Who am I? What am I? Why am I?

[prasimix]

Hi prasimix, have you read the Wave Series in its entirety?

Work in progress, I'm currently on book 4 (actually I am little bit slowed down due to my recent digging thru this forum :) ).

 

[Jones]

No worries, Thank you for what you have posted already.

Since my last post, I have noticed another thing that I do. Even though I may not verbally or act out an action, my facial expressions & body language do. Example. While driving and I encounter someone on the road doing something that could be potentially dangerous to those around them. Like cutting someone off or the likes. I have notice that I do not yell at the person so much anymore (can't hear me anyway), but I roll my eyes. Or make a face of utter dismay. So in otherwords I am still feeling the same thing, anger, disbelief, but I am expressing it differently. Now I can see this, will work on it more.

Perhaps there is something that I can add here and it may seem a little off topic, but please bear with me.

I guess drawing correlations here between human behaviours and animal behaviours makes some sense to me as I have studied dog behaviour and psychology, and during that I come to my own conclusions that the mind of the dog is somewhat similar to areas of the human mind. How accurate that is, I don’t know so am unsure of the value of what I’m about to say.

The dog basically learns by putting patterns together. Taking into account both classical and operant conditioning an example of how a dog might put a pattern together goes something like this:

1.You grab a lead and take dog for a walk. Dog enjoys walk.
After a number of repetitions (number is dependent on how much the dog enjoys the walk) the dog starts to get excited when you pick up the lead.

2.Dog starts to look for something that will reliably predict that you are about to pick up the lead, which also means going for a walk. You may for example, pick up your house keys. After a number of repetitions, the dog now starts to get excited if you pick up your house keys.

3.Dog may now start to look for something that will reliably predict that you are about to pick up your house keys. You may change your shoes for example. After a number of repetitions the dog starts to get excited when you change your shoes.

So the trigger for excitement used to be picking up the lead, but now the excitement starts to trigger when you change your shoes, and the intensity of the excitement increases until the dogs drive for a walk is satisfied.

If you ended up with a dog that was so boisterous with excitement by the time it came to attaching the lead the dog was difficult to handle, and you decided you wanted to calm it down, the best place to start is with the earliest trigger/behaviour in the sequence i.e. when you change your shoes. The reason for this is that the dog isn’t in full drive yet, the later triggers can be too exciting/distracting for the dog to be in the best frame of mind where he can learn/adapt behaviours.

The same type of thing happens with fear triggers and anger triggers. If the original event was sufficiently intense for the subject (in my case, dog) to believe its very life was at threat, then anything that was in the environment that the dog can relate to the original threat can begin the triggering process as a predictor of what may come.

So with the above in mind, perhaps starting the work as you prepare to get into your car might help rather than waiting until you’re already on the road (which may be a pre-trigger?) or waiting for someone to do something silly?

 

[Bluestar]

So with the above in mind, perhaps starting the work as you prepare to get into your car might help rather than waiting until you're already on the road (which may be a pre-trigger?) or waiting for someone to do something silly?

Actually my work on this has been constant observation. Whether I am driving, having conversation or most of what I am doing. Looking at things more objectively, then subjective. Not always am I able to see through what is actually going on, but believing my "baby steps" in actually seeing my reactions has helped me process though any anger I may experience. The anger seems to have subsided. My watchful eyes help to keep me away from danger as best as possible. In Search of the Miraculous has helped me become more aware of things within myself and in the world outside.

Yes I believe in "triggers" as you described in dogs are also things that we humans have become accustomed to. Observed them in myself and other people over the years. Once an observation is made, a person can then work on it. This has been my work since way before coming to this forum. Recalling memories from my past and having a look at them now I can see where the work on myself has been and how I had changed for the better.
The C's, Laura's and this forum's work has been one of the most beneficial things to come into my life.