E-Kantipur

‘The man who never alters his opinion is like standing water, and breeds reptiles of the mind,” says poet and writer William Blake. Change is something that humans resist. Change represents the unknown, the wide open space of imagination. With the prospect of change comes admittance that something may be wrong, and the inevitable question of ‘what comes next’. Change is about commitment, a commitment to making said change and the subsequent acceptance of that decision. I don’t like it when things change by surprise; I then become resistant and act out. This human reaction to change, this resistance may find its root in the stem of the brain where these instinctual feelings arise.

Change has come my way in these past few weeks, peeking its head around corners, lurking in the shadows and showing up at the most inopportune moments. Moving apartments, starting a new job and altering my daily routine are just some of the changes happening in this month of July. Not to mention the outside changes, or the environmental ones. But all these things happening in the past few weeks have given me an altered perspective on the principle of change. Why do humans resist change? Do people resist change because it is a threat to their safety or security? I don’t want to move because I am comfortable where I am now, and the security of my new home is unclear. Not only the literal security of my new home is unclear, but the internal, emotional security as well. Or do we resist it because of something deeper, a baser, primal instinct that exists in our brain which resists change?

At the base of the skull near the spinal column is what scientists call our ‘reptilian brain’, what scientist Paul MacLean of the National Institute of Mental Health said in 1973 was one of the three parts of ‘triune brain’. This part of the brain works on instinct and is focused on fundamental survival needs. The reptilian brain focuses on our bodily functions such as breathing, reproducing, digesting and general physical maintaining of the body. Potential threats or the concept called ‘fight or flight’ is also controlled by this part of our brains. It is the animalistic side in us. This brainstem was developed hundreds of million years ago and has not really evolved since; it is similar to the entire brain of today’s reptiles.

Because of the lack of language in this section of the brain, it works entirely on instinct and ritual. For instance, when the level of anxiety is high our reptilian brain is at work as we respond to anxiety in the way an antelope would to an approaching cheetah. When I think about moving, I become anxious and my basic instinct for survival kicks in. I respond with my reptilian brain. According to the renowned psychologist Dr. Suzanne LaCombe, “When you are suffering from high anxiety—by definition—your activation level is high and the reptilian brain is controlling too much of how you will respond to events in your life.” You are thinking without acting and responding intuitively. I am guilty of this way of thinking, we all are; it is built into our system. The reptilian brain is constantly at work, working on preservation of the self and thinking about issues involving fear and anger. Even while we are sleeping, this part of the brain doesn’t switch off, which I think causes us to dream with these emotions and ideas. I have often felt that I ‘think with my heart’ or I have just reacted without thinking, which is my reptilian brain at work. I am not a student of science, but I wonder why I haven’t been made more aware of this part of my brain. And if I had, maybe I would be able to control some of these outbursts, or strong feelings of anxiety.

I have been resisting change instead of embracing it, because I have reacted instinctively and without rational thought. My fear and anxiety wrapped around the idea of change like a blanket, and has inhibited my choices. There are triggers that affect our behaviour, causing us to bypass the logical brain and to react out of the R-Complex, or reptilian brain. Things involving power, sex or food for example are all triggers. My lack of power in the situation of moving or in altering my daily routines causes anxiousness. How can I fight this? And how can I allow the idea of change to wash over me, to soothe me instead of aggravating me? Giving myself time to think before making a decision provides a calmer, more reasonable, reaction than acting from desperation or anger. Using meditative and breathing techniques can allow for the mind to be freer and to react more logically than simply acting out of survival need and aggression. I am trying to be more open to the idea of change, especially when it comes to changing my behaviour. William Blake was right, either I could chose stagnancy and allow the reptiles of my mind (or my reptilian mind) to breed, or I could embrace fluidity and welcome the upcoming changes with open arms.

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