When in danger

[Protector]

I want to know how a body react when it thinks there is danger nearby

Not when attacked but when there's stress or when mind gives an idea of something bad is going to happen

Where does energy go and how does it change

 

THANKS IN ADVANCE

[Taomeow]

I want to know how a body react when it thinks there is danger nearby

Not when attacked but when there's stress or when mind gives an idea of something bad is going to happen

Where does energy go and how does it change

 

THANKS IN ADVANCE

 

It depends on whether the person perceiving danger is perfectly healthy or not.

 

A perfectly healthy system gears toward a fight-or-flight response. Digestion stops, the stomach, liver and pancreas shut down the enzymes, the blood is diverted from the inner organs to the muscles and skin, the adrenal glands sharply elevate the production of adrenalin, the electrochemical activity of the brain switches to "red alert" and is directed outward, breathing rate increases and so does the depth of breath, heart rate increases, pumping the blood to where it's needed, the pores open to facilitate rapid circulation and cooling off (sweat glands get ready too), blood pressure temporarily spikes, parasympathetic activities are aborted and sympathetic ones are activated, the senses sharpen, production of endorphins, serotonin, and other internal painkillers and opiates is aborted, the dopaminergic axis is activated, insulin production shuts down, blood sugar spikes and a generous portion of glucose is directed to the brain, and so on -- in other words, true yang emerges, true yin hides.

 

A perfectly unhealthy system gears toward a freeze response. Butterflies in the stomach, a sinking feeling, rumbling, diarrhea, etc., indicate a failure to properly redirect digestive energies in emergency, the system is confused as to what it is supposed to do. The blood is diverted from the muscles and skin to the internal organs -- one grows pale, with cold clammy skin, and weak. That's because a confused system does stuff bass ackwards. The adrenals sharply elevate the production of cortisol, internal painkillers and opiates kick in in an attempt to create a make-believe reality where the danger is not there and not real, the electrochemical activity of the brain switches to "go to sleep, if you don't notice what's going on it's not going on," breathing becomes shallow, heart rate may or may not cooperate and will either slow down abnormally or go into palpitations (a confused system does not match the responses of different organs to each other), senses grow dull, creating unreal dreamlike perceptions, the dopaminergic axis quits, blood sugar drops, blood pressure drops, sympathetic activities are aborted and parasympathetic ones take over, and so on -- in other words, true yang hides, false yin emerges.

 

Then there's many variations -- e.g., a healthy system responding to perceived danger on an ongoing basis (chronic stress) -- you may have false yang emerge in this situation, exhausting true yin; an unhealthy system responding to perceived danger that is internally rather than externally motivated (chronic neurosis) -- you will have false yin emerge (depression) and true yang hide. And so on.

[Protector]

Cool stuff, thanks

So since kidneys are related then ears and the right side of the face can light up, right?

So what happens when there's a lot of yang energy and it stays around for a long time?

[Marblehead]

Taomeow spoke so well to that I don't even want to make an attempt.

[Protector]

Taomeow spoke so well to that I don't even want to make an attempt.

 

No, you can do it, I believe in you!

[Jetsun]

Cool stuff, thanks

So since kidneys are related then ears and the right side of the face can light up, right?

So what happens when there's a lot of yang energy and it stays around for a long time?

 

If the yang energy isn't immediately burned off or processed at the time of trigger then it tries to find it's own way out later, so people become violent, abusive have road rage and get into fights etc, which is common with combat vets who have these survival energies still stuck inside of them trying to find a way to be released. On a less extreme scale with survival states most of us get trigered into every day those left over yang energies will put people in a bad mood or give them anxiety until they can either exercise them away or sleep them off, which is why exercise is so important for your health on so many levels.

 

I have seen some experiments that show that your body reacts to an ego threat in the same way a physical threat, so say you get into a public argument in the office or someone knocks your pride a little even with something as small as being insulted on a forum like this then your body might kick in the same survival energies it would if you were faced with being physically attacked even though there is no actual mortal danger. So if we want to stay healthy we need to move beyond this state of consciousness of trying to protect our ego with extreme survival energies.

[Marblehead]

I have seen some experiments that show that your body reacts to an ego threat in the same way a physical threat, ...

 

Yes. I accept this as a valid understanding. And I believe that this is why we should lessen our ego (not kill it).

[Jetsun]

Yes. I accept this as a valid understanding. And I believe that this is why we should lessen our ego (not kill it).

 

Yeah I agree, also it shows the value and importance of having a mature ego as it's less likely you will perceive minor social attacks as threatening and you will feel more able to deal with any attacks that come your way, so less activation of the kidneys, less stress and turmoil going on in your body, which will make meditation and spiritual practice smoother as well as being much better for your health.

 

This might sound like a bit of a contradiction that you need to reduce and mature your ego but what I mean is that it is important to have the foundations of adequate mature ego defences to deal with life before you try to dive into transcending it or you will feel too vulnerable and threatened by being opened up by spiritual practice.

Edited December 19, 2011 by Jetsun

[Birch]

Good points Jetsun and Mr MH.

I think a lot of the cognitive behavioural stuff is predicated on this kind of idea.

Seems that social hierarchy really causes people to stress out. That "middle manager" syndrome.

I think it's trying and draining to attempt to take all one's cues of self-evaluation from the outside but the outside often gives you a clue as to the inside. On a small, everyday scale at least.

[Protector]

I've been doing this posture that as well as remove blockages root me down and all that, gives me an additional burning feeling when I'm feeling danger or stress

I haven't been breathing properly before so my emotions were getting jumpy and I was kinda crushing under myself (you might tell by some of my older posts)

Now that I got it right, my whole right side of my body starts to get warm when in danger or thinking about danger but no emotional stuff is going on

I also seem to feel where my heart is at all times, there's no pressure or discomfort, I just know where it is, before I just felt like I have a whole chest and that's it but now I have an idea of where my heart is supposed to be, it's kinda like a feeling you get after you work with chi but later you have to put it away yourself or it goes away after sleep but with me it just stays there all the time

So I'm looking up what else I can do to maybe improve and maybe make my whole body light up with it

I was told that this posture is used to make some effects of meditation and chi stuff permanent but I wonder why my heart stands out so much, I have an idea but I'm not sure why the heart is important in this survival situation

[Protector]

There was a similar thread a few hundred pages ago and no one knew what was going on back then either

Maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan, what a bother