When Your Body Mistakes the Present for the Past

How anxiety is protection that has passed its expiration date

Anxiety Is Protection, Not Proof Something’s Wrong

Anxiety isn’t an indicator that something is wrong with you, though it certainly feels that way.

It is your brain protecting you from something it flagged as unsafe as a result of an emotional response during something you experienced in the past.

A Burned Hand, A Screaming Mom

Sometimes it’s making a mistake in context. Such as you burned yourself pretty bad in the kitchen when you were a child. At the very moment you were touching that stove your Mom was screaming at you to protect you and prevent you from being hurt.

Between the pain and response to being screamed at - feeling like you did something wrong - your brain coded this moment in a very specific way.

In that moment it created an event specific biologic marker so that next time you’re in a similar situation your nervous system is equipped to warn you.

Now every time you go into a kitchen you’re filled with anxiety. But it wasn’t the kitchen that caused the pain, it was the hot burner you touched.

When Anxiety Doesn’t Seem to Have a Reason

When you feel like your anxiety doesn’t have a reason it is really more likely that you don’t know what your brain flagged as significant from a past event.

This can feel very frustrating. Like there’s something wrong with you.

Road Trips, Power Lines… and Panic Attacks?

When I was a kid my parents took a lot of road trips. Sunday’s to my grandparents house on the other end of Long Island. Summers we traveled all the way to Florida. Lots of car time.

I didn’t know why then, but when I saw large power lines I would feel incredibly anxious and panicky. I felt like I had to get away, to hide. It was an overwhelming fear that made no logical sense.

Godzilla and the Power Lines

Decades later, after I started using amazing tools called Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) and FasterEFT, I stopped producing anxiety feelings.

Later, while learning more about the mind in my journey to complete my FasterEFT practitioner training, the reason for my panic at the sight of those power lines suddenly came to me.

The answer goes back to watching TV. My family had a fascination for scary movies. We watched all the old Godzilla movies together.

When I recalled scenes of Godzilla stomping and obliterating those high power lines it became obvious to me why power lines created that sense of impending doom and danger.

Why I felt panicky and like I had to get away.

As a kid, this was my brain’s definition of danger. No wonder power lines felt like impending doom.

The Hidden Roots of Daily Anxiety

Maybe for you it’s that look or a comment that instantly creates fight or flight feelings in your body. Or the way you will twist yourself into an emotional pretzel to avoid any hint of conflict because conflict means raised voices and ultimately abandonment.

One incredibly talented woman I worked with woke up feeling intense dread before the day even started because her nervous system was wired to expect something bad to happen. The day was downhill from there.

And a man who adored his family yet when his grandchildren came over he had to go to his room with a blinding headache - their playful squeals of delight and play triggering him so bad that bed was the only solution.

These triggers will continue until you address the implicit memories, probably tucked outside of conscious awareness, and release the triggers once and for all.

Why Avoidance Isn’t the Answer

It’s human to think: maybe if I avoid the trigger, I’ll feel better.

The truth is our trusty brain will find more things to be afraid of, as happened to me.

I know people who are afraid of highways so they don’t use them and take the long way to their destinations. My mom did this and it could be one reason why I learned to avoid things that scare me.

Some fear rejection so greatly they self-reject first by not asking for what they want - ever. I wasted years doing this as well.

But protection isn’t the same thing as peace. Those implicit memories are still inside with their heightened emotions and meaning holding you captive from living the full life you deserve.

I know this because avoiding scary situations was once a way of life for me.

When the anxiety and panic attacks reached their peak in my late 20’s to early 30’s I went through a period where leaving the house and driving a car became impossible for me - alone.

What once filled me with joy and a sense of freedom now felt impossible.

Life becomes incredibly small when you give all your power away to fear and avoid the things that scare you.

Instead of avoiding you can acknowledge you are feeling triggered. Remind yourself that this is an old response, and get curious.

Ask, “When have I experienced this feeling before?”

When you check-in you might be surprised at the memories that come to mind.

Every Trigger Is a Doorway

Anxiety once felt like a prison I was in. I couldn’t see the bars, but I felt them.

If I had it to do all over I would treat the feelings with curiosity, because this is what our triggers are: they are both an opportunity and a doorway to change.

If we choose to look within rather than avoiding them. There is a way to meet them with the appropriate tools and dismantle the memories.

This is the work I love - helping people like you uncover the implicit memories driving today’s anxiety.

Anxiety doesn’t have to be your forever story.

If you’d like to explore a gentle way out, consider speaking one on one with me over Zoom.

We will:

• Uncover the core emotional patterns that keep looping in your life

• Clarify how those patterns are impacting your confidence, energy, and relationships

• Map out the next steps to break free and see if my 6-month transformation program is the right fit for you

Think of it as a powerful clarity session: the first step toward excavating yourself from the invisible prison of past wounds and beginning to architect the extraordinary life you’re meant to live.

(Note: This is a strategic consultation, not a therapy session. Come prepared to explore what’s possible if you choose to invest in your transformation.)

Life's too short to let your past dictate your future.