Are you Behaving Like a Reptile

| June 3, 2011

image creator: Kantapat Putthiprasitkul / FreeDigitalPhotos.net Image brain: helpfreetheearth.com

The reptilian brain or R complex is known as the oldest part of the brain.

Many people also refer to the reptilian brain as the lizard brain.

The reptilian brain fundamentally influences our behavior and controls body functions required for sustaining life, such as breathing and body temperature.

Repeating patterns such as rituals, automatic responses without conscious thought, predictability, fear of losing job, or spouse, or home, or dying, lack of money & resources,  and the unknown are all response created by the reptilian brain.

I’ve always admired people who were willing to take a leap of faith and just go for it. Like quitting their job and moving to another country. Reptilian brains often label these people as crazy and unstable. I beg to differ.

These people acted in spite of their reptilian brain allowing them to experience life as it was meant to be, free and boundless.

Once people are in fear of not surviving the reptilian brain takes over and we are at the mercy of its reactions to perceived threats. We see the reptilian brain in action when the news tells the latest tragedy or economic woes.

There are many institutions that are designed and set up by the reptilian brain.

Here are some examples of systems controlled and influenced by the reptilian brain:

 

  • Education System
  • Government
  • Military
  • Judicial
  • Religion

 

When someone is being controlled by the reptilian brain their behavior can affect other people’s brain responses as well. We can be calm, cool, and collected one minute but if someone is displaying reptilian brain behaviors while in our presence, it can affect our behavior as well, unless we remain conscious.

The desire to control whether it be in relationships, circumstances, or life in general is a primary trait of the reptilian brain in action. We often call people displaying this behavior “control freaks” and freak like is what they appear to be.

Have you ever been so stressed out that you began holding you head with both hands for fear that your brain was going to explode?  If so, it is your reptilian brain that you are trying to get under control.

 

Reptilian Brain Characteristics

Territoriality, hierarchical structure of power, control, ownership, wars, jealousy, anger, fear, hostility, worry, stuck or frozen with fear, aggressiveness, conflict, extremist behavior, competitiveness, cold-blooded, dog-eat-dog beliefs, might is right, and survival of the fittest.

OCD, hoarding, looting, superstitions, deception, fight or flight, obesity from fear of lack of food, daily rituals, ceremonial re-enactments,

The reptilian brain overpowers the ability to have calm and rational thought. “Losing our heads.” These traits all stem from a belief of not enough or a lack mentality.

It’s all about survival when it comes to the reptilian brain. Emotional responses based on the fear of not surviving. Power, status, reputation, basically the sense of self.

The reptilian brain doesn’t like change or new viewpoints. That is why it seems near impossible to enact any real change as far as politics goes. The reptilian brain fears change and any real change as far as policy goes can be a real “nightmare” to get enacted.

New views in science, politics, religion, education, medicine, the reptilian brain sees this as a threat and will always defend itself.

Consciousness always wins in the long run but not without taking out a few casualties.

The reptilian brain doesn’t know the difference between real and imagined. It’s thoughts about events are just as real as the “real thing.”

Anxiety is a state caused by the reptilian brain even when nothing is happening that should cause us to feel anxious. There is a gnawing away in the belly that something “bad” is going to happen. By the way, the reptilian brain doesn’t like surprises either.

 

Reptilian Brain Is Neither Good Nor Bad

The main function of the reptilian brain is survival and the ability to keep us alive. Without this body program we wouldn’t last very long here on earth.

The problem arises when you stay “stuck” in survival mode as a way of being. You become locked in the reptilian brain and will perceive reality as so. Everything suddenly seems like a threat to your survival. We become reactive, suspicious, paranoid, and delusional.

Or as seen by Jim Carrey in the movie Me, Myself and Irene had advanced delusional schizophrenia with involuntary narcissistic rage. His reptilian brain took over.

How To Manage And Free Yourself

Consciousness is the only way to be free from the effects of the reptilian brain. That means knowing the difference between real and imagined. The imagination is a wonderful tool but it can also create “doomsday” scenarios in our minds. Remain conscious of your thoughts and when you get unsettling feelings in your body focus on what thoughts that you have been having.

Redirect them to thoughts that make you feel good and empower you. The reptilian brain always responds to thoughts as if they are really happening.

An unhealthy lifestyle like eating junk foods and getting inadequate rest will cause the reptilian brain to go into over-drive as well.

 

Why Am I Telling You This

When you see these characteristics in yourself or others don’t be judgmental. Rather recognize it for what it is. Part of the human body and experience of being human. Before I had found out about the reptilian brain I knew that something was off about these traits when I saw them being displayed.

You read my post: You Are Not Your Body. While we are not our body is still important to know how it works for a better user experience.

Now that we are all aware of the reptilian brain let’s bring conscious awareness back into the picture to reduce or eliminate the destructive nature of the reptilian brain’s creations.

In my humble opinion I believe that part of the changes that we all will be experiencing when the “shift” occurs is that the reptilian brain will cease to control and influence us. It will feel as if a big burden has been lifted from our shoulders.

A great example of reptilian behavior in people was described by controversial author David Icke. He say people dominated by the reptilian brain want to know the score of the football game before it even starts.

The reptilian brain hates surprises, it needs to know, it needs certainty of what will happen next.

The best antidote for reptilian behavior is emotional control. When emotions get out of whack the reptilian brain will soon take command of the body and then and hell breaks loose. The world does not need this. What she needs is for her people to get some emotional control.

I have long been a fan of subliminal audio. It is a really simple, almost effortless way of accessing your subconscious mind; similar to hypnosis, except without the need to zone out and enter a trance – and because of this it is becoming hugely popular.

Traditionally you might understand subliminal messaging to be a tool for memory, focus, motivation, perhaps even confidence.. but it is much wider than that – you can get an album to help you reach success towards ANY goal you are pursuing. Here is just a little information on some of the things you can use subliminal audio for:

What is Possible?

The sky is the limit with subliminal audio!

 

Control Your Emotions

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Category: Health & Nutrition

About the Author (Author Profile)

I became curious about what motivates people’s behavior and attitudes, and what is the secret formula to success. As a result I got my hands on every piece of material that I could find to answer these questions.

I have immersed myself with knowledge and experience for over 15 years pertaining to the fields of Psychology, Personal Development, Spirituality, Physical Health and Vitality, and Metaphysical Studies. I have read over 700 books, 1000s of blog posts and listened to over 100 audio programs pertaining to personal growth. I’ve made tons of mistakes along the way but more importantly I learned from them.Now it is my turn to share what I know with you. Are you ready? Let’s Rock!

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Thanks Haley.

Nice explanation on the subject!

I too find myself get into a reptilian brain pattern. However I do it consciously since if I follow a daily plan of routines, I find myself get a ton of things done. I only do it for a short term period like 1-3months. I used to do it a lot when I was writing a lot of content. Home, workout, writing, eat, sleep - repeat repeat...

Hey Jack,
The reptilian brain has it's advantages for sure. I use it for the same purposes as well.

The challenge is that we must be able to turn it off or at least be able to calm it down when there is no need to use it.

Thanks for stopping by.

Alright Justin, you did it again.

You mentioned Wayne Dyers. I found a random post where Steve Pavlina mentioned him too. I looked him up. I found a book called 'The Shift' that seems to encompass everything I'm doing right now. I make plans to buy it. Then you mention going through the 'shift' in the exact same context and terminology that my synchronicities occurred in.

Jesus.

lol! --

about the post, I love the reptilian/mamallian/neo-cortex paradigm. I think the reptilian brain is also concerned with reproduction, which isn't so bad, but yeah.. I think this ties in nicely with david hawkins level of consciousness theory.

Levels below 200 (courage) tend to elicit feelings of threat, non-abundance, and adrenaline in reactions to situations. Above 200 it's easy going peace, abundance, and healthy endorphins.

It's almost like the reptile brain is over active in lower levels of consciousness, and as you said, the only way to combat this is to raise that level.

Lovely post!

What's up Fred,
The insane thing is that the powers that be that rule this planet operate from the always "feeling threatened" reptilian brain.

We need highly conscious people to step up to the plate and take on leadership positions in business and politics.

Er Thanks Justin for your great post I found it very educating, sound and interesting!May God bless you!

Elysio

Thanks Elysio..

Hi Justin,

Thanks for the insightful post. I see visuals of my reptile-like behaviors flashing across my mind as I read your words. :) Thankfully, a regular meditation practice has helped me to recognize and accept my 'neuroses' so that their influence on me has been greatly reduced. Not fully there yet, but I've learned to take life one step at a time.

Sincerely,
WP

LOL, me too that's why I wrote this post. The funny thing is when you can start telling other people to " chill-out and stop acting like a reptile man." I see the reptilian brain engaged in people all of the time.

Meditation mixed with deep breathing exercises plus healthy diet and proper rest should keep the reptilian brain at bay.

Thanks for stopping by and commenting.

Hi Justin,

Nice explanation of how things in our brain work. The lizard brain is often at work when we for e.g. want to start a new venture, move into uncertain zones or go against the grain of conventional wisdom.
An entrepreneur for e.g. has to go all the way to not only convince his own lizard brain but also of others' :).
In finance too, despite the fact that books and books have been written on irrationality, people still flock to get cheated. They suffer losses by selling their financial instruments either too early ( out of fear) or too late( out of greed).
I think if people read this article, they will be atleast aware of lizard brain. Acting on it however is still a personal choice ;).

Thanks,
Ashvini

Hi Ashvini,
Thanks for your feedback here. I wanted to give an explanation of part of the brain that is not discussed much. Truth is that the majority has never even heard of the lizard brain.

It has massive influence over our actions to say the least. Thanks for stopping by and commenting.

Right on time again. Trying to get the hang of lucid dreaming at will. The beauty of being able to do this is that you remain conscious and aware not only while you are awake, but also while you are asleep. Growing this part of you...enhances your life by (especially while the body is physically asleep) because we can play out anything we can imagine (fears, anxiety, etc) and overcome them--helping to develop and grow our conscious state. Question for you...is reptilian brain like operating from ego?

Hi Kenya,
Great question.The reptilian brain is where the ego is created.We have to have a sense of "self" while in the human body, if not we would forget to take care of it, protect it, grow it consciously.

Even though we are pure conscious energy having a human experience, the reptilian brain can completely consume and distort our reality unless we keep it in check within ourselves and each other.

A great example of the reptilian brain running amok is in the TV show iCarly. Freddy Benson the cameraman for the webshow iCarly has a mother who is completely taken over by her reptilian brain.

She is in constant fear of Freddy's health, life, germs, protection, etc.

Here is a link to a great eBook on lucid dreaming: http://www.mazzastick.com/2011/03/19/the-art-of-lucid-dreaming-book-review/

Hey Andrew,
We got to know ourselves and the basics of human nature if we want to be able to move forward with some relative ease during our lifetime.

Hi Justin,

Exactly awareness is crucial my friend. We have got to be aware, live in the present. Otherwise, without awareness, we can not change our world. Thanks Justin

Hey Dia,
Your welcome. It's all about being consciously aware in the end.

Hey Grace,
My reptilian brain goes into over-drive at times as well as others.

It's important to understand how our body functions so that we can better understand ourselves and others.

Hi Justin,

I read about this about a month ago and saw a video by Seth Godin on this. I agree that before any change occurs, you need to first be aware. Without awareness or consciousness, it's hard to know what you want to change!

Hey Diana,
I didn't know that Seth Godin wrote about this topic.I'll check out his article on it. It's important to understand our body and how to use it effectively instead of it using us.

Hi Justin,
A blog written by one who has obviously done his homework. Well done sir and good luck on the book.
Riley

Hi Riley,
Where have you been? I thought that you might have been boycotting Mazzastick.com. :)

Thank you for your kind words my friend.

The curious thing about those social systems is that they tend to cause what they try to stop.

I do think that the reptilian brain has its place in emergency situations. It would be better perhaps if we could be more thoughtful in these situations but sometimes time is short and our instincts/reptilian brain (in that situation)can be a lifesaver.

Hi Evan,
That's because they are created by reptilian brain thinking.

The RB can take any peaceful system and turn it into an authoritarian entity.

Remember that the RB can imagine something happening and make it seem real.

Justin, I have read a post in the last few months on our reptile brains. I have one... too :-) although I do like progress... just not huge change. ie: I like my comfort zone, I guess it's my 'lizard brain' ... but I also like to step out of it too.

Certainly not to the degree that some people do. I am thinking mine might be a bigger lizard brain than some, but there is a part of it that certainly likes to walk to the beat of it's own drum.

As you say, I think we just have to be glad of it, but be 'aware' of it. this way we can ask ourselves logical questions and at least make some positive changes as well as feel 'safe'

Thanks for the great post.

Jayne

Hi Jayne,
Without that lizard brain keeping us safe we wouldn't survive very long. It would be cool if there was a test to see who the reptilian brain is more dominant in.

Since I became educated on the RB I see it when it is active in others and myself.

When I first read the title I thought you were eluding to Reptilian Aliens....

This is very good information, I feel that I do have my moments in the reptilian mindset. To be honest, if it weren't for the fact that I have kids I would be one of those people quitting my job and moving to another country.

Hey Todd,
I have done much reading and research on reptilian aliens. Some researchers say that they gave us the reptilian brain but that is a topic for another discussion.

I could write a post about it if enough people are interested.

The modern lifestyle with all of it's trappings keeps us locked in the reptilian brain. Always afraid of doing something new or taking risks.

I for one would love to read a post about reptilian aliens.

Todd,
I went on a book reading binge from 2001-2005 where I read about every topic that I could get my hands on.

One of the topics that I read was about reptilian E.T.'s and their involvement on earth.

I can't prove that they exist per se but there has been much research done about reptilian E.T.'s.

Here is a link to a post that I wrote about the Annunaki and how they created modern man using their genetics.http://www.mazzastick.com/2011/02/28/earth-visitors/

The earth at one time was inhabited by Saurians, a type of reptilian creature like a dinosaur before humans were created.

The Annunaki used their DNA mixed with the Saurians to create the reptilian race.

We would be considered cousins with the reptilians because we share the same DNA from the Annunaki.

Hi Justin,

If you were a reptile would you believe that you could become an eagle and fly whenever you needed to? No wonder it is as persistent as it is. :)

As you say Justin the only way is to be more present and when we are then we have more more chances of realizing that we are not the reptile but merely the rock in the sun that the reptile has decided to attach itself to.

~Marcus

Hey Marcus,
Sometimes the reptilian brain overtakes me but I choose to detach from any negative affects and soar like an Eagle instead. :)

Now that was interesting and now that you put it into perspective, I so see your point. I believe I had the reptilian brain growing up so maybe you should add parental guidance in there as well! :-)

It's taken me a number of years to break that mold Justin. A lot of personal development, seeing things as they really are and living in the present moment. A lot of hard work but so worth the efforts.

Really interesting read so thank you for making me think today! I love these types of posts!

Adrienne

Hi Adrienne,
You are hilarious. Thanks for you great feedback as well. Parental instincts are reptilian brain oriented because our jobs as parents is to protect our children.

Sometimes we may take this too far though. Life is an experiment in personal development, were always trying to improve ourselves, our conditions, and our minds.

I like to cover topics that are just beyond everyday normal topics like: goal setting and how to make more money, not that there is anything wrong with that.

P.S. I finally switched my browser to Google Chrome thanks to your easy to follow tutorial video. Your blog post about Firefox almost made you lose your religion. :)

Sure, I am very familiar with this type of thinking, especially in a crisis or a big change :) The only thing to really do is just to acknowledge what you are doing and (at least for me) consciously stop it from running amok and stay focused on the positive possibilities instead of assuming with negativity.

Hey Julie,

I read your post the other day but the comments were off.

We have to learn to control our passions and impulses. This will keep the reptilian brain at bay.

Wow Justin. I never thought of Government and Education, etc. as a representation of a sort of society's reptilian brain. That was quite an insight! Thanks!

Hugs,
Melody

Hi Melody,

We are at the present moment very well influenced by the reptilian brain. The reptilian brain likes certainty that it can be comfortable.

This explains systems that we have in place. If two people have a dispute instead of "duking" it out with each other they can go to the Courts and deal with it there.

Same with the Military. Many citizens sleep safe at night because of the Military that protects them.

We could live without systems but part of us (reptilian brain) wouldn't like all of the uncertainty and potential chaos that would occur.

People complain about our Government yet without that system in place we wouldn't have the many luxuries that we take for granted.

As our consciousness and human body's expand so will all of the systems in place.

Forgot to mention that the institution of Marriage is another reptilian brain creation.

Justin,
I have been an observer of human nature for as long as I can remember! I'm fascinated by the brain and how it works! Just purchased your book "The Art of Being Human" and am looking forward to reading it!
Thanks!
Lori

Hi Lori,
Thanks so much, you are awesome.

I wrote The Art Of Being Human As A "human handbook" and also explaining the nature of reality/ the world that we live in.

I wish that I had known some of the things that I know now when I was much younger.

I will be working on part 2 of this book soon with more/ new information as I learn it.