Suffering and Self-Sabotage

In short, we suffer and self-sabotage because we have lost sight of our personal power and feel out of control.

I believe we are spiritual beings having a human experience. The body is the vessel, the brain is the circuitry that runs the programs, and the senses are the interface that allows us to experience this world. And the heart is our portal of connection to our higher selves, spirit, Source, God…whatever name you’d like to put on it. We are so lucky to be here, to have this incredible complex system with which to explore and understand the wonders of this world!

We have clusters of cells in the brain that organize and categorize our experiences, and then judge new experiences based on what’s happened before. This is where our programs are installed. This process has the ability to keep us safe, but it also warns us against anything unknown, even if it has the potential to be wonderful. It’s the reference point we react from when faced with any situation. If we haven’t seen it before, and have a fear of the unknown, our fight, flight, or freeze reaction is engaged. If it feels familiar, we overlay our prior experience on it and sometimes make a faulty assumption, setting alarm bells off in a situation that deserves a closer look.

I thank Source for creating this mechanism, because it has kept me safe at times in the past. However, if we rely upon it too heavily, we can misunderstand what’s happening around us, and react in ways that shut us off from potential gifts waiting for us in those moments. If we are aware of this, we can pause in those moments of judgement, and ask ourselves if what we are assuming is really true in this circumstance. For example, if a person has been in a long marriage that ends in infidelity, it can be difficult not to overlay the expectation that anyone else they get involved with might also hurt them in that way. The most loving, loyal potential partner can come along, and the one who was hurt might not be able to fully allow them in, much less create the beautiful partnership that awaits because of this expectation. Fear of the past repeating itself clouds and dampens the experience, and the relationship may end due to lack of trust and ability to be fully present.

Book recommendation: Whole Brain Living by Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor
Podcast recommendation: Mayim Bialik’s Breakdown interview with Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor