Reactivity Is Our Best Friend; New Directions in Holistic Brain Balance, vol. 3

Written for self-testers (Muscle Testing 2.0) and anyone wishing to understand “reactivity” better. Contains self-testing exercise experiments you can do at home.

The term “reactivity” is only a category of phenomena, nebulous and abstract. “Habit Body” is a more useful term for purposes of self-healing. Why? “Habits” connotes flexibility; we can change a habit, if we wish to. Our Habit Body overlaps 90% or more with our “child within.”

You know you have excess reactivity if you find yourself saying:

“I knew it was bad for me and I did it anyway.”

“I knew I shouldn’t have eaten it but I ate it anyway.”

“I knew I shouldn’t have said it but I said it anyway.”

“I knew it was bad for me but I went and did it anyway.”

Excess over- and under-reactivity is the biggest category of disturbances in the human experience. Most of the time, we are reacting too quickly to life (John-Roger). Our biggest job in self-discipline is disciplining our reactivity.

Why do we react when we knew better? Being of two minds is a top~bottom split. When someone is of two minds, the cerebral nervous system has one point of view. On the other hand (an unfortunate right~left image), the enteric nervous system has a different goal, project or need. The two nervous systems are misaligned, have divergent points of view.

Rudolf Steiner’s “reducing our excess sympathies and antipathies,” is a good general definition of personal growth. Reduce your excess reactivity and your growth path becomes clearer. It’s okay to grow up and outgrow habits and behaviors no longer workable.

We have one visible body, physical, and four more invisible bodies: imaginal, emotional, mental and mythological (PACME). On each of these levels we have habits. Within the habits we perceive as working for us is our “comfort zone,” the habits and behaviors we prefer to use to respond to life. We have a comfort zone on each level PACME.

It’s possible to go thru the human experience devoting most of our time, attention and creativity to setting up and maintaing your comfort zones on all levels PACME.
Why is this not a Best Practice? Because the above is a handy definition of our survival ego, the part of us disconnected from and/or disinterested in the growth of our immortal-eternal soul.

Ideally our comfort zones enable us to reach for and choose opportunities for greater self-care, self-love and loving-service to others. Ideally our comfort zones support us choosing gratitude one more time over againstness.

Excess reactivity is the first obstacle we work on in inner growth; reactivity will also be the last issue we ever work on. Habits of over/under-reacting are all-pervasive in the human experience. Perhaps this is why John-Roger said, when asked what he does in his spare time, he said, “Work on my bad habits.”

Initial gift sessions by phone-Skype available with the author.