The Hypersensitive body
Let’s consider what would happen on the flip side of the creative restorative scales and see what the overly defensive system looks like. The system that places greater emphasis on the defensive mode can become overly protective in which it ultimately starts attacking itself because it spends all it’s resources towards the defense. It needs to utilize all these defenses that it has dedicated, because the resources that have been designated need to fulfill their purpose. This means that a system that is too defensive can ultimately start attacking elements in the system that are beneficial for it. For instance any foreign element that can be introduced to it such as a piece of food will ultimately be rejected. And a defensive stance will be taken. This is akin to what is known as the allergic response. An allergic response is when an otherwise harmless environmental substance is introduced into the system and the system has an inflammatory response due to the hyper or oversensitivity to that element. Not all environmental substances, but some that are introduced during a time when the system is on high alert, may be coupled with and from then on, will elicit this hypersensitivity. The body mistakenly thinks it is the foreign food that is what is putting the body into disarray rather than the situation surrounding the person, such as a stressful event.
We have seen this explained by the famous Russian Psychologist Pavlov and his dog, who described the concept of classical conditioning (CC). CC describes a process where an unrelated stimulus such as a bell when paired with a related stimulus such as food will make a dog salivate even when the food isn’t present and only the bell is rung. The same thing happens with allergies. A person’s body goes into a defensive mode when a food element coupled with a stressful event enters their system. Medical professionals may have an explanation for ‘how’ it happens but their ‘why’ never seems to place any relevance to the mind, instead hereditary or environmental factors are blamed. However with the introduction to our understandings of the mind on placebo, stressor-immune response and genetics, we see that there is a viable cognitive model for the mind on allergies.
The Hypersensitive culture
We see this hypersensitivity rear its head in the sociocultural systems as well. Take for instance the great nation of the USA. This system started as a well-functioning and evolving system very similar to an advancing human. It had both the capacity to advance in its understandings but at the same time have in-built a competent defensive functionality that had the ability to protect itself from any foreign bodies with malevolent intent.
I am not condoning aggressive behavior, however as we see in the human body the necessity of having an adequate immune response to invading elements is necessary so too is it worth having an adequate defense force to protect a societal system.
This US sociopolitical system however recently moved into the aforementioned allergic response in which the system put more resources into its defenses. It has ultimately begun to paralyze itself with the defensive stance that it is taking and attacking elements that can lead to greater advancement in the system such as the introduction of new cultures and new ideas into the system. Anything new is seen as a possible attack, treating it accordingly and sending the system into disarray.
This can be described as a fear based system in which the strangle hold on the illusion of what the country had for a certain period of time stops the momentum of progress. A great saying that refers to all elements in life is one to be remembered at this point – Love let’s go and fear holds on. Say it three times and understand it. Love let’s go and fear holds on. We hold on in our bodies, in our relationships, in our sociocultural systems. It stifles the progress and advancement of the evolving system. The system needs to grow otherwise it will feel the wrath of putrefaction born from stagnancy, a space of resisting the flow of life and fighting its current at every turn. So let life flow through you and those surrounding you and you will ride along to new heights.