| There are only two ways to rule a society, by fear | | | | physically stored in a portion of the brain closer to |
| or by hope, and its the same for any individual too | | | | the amygdala. The amygdala is the primitive frog |
| My extensive study of history shows me that the | | | | brain. This is a non-self aware portion of the Central |
| statement above is fundamentally true. But the most | | | | Nervous System found in all mammalian and reptilian |
| important thing is that as individuals we are much the | | | | brains. |
| same. | | | | A quick example and proof that adrenal memory are |
| We can either allow ourselves to be ruled principally | | | | qualitatively different from non-adrenal created |
| by fear, or we can lead our lives more positively | | | | memories is easy to provide. |
| through rational hope. | | | | At a seminar I will ask the people to raise their hands |
| Think about this a moment please, are you more | | | | if they can remember exactly where they were and |
| preoccupied with the fear of what might happen, | | | | precisely what they were doing when they either |
| rather than on what you want to happen in your | | | | heard that: (1) President Kennedy had been |
| general decision-making? | | | | assassinated or (2) They heard that the Space |
| I am no stranger to fear. I have certainly known | | | | Shuttle Challenger had exploded and crashed into the |
| knee-shaking fear and seen horrific examples of my | | | | see. |
| own mortality. One cannot experience any form of | | | | Almost everyone will raise their hands in response to |
| real combat I think without experiencing that, or else | | | | one of these questions even though the event |
| one is a total madman. | | | | occurred many years or decades ago. |
| But ultimately I saw that in that arena my best | | | | They remember in detail exactly what they were |
| survival strategy was not to engage the fear of | | | | doing and exactly where they were and in great |
| what might happen, but to stay alert and as calm as | | | | detail. But they do not remember what was going on |
| possible and thus see clearly and immediately | | | | just before they heard that trajic news. Nor do they |
| everything that was happening around meand then | | | | remember what happened with such clarity at that |
| to respond appropriately. | | | | time the next day. |
| Ultimately it dawned on me that while my fear was a | | | | This is because the news of the disaster had resulted |
| totally rational one under the circumstances, that fear | | | | in some adrenal flow in them and thus the memory |
| simply did not serve me. Indeed, it was more likely to | | | | was an 'adrenal memory'. That means it was stored |
| cause my demise than to save me. | | | | with more detail, more vibrancy and in much more of |
| This was a true epiphany for me and at a rather | | | | an enduring fashion than any non-adrenal memory. |
| young age. But the lesson has stayed with me and | | | | If you want to think to the next step here you can |
| served me well and now I am sixty years of age. | | | | see that this special nature of adrenal formed |
| I have spent the majority of my life trying to | | | | memories is the essential basis of all PTSD |
| communicate this same lesson (minus the horror) to | | | | phenomena. |
| others. I make this effort through my books and | | | | Hence, a PTSD episode will be triggered by any cue |
| through my adrenal stress conditioning training | | | | that was in the environment when that adrenal |
| programs. When ones transcends some fear it is | | | | memory was created. That cue and trigger could be |
| both a very liberating and often life changing | | | | a sound, humidity, a smell, a visual cue, etc. PTSD is |
| experience. | | | | not limited to combat veterans at all either. We can |
| There are two kinds of fear however, rational fear | | | | carry subconscious PTSD triggers that were formed |
| and irrational fears. | | | | when we were young children. |
| Under normal circumstances rational fear serves you, | | | | However, with varying degrees of success I know it |
| it makes you look both ways before pulling out in | | | | is well possible to significantly moderate the negative |
| traffic etc. But you are not really feeling the fear | | | | life effects of irrational fears and many PTSD |
| then are you? You are dealing with the danger in an | | | | symptoms. This is not theory with me as I have |
| appropriate fashion though. | | | | been working with these concepts not as abstract |
| You have just learned to sublimate the experience of | | | | theory, but as tools for over 25 years now. |
| fear in the act of pulling out into traffic for the most | | | | A woman who has been forcibly raped will almost |
| part. | | | | always have PTSD symptoms to some degree or |
| This is because you have gotten used to it. But this | | | | another from this atrocious violation of human rights. |
| was not always so. | | | | The triggers to these PTSD symptoms can be many. |
| You experienced more fear pulling out into traffic | | | | Examples of triggers could be, a smell, an article of |
| when you were younger and first learned to drive | | | | clothing a song that was playing on the radio during |
| didnt you? My point is we can discover and unlearn | | | | the attack etc. |
| other fears that do not serve us too. | | | | But if she is placed into a scenario that recreates the |
| We can eliminate fears that limit our lives and that will | | | | traumatic event she will experience an adrenal flow |
| provide us with the strong potential to develop | | | | and whatever occurs during that time will create |
| 'rational hope' as our world view. That is the attitude | | | | another adrenal memory through the same |
| we need, it one that will expand our lives. | | | | biochemistry as the actual assault did. |
| Sorational fears can be reduced and sublimated like | | | | Now here is where the therapeutic aspect manifests |
| the example of pulling out in traffic without being | | | | itself. If what happens in the scenario is she has been |
| excessively concerned about a crash. | | | | trained to where mentally and physically she can |
| But rational fears serve a survival purpose too. Some | | | | defeat the mock assailant she will still be quite |
| rational fears keep us from doing stupid and | | | | adrenalized and as a rule very much so. |
| dangerous things like sticking your hand into a | | | | The mock assailant Iuse is well trained and wears |
| rattlesnake cage. | | | | padded armor so she can attack the eyes, groin and |
| Now let me tell you something significant about | | | | head without restraint. It only takes a weekend to |
| sticking ones hand out to a rattlesnake in a cage. | | | | actualize the bulk of anyones self-defense potential |
| Decades ago in a bar I frequented in El Paso, Texas, | | | | too. The key is their unleashing and tapping into to |
| there was a large and very much alive rattlesnake in | | | | their survival instincts more than technique as martial |
| a lidded glass aquarium. It was a bit more than just | | | | arts people often believe. |
| curiosity to attract travelers into the bar too. | | | | Understand I say that as a member of the |
| The aquarium was quite secure and the snake could | | | | International Black Belt Hall of Fame too. It isnt the |
| not strike anyone from inside. But, as locals we knew | | | | size of the woman in the fight, its the size of the |
| the 'secret truth'. And so occasionally we would make | | | | fight in the woman that counts most. |
| a wager with a passing tourist. | | | | But understand what has occurred here on a |
| The bet was that they could not hold their hand | | | | subconscious level when she defeats her assailant in |
| against the glass and keep it there when the rattler | | | | the scenario. At fist you might think it is a cathartic |
| struck at their hand from inside the glass. | | | | effect and while it is, that is not the most significant |
| The stranger might suspect something was up, but | | | | therapeutic effect here at all. |
| he often still told himself, The snake cant hurt me | | | | In doing this scenario she has created two adrenal |
| through the glass so I can win this bet. He was | | | | memories in her pre-conscious with basically the same |
| ignoring something his gut was trying to tell him there. | | | | 'triggers'. The scenario is deliberately engineered that |
| Pay attention to your 'gut feelings' and, learn to trust | | | | way and by her own direction too. |
| them too.They are there for a reason. | | | | These two different outcomes, the actual and the |
| Often we enticed the tourist further by giving him | | | | scenario, them in a short time become convoluted |
| favorable odds, like two or three to one that he | | | | with each other. The new neural nets need some |
| could not do it. | | | | time to form, this can be a few weeks or so, or a |
| You see we knew that he could not do it, almost | | | | few months. The cathartic effect is powerful and |
| nobody can. So when the guy stuck his hand on the | | | | immediate though. |
| glass and the rattler stuck at the glass he jerked his | | | | After this, when exposed to a PTSD eliciting cue her |
| hand away instantly! | | | | mind brings up alternative imagery than before the |
| Sometimes hed even make another bet being so | | | | adrenal stress, scenario based treatment. It is then a |
| sure he could do it the next time, as hed be more | | | | memory mixed with fear and triumph. Once this is |
| consciously prepared. But the result was always the | | | | established her own cognitive, self-aware mind can |
| same because the reaction to jerk your hand away | | | | better engage the trauma and further heal it. |
| is involuntary and does not engage the self-aware | | | | The process is basically the same with any irrational |
| mind. | | | | fear or PTSD situation. But I must also say that an |
| Lets think about this situation though and in terms of | | | | individual should be far enough along mentally to |
| what it tells us about fear. I believe that if a person | | | | engage this type of therapy. They have to be ready |
| had no knowledge at all of rattle snakes he'd still jerk | | | | for it in a sense. |
| his hand away. | | | | I also want to point out another benefit of this |
| I mean if they had never even seen a rattler before: | | | | process, even for people not suffering from PTSD or |
| in pictures, literature or film or in any other medium | | | | any truly disabling irrational fears. |
| and so they were happily and totally ignorant of the | | | | Most people's socialization has estranged them from |
| existence of rattle snakes, they would still jerk their | | | | their survival instincts. Those instincts are always |
| hand away when the snake fustily struck the inside | | | | there, but they may have never experienced them |
| of the glass at their hand. | | | | before. |
| Now If the above is fundamentally true,then we | | | | When a persons survival instinct are engaged, and |
| must ask: Why is it so? | | | | like the rattler in the cage, this does not require that |
| It is because we carry genetic memories that is | | | | there be any 'real danger' to do this, they become |
| genetic fears that activate our neurological system | | | | stronger and more balanced and confident in their |
| and thus produce this automatic motor response. We | | | | consciousness. |
| dont have to know there is danger when the snake | | | | We only need to project the voice, tone, and body |
| strikes, the body already knows. | | | | carriage of a verbal abusive and threatening assailant |
| The mechanism by which genetic memories are | | | | to adrenalize most people in our programs. Again, the |
| formed is not fully understood as yet. But the | | | | body just does not know the difference. |
| peculiar nature of memories created and experienced | | | | Black Belt Magazine called my weekend program The |
| under adrenal stress provides us with a very | | | | best short self-defense program existent. |
| significant clue. | | | | Self-Defense is important too, but if this was all the |
| It is already well established biochemically that | | | | RMCAT program accomplished for people, I may |
| memories (neural nets) formed under the adrenal | | | | have given it up years ago. |
| flow are stored differently in the brain than | | | | In closing good people think on this thought. For the |
| non-adrenal memories. | | | | most part often we can be just as happy as we |
| Such 'adrenal stress created memories' are also | | | | make up our minds to be. |