Resistance to change is part of us, because of our need for security, our fear of the judgment of others... Too often this resistance will push us away from our goals of personal, professional success or even our therapeutic goals.
However, let us remember Albert Einstein who said that only fools would expect different results using the same procedure.
Where do these defensive behaviors come from?
Individuals are generally not aware of these processes when they are at work.
Reminding them is not necessarily the most favorable solution for them to leave this state…
According to the psychoanalytic perspective, defense mechanisms serve to neutralize the anxiety that threatens an individual when he or she falls prey to a conflict between the demands that arise from one's own needs and those that arise from the new external reality that is the change.
Six defense mechanisms then play a vital role in blocking or hindering change in organizations: repression, regression, projection, identification, reaction formation and denial of reality.
These defensive mechanisms become reflexes.
The body is full of reflexes designed to 'save our lives', to keep us away from danger... to keep us between our safe and comfortable lines.
There are those that we call primitive, primary or archaic, which are neuroevolutionary and inevitable in human beings. They lay the entire foundation that allows us to grow and interact with the world.
These movements, applied reflexively from infant age, will develop the child's brain and motor skills. This development of the brain will serve the child as much as the adult in the future, in all these decisions and mental processes.
Well-integrated reflexes are very important because they protect us and help us survive in times of danger or stress. In times of stress, our frontal lobe is more difficult to access and we become under the control of the brainstem (reptilian brain). Our reflexes come from the brainstem, which manages our vital functions through the autonomic nervous system.
Incomplete integration of primitive reflexes can be a cause of ADD/ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder), lack of attention, autism, reading difficulties, developmental delay, sensory imbalances, difficulty seeing and hearing, behavioral problems, extreme shyness, lack of self-confidence, dependence, ineffectiveness and constant feelings of overwhelm.
There are other reflexes that we call ‘reflex behaviors’.
Reflex behaviors can be as simple as kicking when something catches our knee or having an exciting conversation with someone while driving at 100 km/h on a highway with lots of traffic. other vehicles. Some of these conditioned reflexes are quite complex while others do not really engage the brain's attention.
Through conditioned learning processes, the neural pathways between triggering stimuli and behavioral responses become strengthened to ensure a pattern of repetition.
The experience of Pavlov's dog clearly demonstrates that he salivates by reflex and not by deliberate intention. These actions of the unconscious mind are reflexive in nature and are not governed by thought or reason.
Humans and many other intelligent mammals have a specialized region of the brain that has evolved over time and is associated with thinking, planning and decision-making. This region is called the prefrontal cortex. This portion of the forebrain is apparently the seat of self-awareness. This mind of self-awareness is a new feeling organ that observes our own behaviors and emotions.
This consciousness also has access to most of the information stored in our long-term memory bank. This is an extremely important feature that allows our life story to be considered as we consciously plan our future.
Endowed with the ability to be self-reflective, self-awareness is extremely powerful. It can observe any programmed behavior we are engaged in and consciously decide to change the program. We can actively choose how to respond to most environmental cues and even whether we want to respond to each one. It is the ability of the conscious mind to override the pre-programmed behaviors of the subconscious mind that is the very foundation of free will.
The unconscious is a stimulus-response reading device.
The unconscious works mainly in the present. Consequently, the bad perceptions programmed into our unconscious mind are not necessarily “monitored” and will usually engage us in inappropriate and limiting behaviors.
The first time someone showed you a live snake, you probably reacted with shock and surprise. Your unconscious mind has been impressed by a seemingly important life lesson: snakes are evil. The unconscious memory system is very biased to quickly encode and sharpen the perception of things in your environment that pose a threat to life and limb. If you have been taught that snakes are dangerous, every time a snake is nearby, you will reflexively engage a protective mechanism (unconsciously). If you were a herpetologist, you would be pretty excited to meet a snake to study it. The programming at the unconscious level is no longer the same. They would find your programmed response to be irrational, as not all snakes are dangerous. They might even be saddened by the fact that so many people are deprived of the pleasure of observing such interesting creatures. Same snake, same stimulus, but vastly different responses.
Our responses to environmental stimuli are indeed controlled by our perceptions, but these learned perceptions are not all precise. Not all snakes are dangerous. However, we can more accurately refer to these perceptions as ‘beliefs’.
Therefore, beliefs mainly control our actions and reactions.
We have the ability to consciously evaluate our responses to environmental stimuli and change our old responses at any time... once we deal with the power of our unconscious mind.
We are not stuck with our self-destructive reactions and behaviors forever! It is possible to change.
Brigitte Korak and Nicolas Desjardins invite you to their first training together.
You will emerge grown and with a multitude of tools that will help you counter daily fears and resistance.
If you want to know more, I invite you to listen to our video meeting here:
Places are limited and this is our only performance of the year, so use your personal power and click the link below to register!
References that contributed to the writing of this text:
- Resistance in therapy, Recognize them, understand them, welcome them – Violaine Gelly, 2015
- Resistance to change: synthesis and critique of the literature. Céline Bareil. Notebook no. 4-10 – August 2004.
- http://kinesiologie-lebrun.over-blog.fr/article-les-reflexes-archaiques-non-integres-source-de-difficultes-d-apprentissage-mais-pas-seulement-82878622.html
- The Biology of Belief 10th Anniversary Edition, Unleashing the Power of Consciousness, Matter & Miracles by BRUCE H. LIPTON, PH.D.
Nicolas Desjardins, BHS
Bachelor in Holistic Health Sciences
Expert in Postural Neurology and Neurotherapy
President, Neuro Performance Clinic and Institute