Imagine another young child. Sam is off working on detachment today so let's choose Sal. Imagine Sal to be a young child of three or four years of age. To Sal, an adult looks like a twenty-four-foot giant. There is no doubt in Sal's mind that a giant of this size could wipe him or her out of existence. As a child, Sal is physically and emotionally unable to protect him or herself against an entity of this size.

Continuing with the sneeze scenario, imagine that after the expulsion (the sneeze) a twenty-four-foot giant were to yell violently and terrorize Sal for doing the expulsion (the sneezing).

Imagine the giant to be screaming and angry. The terror associated with a screaming-angry-twenty-four-foot giant would be overwhelming to a child. If the giant were to scream and disapprove of Sal in anger for sneezing, what would the effects be?

Answer: Terror and Shame

As a result of the giants abusive behavior, Sal has learned that sneezing will be associated with being terrorized and shamed, i.e. abused. Each time Sal sneezes he or she will be associating sneezing with terror, shame, abuse, and the need to survive. Sal's stress cycle for sneezing will never feel peaceful. Feeling peaceful is an experience unique to each person. Feeling peaceful; for me is:

The Lack of Fear, Anxiety, Pain, and internal Chaos

If a peaceful state is not achieved in a stress cycle, that cycle will feel unresolved or incomplete.

The expulsion inhibitor in Sal's case was a twenty-four-foot giant. The giant's angry reaction to Sal's sneeze, scared Sal and prevented Sal from feeling peaceful, complete, or a sense of resolution about the sneeze. This incomplete cycle will influence Sal's future cycles for sneezing. Future cycles will also feel incomplete, unresolved, or not peaceful unless the original cycle is resolved.

next: Looking Closer (II)