Your body’s nervous system is designed to keep it. safe, so it is constantly interacting with its environment, and scanning for threats.

This physiological reaction occurs in response to a perceived threat or danger and involves various changes in the body to prepare it to either confront the threat (fight) or flee from it (flight). The stress response involves the release of stress hormones like adrenaline and cortisol, increased heart rate, heightened alertness, and other changes designed to help the body react quickly to potential threats.

The nervous system processes this sensory information through intricate networks of neurons and neural pathways. This processing involves sorting, interpreting, and organizing the incoming data.

Once processed, the nervous system sends signals to the brain. These signals carry information about everything from the temperature of your surroundings to the sensation of touch or pain.

To get you ready for action, the body creates energy and puts it into motion. Remember, the body has a self-governing energy management system called the Autonomic Nervous System (ANS)

Emotions can be seen as a form of "energy in motion" (hence the term "emotion") that the body generates in response to various situations, including potential threats. Emotions are part of the body's adaptive response system and prepare us for action. For example:

Fear: When you perceive a threat, the body can generate fear, which can energize you to either confront or escape it.

Anger: Anger can provide the energy needed to address a perceived injustice or threat by motivating you to take action.

Anxiety: This emotion can increase alertness and prepare you for potential dangers, helping you to be more cautious and attentive.

Happiness: Positive emotions like happiness can promote feelings of well-being and can be seen as the body's way of encouraging behaviors that contribute to survival and thriving.

Emotions are a natural part of our survival mechanism, helping us respond appropriately to the challenges and opportunities we encounter in our environment.

The brain receives these signals and generates appropriate responses. It combines the sensory information with stored memories, learned behaviors, to create a holistic perception of the situation.

The information provided by the nervous system serves as the material for thought. It influences your, thoughts, decisions, and actions.

It is the Brain’s job to decide if something is a Perceived Threat or an Actual Threat.

The challenge is, since this process starts at birth, our brain is not developed enough to decide between Perceived Threat or Actual Threat. Going to childcare, fear of the dark, fear of strangers, fear of animals, fear of making mistakes, we saw these as existential threats as children. Trauma does not have to be something big; anything we couldn't understand as children could be traumatic. trauma can come in various forms and doesn't always involve a significant life event. So much so that it is not possible to avoid trauma.

Once the analytical mind is furnished with information, it takes the reins, engaging in rationalisation. This surge of emotional energy compels you towards action or inaction, all in pursuing your safety.

Imagine, for instance, that the brain opts for a fight response instead of flight. Anger emerges as a product of the fight-oriented branch of your sympathetic nervous system. This surge of energy also supplies the purpose, strength, or passion needed to take action.

However, your rational mind has tagged anger as inappropriate. It may insist that feeling angry, frustrated, or annoyed is wrong. This could trigger a sense of shame, which, if left unaddressed, can become increasingly pronounced, persistent, and detrimental.

Suppressing your emotions in an attempt to soothe your nervous system or to conform to perceived expectations often initiates a cycle of suppression that eventually disconnects you from your own body.

This disconnection manifests as a sensation of being trapped within your thoughts, which seem to run rampant, leaving you feeling stuck in your head.