IMMUNE FOR LIFE: FACTS ARE FACTS, NOT EMOTIONS
When your mind receives a piece of information, it responds by sending a chemical message to the appropriate part of your body. For example, when your eyes see that the traffic light is turning red, the brain interprets that fact and sends a “hit the brake” message to your right foot.
The red light was only a fact. It didn’t “make” you step on the brake. It was your interpretation of the red light, combined with the knowledge that you were driving a car, and the light was so far away, and you were going so fast, etc., that persuaded you to brake. The red light was only one fact among many.
Remember that time, late at night, when you walked down a dark street in a not-so-nice part of town? As you looked into the shadows, and turned your head to see if anyone was behind you, your heart began to pound. You could feel your breath coming in short gasps as your muscles tensed and you began to sweat. Chemical fireworks were exploding inside of you, dilating your pupils for better vision, shutting down temporarily unnecessary actions like digestion, and rushing blood to your muscles, for example, to help you fight or run.
It took only a split second to turn you from a calm stroller into a frightened, highly charged person, ready to fight or run for his or her life. And what triggered this “fight or flight” response? Nothing but your thoughts. Nobody pulled a gun on you; nobody mugged you, nobody shouted at you or ran after you or made a threatening gesture. As a matter of fact, you never saw or heard anybody at all, because the street was deserted. You turned on the chemical fireworks with your thoughts.
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