Recent theories are that chronic anxiety leads to hyper-sensitized nervous systems. The whole point of the TMS mechanism is to keep us in a fearful state so that we survive. This is a normal and very old brain function that served our primitive ancestors well, but it easily goes haywire in today's frantic and high-pressure modern world, especially when we expect to live for many times longer than our ancestors, and when we spend so much of our lives worrying about the future.
Some of us are more prone to this hyper-anxious/hyper-sensitive state than others, and I believe that like everything else, it goes back to childhood. In looking back at the genesis of my anxiety, I think that my mother must have been extremely anxious when she was carrying me, because she was almost 30 years old, and her first pregnancy had ended in miscarriage. She told me herself that her anxiety over me continued well after I was born. Having more kids solved her anxiety, but I had it for life, thank you very much, Mom.
It always goes back to our parents, people!
That makes loads of sense. I have so much anxiety from childhood. My mother died when I was 9. I was bounced around with family that would take me for a while and left to basically raise myself. Oddly I was brave and didn’t have too much fear then, but now as an adult it’s shown up. It’s a process isn’t it? Thank you for your response it’s gave me insight and helps me.
Absolutely, Alan Gordon, LCSW (friend of the forum) has been teaching and promoting somatic tracking here for a long time.
~Jan