Because our present and problematic reactions to situations are based upon well learned reactions to similar situations from our distant past, change cannot come from changes in the higher coritical regions of the brain. Insight alone will do little to change or override the patterns of our autonomic brain. Also, unless we are able to ride the waves of emotion that flow from our experience of the world, we will have trouble getting close to the intense and programmed reactions of our reptilian brain.
We need our reptilian brain to be able to act automatically. We don’t really want to nor can we reliably override this part of our brain. We do however want to be able to reprogram our reptilian brain based upon new data. We also want to be able to be present to the intense emotions and reactivities of our limbic and autonomic brains so that we can influence our reactions to various situations and respond in more novel and measured ways. We want to be able to respond and not react.
