tion. The here and now is continually blurred by these "physiologic" prejudices making the individual respond more to these "generated physiologic reactions" than those "caused" by the present. It becomes difficult for individuals to "give" themselves to the moment. Their internal state consists primarily of interactive physiologic reactions to the past and anticipation of the future. For these people the "future," as well as the "past," are always heavily shading the now. The present is blurred, confounded and confused.
Each child is born with an autonomic nervous system (ANS) which has a particular hard-wired genetic baseline. Some children respond more heavily to one type of stimu- lation or bodily condition than another.
Except in rare cases, most children's inborn A N S base- line falls within a healthy and functional range. This base- line can be raised by the circumstances in which a child develops. In other words, since children can neither fight successfully with grownups, nor can they get along suc- cessfully without adult assistance (i.e., they cannot flee), an environment which continually threatens them will lead to a very high A N S baseline. Depending on the types and the durations of threats, the A N S baseline can be distorted to such an extent that the child begins to live in a state of chronic preparation. After a period of time this state of chronic guardedness "slips" into the unconscious and is regarded as normal and natural by the person.
The baseline A N S can be elevated at any particular period within the child's development process. If this occurs for a long period of time and over many develop- mental stages, numerous external and internal cues will be classically and operantly conditioned to this level of arousal. A therapist, Freudian, Behaviorist or whatever, can spend an entire lifetime providing insight and behavioral change with little fundamental change in the Baseline ANS. (BANS).
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Not only do particular parental reactions affect B A N S , every culture desires a particular BANS. A culture such as ours prefers a higher baseline than a traditional Polynesian one.
As a group Americans have a higher baseline than might be desirable as measured by our levels of psychosomatic illness, violence, suicide, child abuse and a myriad of ad- dictions and compulsions.
Regardless of their apparent outward success, children raised in such environments are fundamentally dysfunc- tional. Their B A N S are so high that they are prone to vari- ous symptoms as well as to various forms of destructive self-medication.
Not only are they destructive to themselves, they cause unnecessary pain to their loved ones.
It is our view that most forms of self-destructive behavior are primarily attempts to reduce the painful feelings asso- ciated with a high B A N S , and secondarily to punish or reward the environment or self.
High Autonomic Reactivity (HAR) refers to the increased
probability of an undifferentiated non-thinking emotional- thought reaction to a given set of internal and/or external factors. Neither H A R nor its reactions have a present tense survival value, although psycho-physiologically the organ- ism reacts "as if it does.
H A R acts as an over-readiness to respond. The process is circular and self-perpetuating. Frequently, patients suffer- ing from H A R have been labeled as ultra-sensitive, highly anxious, emotionally flat, depressed, socially incompetent, dull, hostile, unmotivated, fearful, shy, dishonest or manip- ulative. They are wrapped up in their own feelings, belief systems, childhood training and interpersonal reactions. Because H A R is so high, it is difficult for them to see things for what they are. Everything is highly charged with potential dangers and rewards. Yet, since the origin of H A R is primal, most experiences are a disappointment for them. Nothing is ever enough, nothing truly satisfies. Alcohol,
drugs, sex, shopping sprees, and other such "addictions" provide some relief from the pain of being "ever-prepared," but even these forms of self-medication do not relieve the pain of "ever-readiness."
Logic, reason, and insight have little lasting effect. The level of tension is experienced as normal and natural and so is the self-medicating behavior whether it is excessive social contacts, drugs, food, alcohol, or sex compulsions.
Individuals who suffer from H A R are self-medicators and make-up the majority of the population now known as addicts.
H A R is frequently painful and the organism develops defenses to reduce the pain. These defenses are most often developed automatically without critical evaluation or cognitive intervention, and thus continue operating and are automatically reinforcing.
The person experiences H A R reactions as natural and necessary rather than learned and happenstantial. Defense structures fall into two very broad categories known as funneled-confined and barreled-reactive.
Broadly speaking the funneled-confined type tends to restrict input. The barreled-reactive has difficulty in restricting output.
The "automatic and habitual" quality of H A R and its correlated defense structures creates the belief that both H A R level and the defense structures are the person. This unfortunate fact makes it particularly difficult to help the patient and gives many clinicians the idea that the patient is "resistant to change." What he is resistant to is losing his sense of himself.
Very high levels of H A R create an internal environment where minor external changes take on significant conse- quences. Minor and non-threatening situations can be built up into a catastrophe simply because of the high level of H A R . Patients who suffer from this are very difficult to treat, particularly if the therapist pays too much attention to
the details of the environmental stimuli and the patient's explanations. In other words, the treating of specific symptoms, complexes, and situations can be next to use- less, until the general level of H A R is significantly reduced—although, in practice "life incompetencies" as well as H A R levels are treated at the same time. The diffi- cult issue is getting the co-operation of the patient, since significant baseline changes in the level of H A R create a "rejection phenomenon" similar to organ rejection.
The majority of these H A R ' s are expressed in social interactions. Thus H A R is an interpersonal event, although the reactions have been internalized into a detailed and elaborate fantasy life.
H A R can inhibit and facilitate learning and learning can reduce or increase HAR.
This implies that learning new behavior can generalize to some degree and reduce H A R , and the learning of new behaviors can be inhibited by H A R .
While this is true, the general state of the person cannot be significantly altered by the learning of new behaviors. This makes normal behavioral re-conditioning of habits and self-defeating attitudes difficult at best, since the level of the flight-or-fight response is continuously high. It is diffi- cult to "get a hold of the person" to help him learn. Such people are forever responding to internal cues and fantasies over which the therapist has little or no control.
Conditionability is also a function of autonomic reactivity
and is different for various individuals. Some individuals are easier to condition than others. This doesn't imply that re-conditioning cannot alter H A R , but does suggest that careful consideration must be given to the various types and patterns in working out a particular program.
Statistically, H A R is normally distributed; however, the -1.5 standard deviation should be considered the theoretical
ideal. Average or normal H A R should be considered un-
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To Lie is Human
assume the pathology of the masses on the bases of psycho- somatic, stress-related diseases and the frequency and degree of interpersonal and family dysfunction and addic- tions.) In other words, the typical American family must be regarded as unhealthy, even though it is the statistical mean.
Diagnosis and treatment is a function of contextual de- fense structure, type, and present level of organization.
Regardless, the goal of therapy is to reduce H A R to acceptable levels without severely disrupting the creative responses of the patient.
BECOME WHO YOU ARE THERE ARE NO GUARANTEES