Our internal survival mechanism
The waning moon is bringing up deep sadness and grief to be moved through. There is also a collective anxiety in the air as we are asked to let go of what we know to let the new in - but it is a little bit like a bird flying the nest for the first time, will its wings keep it in the air?
Our wings sit behind our heart; can we trust the direction it is trying to take us, can we trust the air to hold us.
Essentially our fear around our safety is being triggered and this shows up in different ways for people depending on our level of trauma, our immediate environment, the baggage we carry, our support network, our hormonal state, our levels of exhaustion and our sensitivity.
You see, we each share internal survival mechanisms that are automatic, unconscious, and often physiological processes designed to protect as humans from threat, harm or exhaustion. These mechanisms involve both the physical body systems and psychological defences, acting as a “safe mode” that takes over when the nervous system is overloaded.
The key components of the internal survival system include:
Fight/Flight (sympathetic nervous system) - when a threat is perceived, the sympathetic nervous system, takes over, flooding the body with cortisol and adrenaline to fight or flee, often at the cost to long term health.
Freeze - when fighting or fleeing is not possible, the body freezes - enters as state of immobilisation.
Fawn - an automatic response aimed at avoiding conflict by pleasing others to stay safe.
Dissociation - a protective mechanism that disconnects the mind from the body or reality during overwhelming and intolerable situations.
There are biological and physiological processes within the body to maintain a stable internal state too, despite external pressures. These include:
Temperature regulation such as shivering to generate heat or sweating to dissipate it.
Under high stress, the body sacrifices long-term maintenance like digestion, to redirect energy to vital organs and muscles.
The immune system will also produce inflammation to highlight areas of infection or injury for repair.
There are also psychological defence mechanisms which are unconscious processes that protect the mind from stress, anxiety or internal conflict. These include:
Repression: pushing uncomfortable thoughts into the unconscious.
Projection: attributing one's own unacceptable thoughts or feelings to someone else.
Intellectualisation: focusing on facts and logic to avoid dealing with emotional pain.
Suppression: consciously choosing to delay addressing a thought or emotion.
Behavioural and sensory adaptions arise from this, including:
Hypervigilance: a constant state of scanning the environment for threats, commonly developed in response to trauma or chronic stress.
Internal Retreat: escaping into a vivid inner world to escape external pain.
Adaptive Pain Reduction: in extreme situations, the brain may dull physical pain to allow continued movement or function.
While these mechanisms are effective for short-term survival, they can become detrimental if left "switched on" by chronic stress or unresolved trauma.
A persistent "survival mode" can lead to:
Constant exhaustion: a "bone-tired" feeling where sleep does not bring rest.
Reduced cognitive function: difficulty concentrating and memory issues.
Emotional numbness: feeling detached or "gray".
Physical ailments: chronic muscle tension, digestive issues, and weakened immune function.
We can probably all relate to this in some way, especially when we are triggered and feel unsafe. We each have our patterns and their related story.
This is where Reiki and Yoga can help considerably, not least in soothing our nervous system, quietening our mind, healing our body and spirit, but in helping us notice when we are triggered and catching ourselves before we go into our usual unconscious patterns. In this way we start to understand why we behave the way we do, why we may be constantly unwell, why we have difficulty engaging in intimate relationships, why we struggle with connection and why we keep running up against the same old challenges and patterns etc.
Ultimately Reiki and Yoga help us to get to the root cause of our feeling of loss of safety, whether from a past life experience, trauma at birth or in childhood or a situation which has triggered our fundamental fear of death, which is shared even by the wisest.
Both Reiki and Yoga help us to understand ourselves better, cultivating greater trust and faith in the process and helping us to increasingly let go of what is known, certain and stagnant and open to something more fulfilling and aligned with our heart.
This moon appears to be asking us to let go and take the leap, like leaping across the river, or taking flight for the first time, trusting that we are loved and held.
Happy leaping.
Love Emma x
