How the brain deflects danger

I had to get really honest with myself during this process. I had to let go of all ideas and get curious from a scientific point of view. Fortunately for me, I have always loved science. It was my favorite subject when I was a kid. And it’s no coincidence that Amma says that the only way humans can ever be successful is when we learn to combine science with spirituality. I have felt the same way.

Learning about the brain and how it causes the pain message was crucial. Next for me was “why” it was causing the pain message. Now by this I don’t mean I had to analyze my life or go into my past. My right-now experience had all the answers. I actually think going into our past and digging up past trauma can cause more harm than good. Our right-now experiences can provide all the clarity we need.

Once I saw the patterns within thought I could detect how the brain was on the lookout for anything that might be harmful. This hyper-vigilance is common in thought, because its the brain’s job to keep us safe. But there is a certain energy when a line is crossed that becomes more vigilant than necessary. And when I connected the dots with my mom and how she got pregnant at 16, had to drop out of school, got kicked out of her parent’s house, etc, I could imagine the terror she was feeling, while my little brain was developing in utero.

Amma has always said that we share so much more than just our DNA with our ancestors and we pass this on to our kids. And when we do the work, we clear this stuff up for our ancestors and kids. I knew the work I was doing was helping my mom, and that brought me a beautiful sense of service- especially since my mom died at an early age. I felt like I had been given an opportunity to really do some meaningful healing, and that it was rippling through the cosmos. Because honestly, the fear that had arisen as a result of this hyper-vigilant brain was extreme. I am still amazed at what I came through because it was so debilitating. No wonder my mom got cancer at such a young age (there are some doctors who believe cancer is a mindbody condition, and I have seen hundreds of testimonials of people who have healed themselves from stage 4 cancer. See YouTube Dr. Joe Dispenza Stories of Transformation).

My thought processes and patterns were covering up the deeper programs of fear that were hardwired in my brain. And even though I had been aware of worry and frustration all my life, the level of fear that was within this program- which is a type of trauma- had been covered up all my life. The thought patterns were created to maintain this program- to keep it intact. Through my new teacher I began to learn how the brain holds onto trauma, and what happens in the entire system as a result. I will not go into that here, but I do feel that it’s important for everyone that is wanting to embody their True Self to know how the brain holds onto limitation, and how that plays out in their nervous system, DNA, cells and brain. If we are wanting an unlimited perspective and experience, we need a brain that perceives in an unlimited way- a system that is unobstructed.

However, I will share some of the ways that the brain deflects danger. These can all exist as thought, words, and actions- Blame, complaining, judgement, defensiveness, passive-aggression, holding onto a story from the past (blame), victimization, false self-image, arrogance, avoidance, deflecting responsibility, hyper-focusing on others, fawning, projection, addiction, denial, distraction…

There are probably others, but this is a good example of how the brain develops strategies to give itself the illusion of safety. It is interesting to note as well, that these strategies are also what keep us feeling separate and disconnected, which create the false sense of self/identity.

Being able to recognize any of these strategies will open the door to deeper understanding of self. For me, just sitting with frustration and worry never, ever worked- it never changed the hard-wired programs. I know that some teachings prescribe this, and while it is helpful, we need to get to the deeper aspects of our self-limitations to see what is asking for our attention. We will never be satisfied with a half-baked awakened self- it just doesn’t remain for long. Awareness will keep evolving and become more and more dynamic- more infused with the energy of deep transformation. This energy goes right into the brain and changes it completely. You become a whole new Self, because those old programs are gone. The new Self knows how to embody and transmute the brain into an instrument of incredible potential. This is where the fun starts.