Did you know that there is a price to be paid when we block our inner guidance?  Do you understand how this even develops & why it is that people continue to squelch their inner truth?

When we experience something emotionally painful AND when we then block ourselves from coping directly with our experience, symptoms tend to develop.  What kind of symptoms?  They can be just about anything.  Some are turned outward such as moodiness, abuse, or agressive communication.  Others are turned inward such as substance use, self-harming behaviors or compulsive behaviors.  There are many other types of symptoms as well.

These symptoms are known in behavioral terms as “avoidance responses”–the pathological responses that develop as a result of the relief we feel when we avoid coping with something unpleasant.  The relief is negatively reinforcing–it reinforces us by removing an unpleasant feeling that arises in our awareness.*

Unfortunately, as we continue to avoid our reality, we are also avoiding the opportunity to grow through effective coping.  We essentially stunt our own growth & stay stuck.  When we are really being honest with ourselves, we can hear the still small voice within saying, “There is a problem.  Please deal with it.”  Avoidance responses stifle the inner guidance.  They are louder, somehow, and we can “hide out” in them.  But, if we want to be healthy and grow, it is time to move past this.

Germophobia is sometimes an instance of this–not always, but sometimes.  I want to share an article about this topic.  I am quoted at the end of the article.  Here is the link for it.  Hope it is helpful–and remember to take time to hear your inner guide.  Often, this is the part of you that is wise and is there to help you to make the healthier choices that you’d need to move past your pain.  If you’re having trouble tuning into your inner guidance, I’d recommend you read my book, the #1 National Bestseller, The Power of Inner Guidance: Seven Steps to Tune in and Turn On. 

Anyway, here is the link to the article on msnbc.com: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29166897/page/2/

Have a glorious day–and remember that Life Is Incredible!

Pam Garcy, PhD

Have you signed up for the April 4th workshop in Plano?  Go to http://www.lifeisincredible.com

 *People tend to confuse negative reinforcement with punishment–but the two are entirely different.  Reinforcement, by definition, INCREASES a behavior.  Negative reinforcement is any reinforcement that results by REMOVING an unpleasant stimulus.  Punishment, on the other hand, is designed to stop a behavior by introducing an aversive consequence or removing a pleasureable consequence–very different.  You can usually tell if someone knows what they’re talking about in this area by whether they confuse these terms.