotions, etc., are more emotional based.  But it doesn't really matter what you call them.