1 of 126

Disorientation and Discomfort

You meet someone outside your usual sphere, perhaps by chance, and they say something or do something that you find unsettling, maybe even disorienting. Perhaps it is something you don't want to hear, but you do hear it, and it shakes you.

Maybe what seems to be a disruptive and threatening influence is actually a blessing.

When we receive a shock such as a sudden change in our environment, it triggers the orienting response, which flips us into a different brain state where we do a superfast pattern match to find a pattern of interpretation to fit the changed circumstances or new information.

That includes becoming temporarily more suggestible to external ideas and influences.

It's good to be aware of this because sometimes the external ideas and influences are not helpful.

But sometimes they are really helpful, and although uncomfortable, what is different is not necessarily a threat and may be the source of creativity, expansion and growth instead.

So next time you have a shock, maybe cautiously try exploring whether there is a benefit concealed within it. And remember, a state of shock (as long as it is not disabling) can be a creative and fluid state of transition.

A liminal state, in fact.