The 7 conditions that tend to activate the Primitive Mind
- Anxiety – Anxiety is a complex combination of fear, apprehension, and worry, often accompanied by uncomfortable physical sensations
2. Stress – stress (roughly the opposite of relaxation) is a term for a wide range of strong external stimuli, both . psychological and physiological
3. Drugs – drugs are any substance that can be used to modify a chemical process in the body, for example to treat an illness, relieve a symptom, enhance a performance or ability, or to alter states of mind
4. Alcohol – alcohol refers almost always to ethanol, also known as grain alcohol, and to any beverage that contains ethanol
5. Tired – tired is a feeling of excessive fatigue or lethargy, with a desire to rest, perhaps to sleep
6. Hungry – hungry is applied literally to the need or craving for food
7. Sickness – sickness or illness is an actual physical, pathophysiological process which may cause an abnormal condition of the mind or body
So when you become angry and if you’re experiencing any one or more of these seven conditions you are much more likely to be functioning out of your punishing Primitive Brain. This type of functioning can look and feel ‘out of control’ and impulsive… “things just sort of happen” as they say. It might be helpful to visualize or think of functioning out of your primitive brain as being like what happens with a ‘blender without its cover’… you very quickly get extremely stirred up and it can get quite messy. We will discuss these 7 conditioners further in module 10 and 12.