QUESTION:
What I'm looking for is a way to get people to stop with the knee-jerk lizard brain response. I'm thinking that one might fire with fire, as oftentimes merely pointing out someone's irrational pattern is not enough to stop it.
You are obviously very bright, and probably could think of something that would be effective.
Oh! Do you think it's a matter of people won't stop until they themselves possess the desire to stop?
ANSWER:
It's a bit like asking a martial artist, "I have a bit of a problem on the street corner. Would you be able to give me some clues about how to defend myself?" Really, nobody can give you clues so much as you have to do the training.
Fighting fire with fire is something I have tried, and it is a mistake. It only makes everything worse.
The key is in the ability not to respond. But it is not a passive non-response, either. It's actually something you have to be trained for. Really you have to simply discern what is the lizard brain in the other person's response. Bear in mind that this aspect is irrational, and not subject to reason. For instance, it is not able to use the logic, "if I keep doing what I'm doing to the other person, they will keep doing it to me, so I'd better stop."
Also, it is very unlikely that someone will have the desire to stop, since it is very pleasurable for people to behave in a very primal way. People who habitually behave in this way can be counted on to never stop.
The thing is to realise that lizard brain and its behaviour is a fire (your metaphor is apt). So if you see that someone has caught fire, the best thing to do is to protect yourself from it. Realise that their behaviour may seem innane or silly or simply contemptible from the point of view of the higher mind -- but to trivialise their behaviour in any way is about the most dangerous thing you can do. Somebody behaving in this way is extremely dangerous, and what seems trivial or silly about their behaviour could lead you to underestimate their power. You will get burnt.
Higher mind is generally defenceless against the lizard brain, actually. That is the first thing to realise -- since the lizard brain is not susceptible to logic.
There is one thing it can do, and maybe only one tactic that I have learned, in order to defend oneself. One must not allow the lizard brain of another person to have anything to say. One must realise that the content of what it says is in fact irrelevant to its goals, which are to upset you and win by making you lose your poise.
So, don't pay attention to the content of the criticisms that are directed towards you. Rather, make the person work hard to try to explain what they are saying in more rational terms.
The minute you put pressure on lizard brain to speak rationally, the lizard brain person will thump out a few more hysterical criticisms and depart. You have challenged them to do something that they cannot do.
HOW DOES SHAMANISM RELATE TO ALL THIS?
Shamanism is interested in observing and handling the regressive part of the personality (ie. that part which is not entirely integrally linked to the whole, but is actually a complex device facilitating survival in terms of a mode of ‘thinking’ entirely different from the rest of consciousness). I think this regressive part of the personality is R-Complex. I think that most people are unwittingly controlled by R-Complex to some degree. (This is the part of the Unconscious that deals with power relations, and issues of authority in relation to survival.) The fundamental goal of shamanism is to make one aware of R-complex. One way of looking at this is that shamanism involves a mental decoupling of the higher mind from R-Complex, so that one may better observe R-Complex at work. One may then see how in some cases it may act as a healing mechanism — (for instance, see Sherry Salman’s Jungian work). Generally, however, becoming aware of R-Complex can enable one to better combat it in others.
WHY DO LIZARD BRAIN ORIENTED PEOPLE LACK EMPATHY?
One of the reasons why it is difficult to empathise with another is that it requires a certain level of sophistication, which has been sacrificed by lizard brain types, who are oriented towards the world on the basis of survival. Really, one has to see the other being as a person to be able to empathise with them. But those oriented towards the world on the basis of power do not perceive other persons as such. They perceive only “interests” in relation to power, but they do not perceive the complex colours and textures that make up a personality.
Their whole orientation towards the world is based on a philosophy that we must “struggle to survive” — and so they rely upon lizard brain, which is most adept at “surviving” in an amoral sense. There is a whole internal logic to lizard brain’s way of viewing the world that is extremely faciliative of survival, especially since it hugely simplifies the personality, and does away with the question of ethics as being too burdensome to facilitate survival. Those who experience the world predominatly in this way, in any case, will not be attuned to seeing others as ‘persons’.
What I'm looking for is a way to get people to stop with the knee-jerk lizard brain response. I'm thinking that one might fire with fire, as oftentimes merely pointing out someone's irrational pattern is not enough to stop it.
You are obviously very bright, and probably could think of something that would be effective.
Oh! Do you think it's a matter of people won't stop until they themselves possess the desire to stop?
ANSWER:
It's a bit like asking a martial artist, "I have a bit of a problem on the street corner. Would you be able to give me some clues about how to defend myself?" Really, nobody can give you clues so much as you have to do the training.
Fighting fire with fire is something I have tried, and it is a mistake. It only makes everything worse.
The key is in the ability not to respond. But it is not a passive non-response, either. It's actually something you have to be trained for. Really you have to simply discern what is the lizard brain in the other person's response. Bear in mind that this aspect is irrational, and not subject to reason. For instance, it is not able to use the logic, "if I keep doing what I'm doing to the other person, they will keep doing it to me, so I'd better stop."
Also, it is very unlikely that someone will have the desire to stop, since it is very pleasurable for people to behave in a very primal way. People who habitually behave in this way can be counted on to never stop.
The thing is to realise that lizard brain and its behaviour is a fire (your metaphor is apt). So if you see that someone has caught fire, the best thing to do is to protect yourself from it. Realise that their behaviour may seem innane or silly or simply contemptible from the point of view of the higher mind -- but to trivialise their behaviour in any way is about the most dangerous thing you can do. Somebody behaving in this way is extremely dangerous, and what seems trivial or silly about their behaviour could lead you to underestimate their power. You will get burnt.
Higher mind is generally defenceless against the lizard brain, actually. That is the first thing to realise -- since the lizard brain is not susceptible to logic.
There is one thing it can do, and maybe only one tactic that I have learned, in order to defend oneself. One must not allow the lizard brain of another person to have anything to say. One must realise that the content of what it says is in fact irrelevant to its goals, which are to upset you and win by making you lose your poise.
So, don't pay attention to the content of the criticisms that are directed towards you. Rather, make the person work hard to try to explain what they are saying in more rational terms.
The minute you put pressure on lizard brain to speak rationally, the lizard brain person will thump out a few more hysterical criticisms and depart. You have challenged them to do something that they cannot do.
HOW DOES SHAMANISM RELATE TO ALL THIS?
Shamanism is interested in observing and handling the regressive part of the personality (ie. that part which is not entirely integrally linked to the whole, but is actually a complex device facilitating survival in terms of a mode of ‘thinking’ entirely different from the rest of consciousness). I think this regressive part of the personality is R-Complex. I think that most people are unwittingly controlled by R-Complex to some degree. (This is the part of the Unconscious that deals with power relations, and issues of authority in relation to survival.) The fundamental goal of shamanism is to make one aware of R-complex. One way of looking at this is that shamanism involves a mental decoupling of the higher mind from R-Complex, so that one may better observe R-Complex at work. One may then see how in some cases it may act as a healing mechanism — (for instance, see Sherry Salman’s Jungian work). Generally, however, becoming aware of R-Complex can enable one to better combat it in others.
WHY DO LIZARD BRAIN ORIENTED PEOPLE LACK EMPATHY?
One of the reasons why it is difficult to empathise with another is that it requires a certain level of sophistication, which has been sacrificed by lizard brain types, who are oriented towards the world on the basis of survival. Really, one has to see the other being as a person to be able to empathise with them. But those oriented towards the world on the basis of power do not perceive other persons as such. They perceive only “interests” in relation to power, but they do not perceive the complex colours and textures that make up a personality.
Their whole orientation towards the world is based on a philosophy that we must “struggle to survive” — and so they rely upon lizard brain, which is most adept at “surviving” in an amoral sense. There is a whole internal logic to lizard brain’s way of viewing the world that is extremely faciliative of survival, especially since it hugely simplifies the personality, and does away with the question of ethics as being too burdensome to facilitate survival. Those who experience the world predominatly in this way, in any case, will not be attuned to seeing others as ‘persons’.
3 comments:
Very good post. What I haven't figured out, of course, is how to tell when people are acting from their lizard brains -- although I can look back to past experiences and see it.
I do understand the pleasurableness now (have been watching some children at play and it has been quite instructive).
Thank you very much, think I'm just going to hang out here and pick your brain. Hope you don't mind. I'm not wanting "tips" so much, as perspective. A different way of thinking about things, of looking at the world or oneself, is always very helpful. But we get trapped into the same old mindset and it needs a dustup to keep it fresh.
There is one thing it can do, and maybe only one tactic that I have learned, in order to defend oneself. One must not allow the lizard brain of another person to have anything to say. One must realise that the content of what it says is in fact irrelevant to its goals, which are to upset you and win by making you lose your poise.
So, don't pay attention to the content of the criticisms that are directed towards you. Rather, make the person work hard to try to explain what they are saying in more rational terms.
The minute you put pressure on lizard brain to speak rationally, the lizard brain person will thump out a few more hysterical criticisms and depart. You have challenged them to do something that they cannot do.
Hmmm, wish I'd read this last week. I've noticed they always run away when asked for a rational response -- so did my asking accomplish any change within themselves or did it only make them run away?
R-Complex. I think that most people are unwittingly controlled by R-Complex to some degree. (This is the part of the Unconscious that deals with power relations, and issues of authority in relation to survival.)
What an incredibly fascinating definition, thank you Jennifer!! However I have no idea how to respond to the last paragraph, as I would swear I have no compassion but do have empathy and am very concerned with justice.
So perhaps the more often someone resorts to engaging the lizard brain, the more threatened and insecure they feel? Seems like in some cases helping to make them feel more secure would be just the ticket, then?
See? I knew you knew the frickin answer!!!!
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