Adrenaline Junkie? Good!

At times, I like to think of emotions from a biological, or sometimes evolutionary, point of view. Our emotions serve different functions to help us survive. When I explain that to some of my clients, they wonder, “Why do I like to do things that scare me if the fear is supposed to help me survive or get away? Wouldn’t that just encourage me to keep putting myself into danger?” They might list examples like skydiving, driving fast, watching horror movies, or even solving murder mysteries. Peter Levine describes the reason why effectively in his book, Waking the Tiger, Healing Trauma, as he explains the arousal cycle within humans, “The cycle looks like this: we are challenged or threatened, then aroused; the arousal peaks as we mobilize to face the challenge or threat; then, the arousal is actively brought down, leaving us relaxed and satisfied.” We enjoy the process of overcoming hard things! Our bodies reward us for having survived, and our minds feel more assured of our capabilities. So, keep being a daredevil, and as long as it is relatively safe, this process can be good for you.

“The cycle looks like this: we are challenged or threatened, then aroused; the arousal peaks as we mobilize to face the challenge or threat; then, the arousal is actively brought down, leaving us relaxed and satisfied.”

~ Waking the Tiger: Healing Trauma, by Peter Levine