This week concludes our series with the right prefrontal cortex region or our identity/action center.  This is where we decide how to respond based on our identity.

Today had some challenges.  Some things came up that were bad and scary.  We talked about this in the last blog about our amygdala and how it functions.  The third level in our brain is the attunement center.  This is where God intended for us to be met with His love and community who can be “Jesus with skin on”.  When something is bad and scary and our amygdala is going off like crazy, if we have someone we can attune with then we find out that we can survive and it isn’t so bad.  It can actually turn into something good.  This can help calm our amygdala down and help us regulate our emotions, as well as help to build secure attachments.

While the first level of the brain deals with our attachments, the second level is the assessment center and is our amygdala.  Most people are aware of this important part of our brain that assesses threats to us so very quickly we are not conscious of it.  It is also non-verbal.  Any stimulus is immediately assessed as good, bad or scary.

I’m fascinated with the amazing way God created us as relational beings!  Even the structure of our brain and how it works is designed for relationship.  Over the next week weeks, I will be sharing in the blog a little about this so we understand better why we do the things that we do.

I recently read an article that surprised me (Embodied Faith Substack).  Often, especially as survivors, we are terrified of conflict and any kind of relational rupture.  But they proposed that when relational rupture is followed by healthy repair, it actually strengthens the relational connection!

Just being honest.  I don’t want it to be that way, but sometimes it is hard.  The cult programs parts to be opposites and to oppose each other.  So it would be natural to have animosity between parts.  So where do we start?

Most of us feel that we don’t want to bug someone or feel we aren’t worthy of their time when we need help or are in distress.  This tends to keep us in isolation as we try to work out things on our own.  This isn’t how God created us to be.  He created us as relational beings – to connect and to give and receive life from each other.  This is part of what gives life meaning.

In some older blogs, I shared a bit about our group identity statements, a reflection of who we are as a community. It’s been a while and I don’t think I shared them all together. So I’m posting them now as a reminder of who we are seeking to be as we do life together.

I was reminded today about relational circuits.  This is a metaphor that is used in the book, “Escaping Enemy Mode” by Dr. Jim Wilder and Ray Woolridge regarding how God created our brain to be relational, but we can “dim” or turn off the switch.  What happens when we do?  We stop being relational.   We go into reactionary mode.  We lose creativity.  We get stuck. 

“He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them.  And he said: "Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 18:2-3 NIV  Have you ever wondered what Jesus meant by these words?  As I have been contemplating maturity levels taught by Dr. Jim Wilder and that we teach in Transformations Community, could this be referring to one of the first tasks of infant and children to just receive?

I understand.  This journey isn’t easy.  Even if you aren’t a survivor of complex trauma, life can be challenging.  Often how I’ve coped with this is giving it to True Jesus.  Overwhelming emotions.  Painful situations.  Sometimes things we can’t even verbalize.  Hopeless despair. 

Our leadership team has been discussing lately group dynamics in Transformations Community.  We have the curriculum and group time.  How do we combine learning the material with processing life together?