Nor is your depression, trouble sleeping or that icky sticky imposter syndrome feeling.
This is one of my favourite things about the nervous system framework.
I used to blame myself for my various “issues”.
I thought I’d somehow failed.
That I was broken.
But once I understood the mechanics of the nervous system survival response and how it adapts to stress and trauma, I realised it wasn’t my fault.
I realised that my nervous system was doing exactly what it had evolved to do:
Keep me safe.
Imposter syndrome? It’s a safety mechanism. Don’t stand out or attract too much attention to yourself or you might get hurt.
Can’t sleep? Again, it’s a safety mechanism. Your nervous system is literally trying to keep you safe… and it can’t do that if you sleep too deeply (because you might fail to detect a threat).
Anxiety? Your nervous system is looking for threats because right now, it feels – you guessed it – unsafe.
Now, to be fair…
These adaptions aren’t always well-matched to the present environment but once upon a time, they were exactly what we needed to survive.
That’s the beautiful thing.
Instead of seeing your “issues” as “problems” or “flaws”, you can see them as nature’s finest work 🤩
The result of millions of years of evolution (or if you believe in God, then call it “intelligent design”). The very thing you needed at some point in your life to survive.
Isn’t that amazing?
Doesn’t it change the whole feeling around our “issues”?
That they’re not here to make us feel bad (as we sometimes believe). They’re here to help us. They’re here to keep us alive.
The only problem is…
While they were suited to a previous environment (childhood, school, etc)…
…they’re not usually the best strategy for the present environment.
For example, if your nervous system thinks it’s unsafe when it’s actually safe (such as when you go to bed at night), it’s a sign the system is a little out of sync 🤔
That’s all.
Just out of sync.
Not broken.
Not flawed.
Designed for a different time and place and doing that job beautifully…
…but out of sync with the present time.
That’s where The Rageheart Academy comes in.
With the nervous system map in hand, you use a range of techniques to “rewire” your nervous system so the wonderful patterns that used to serve you (but no longer do) can shift, heal and align with the present-day reality.
​In my experience, it’s one of the most beautiful things we can do for ourselves.​
Cheers,
John Wood
P.S. Know anyone else who blames themselves for their various “issues”?
Refer them to The Daily Growl (this email newsletter) and give them better tools and frameworks for understanding why they are the way they are. Tools and frameworks that remind them that it’s not their fault.