Mysteries of the Mind

Contents
#1 Programs
#2 Enforcers

Installment No. 1
Programs

Programs

First a definition.

Program: A specific recurring physical pattern of behavior within the nervous system of an individual.

When we are born, we are pretty incomplete as beings. We are incapable of surviving alone, we cannot move in a coordinated way, we cannot think or plan, some of our senses have not activated yet, we cannot even perceive well, and we certainly can’t utter coherent sounds. Relative to other species, we have very few built-in (aka “hard-wired”) genetic programs (these kinds of genetically provided programs are usually called “instincts”.)

What we as a species do do is to adapt and to learn. We do this very well.

Every single one of us has an enormous potential. There are a huge number of combinations of qualities and ways in which we can learn and grow. Yes, our physical development is to a large extent genetically programmed. The vast majority of us will keep the basic physical pattern of two eyes, two ears, a nose, a mouth, a head, a trunk, two arms, and two legs. That’s on the outside. On the inside, we will all have the same certain organs and fluids and biochemicals.

Where our potential is tapped lies in the development of what we learn and in the development of our individual behaviors.

We first learn what we need to learn to facilitate our survival. The programs that we first develop are those which we must develop in response to the demands of the environment — particularly the demands of the people in our environment — our caretakers.

The second priority for development of programs are those which are in response to the needs and inclinations of our own natures.

Thus, programs are developed first on the basis of survival and second on the basis of our own natures.

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Installment No. 2
Enforcers

Enforcers

Every individual human being has to develop at least some programs for the purpose of survival which conflict with the basic nature of that individual.

It takes more energy to develop these programs because they go against the natural inclinations of the individual. It also takes more energy to keep them in place. We are motivated to expend this energy because we perceive that those programs are necessary for survival — and survival is a BIG motivator. In order to reduce the energy it takes to keep these “unnatural” programs in place, we again use our ability to form programmed patterns. These programs which are designed to minimize the energy expenditure necessary to override our natures I call “enforcers”.

An example of a program which needs to override a natural ability:

Let us say that a child is born into a family. Further, let us say that this child hears sounds in her head, sounds that are pure and joyful. From the beginning of her life, these sounds motivate her to try to reproduce the sounds. Initially these attempts are random noises, much like those made by any baby. However, as the child grows through her first year, her ability to make the sounds improves, and she begins to hum at first, and then to sing. Let us further say that the family into which this child is born holds some very strong beliefs. Among these beliefs is a belief that singing, dancing and music are instruments of the Devil who uses singing, dancing and music in general to tempt people away from God.

Now the stage is set. The nature of the girl is to sing. The belief of the parents is that she must not sing. She is young and vulnerable and the parents, though well-meaning within the context of their beliefs, are rigid in their dedication to stamping out the “evil” they find in their child. The message to the child is clear — if you want to survive, don’t sing, don’t let anyone know of the sounds in your head. Since she is determined to live, she must develop a program of prohibition within herself against singing or any expression of the sounds in her head.

Since her nature would lead her to sing, it is not enough to develop a program of prohibition against singing. She must also develop programs to ensure that she does not sing or express the sounds in her head. These programs to ensure that these behaviors are prevented are the “enforcer” programs.

Enforcers can be mental, emotional and/or physical.

An example of a mental enforcer is the message that comes into the head saying, “You’re so stupid” or “You’re so bad”. An example of a physical enforcer might be sudden inexplicable stomach pains. An example of an emotional enforcer might be the occurrence of the feeling of rage without anything having happened to trigger it.

Enforcer programs are activated whenever there is an urge to behave in forbidden ways. One of the problems with them is that the “urge” to behave in forbidden ways is most often not even consciously experienced. So the enforcer messages just seem to appear, willy-nilly, without provocation. Enforcer programs are always compelling — they are intense and demanding. Thus, even if we had the chance to perceive the initiating “urge”, we most likely wouldn’t because our attention has been so forcibly distracted onto the experience of the enforcer.

So, by the time our hypothetical child has reached adulthood, she has had years of practice at NOT expressing the sounds she hears in her head. In fact, she probably has “forgotten” the sounds she heard when she is a child. Nevertheless, those sounds and the ability to express them are still present, even if she isn’t aware of them. They haven’t gone away, she is just unaware of them. So the urge to express them is still present and the prohibition program and the enforcer programs which support it are still alive and very active. Most likely what our now adult child experiences is a sense of something missing in her life. Something feels incomplete. She might be frustrated a lot in her life, and if so, she has adapted to the frustration either by the resentment/bitterness dimension or by the resigned/martyr dimension.

Oh, oh, I’m getting ahead of myself. So let me recap:

• Every one of us is born with enormous potential.

• We tap into that potential first by responding to the survival messages of our environment and second by responding to the inclinations of our own natures.

• We form patterns of behavior called programs to carry out these responses. At least some of the programs that we form on the basis of survival will be contrary to our own natural inclinations.

• In order to keep these survival programs activated in the face of resistance from our natures, we develop enforcer programs to ensure their continued functioning.

• These enforcer programs may be primarily physical, mental or emotional or a combination of all three.