Fight Instinct: Can Childhood Trauma Cause Someone To Lose Touch With Their Fight Instinct?

If the word ‘aggression’ is mentioned, it is usually an indication that someone has behaved in an aggressive manner. It could also show that someone is an aggressive person, with them having the tendency to behave in a destructive way.

But, although it would be easy to see aggression as something that is negative, it is not this black and white. Ultimately, it is a form of energy, and this energy arises from what is often described as the fight instinct.

Connected

If someone is connected to this instinct, it is likely to show that have a good connection to their body. The reason for this is that this is something that is located below their hips.

Having a connection to this part of them could be so normal that they don’t even think about it. What this could then show is that this is how their life has been for as long as they can remember.

When It is Integrated

The outcome of having this connection is that they will not only be able to stand their ground and to protect themselves, they will also be able to act as an individual. If they don’t want to do something or if they feel as though their boundaries are being crossed, they will be able to make this clear.

Listening to their needs and doing what they can do to fulfil them will also be something that generally takes place. Each of these things will be able to take place without one being aggressive and causing damage.  

How it should be

This might seem strange, given that what will allow them to do all these things will be their fight instinct. At this point, it might seem as though a different term needs to be used for this instinct.

However, the part of them that allows them to behave in these ways is powerful and can cause a lot of damage. But, as it is working with the other, ‘more’ evolved, parts of their being, it won’t seem this way.

Working Together

What this illustrates is that they, like everyone else, are a multifaceted being, and each part of them needs to work together. If this is the case for them, their life will be a lot easier than it would be otherwise.

Quite simply, life is challenging enough as it is, without one having a being that is not working in harmony. Now, while this is the ideal, there are people that don’t have a being where each part is typically working in harmony with each other.

Disconnected

So as this instinct is found in one’s lower body, if one is not connected to it, it is likely to show that they are not connected to their body. Once again, there is the chance that experiencing life in this way is what is normal.

If they were to take a step back and to become aware of how they experience life, they may find that they have been this way for as long as they can remember. They could struggle to understand why they are this way.

When It isn’t Integrated

Through being this way, they will most likely struggle to stand their ground and to protect themselves. Being walked over by others and doing things that they don’t want to do can then just be part of their life.

Listening to their needs and behaving like an individual is also going to be difficult. Yet, while they will continually be walked over, mistreated and ignore their own needs, they might rarely, if ever, get angry.

A Confusing Scenario

Not only can it be hard to understand why they don’t stand their ground and assert themselves, it can also be hard to understand why they rarely get angry about what is going on. What this is likely to show is that they don’t feel safe enough to embrace this part of their being.

Therefore, not being in touch with this part of them will cause them to suffer, but being in touch with it will be seen as something that is a threat to their very survival. This is not to say that this is something that they are consciously aware of though.

Why Is This?

To understand why they are this way, it will be necessary to take a closer look at what took place during their early years. This was probably a time when it simply wasn’t safe for them to exist, let alone assert themselves.

They could have been physically abused during this time, in addition to being neglected. They would have soon realised that trying to defend themselves made what they were going through even worse, so it was far better for them to lose touch with this instinct altogether.

A Horrific Time

At a time in their life when they were totally powerless and dependent and extremely vulnerable, they would have been traumatised on a regular basis. The people who were supposed to love, protect and provide them with security would have done the complete opposite.

Losing touch with this instinct, along with their body, would have happened naturally. If they needed to think about doing this, there is a very strong chance that they wouldn’t be alive today.

Awareness

This time in their life will be over but their body will be loaded with trauma and this trauma would come to the surface if they were to assert themselves and to act as an individual. Doing what should feel comfortable is then going to feel extremely uncomfortable and even wrong.
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Taking into account what they experienced, they could carry a lot of fear, terror and rage, amongst other things. To deal with this, they may need to reach out for the support of a therapist or healer.

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Oliver JR Cooper
http://www.oliverjrcooper.co.uk