ECOSHOCK

Since July’14 with the death of the Boulder trees I have an extreme case of Ecoshock that comes and goes, some days worse than others. Few people are even noticing the tree carnage yet, but by July’15 the shock across the USA will begin.  Ecoshock is not quite as simple as other forms of PTSD associated with trauma and intractable, impossible situations. The sense of helplessness and paralysis associated with Ecoshock is akin to the sense of inconsolable angst of experiencing one’s landscape devastated by war. With the environmental destruction caused by the Fukushima fallout we are indeed experiencing the effects of war…humanity’s war against nature.

That we did this to ourselves and that it wasn’t an act of nature makes the catastrophe all the more poignant. With Ecoshock it is as though we have been disillusioned, having given up on humanity as a viable species worthy of continued existence. Along with our mourning is a profound sense of disgust in ourselves and the loss of faith in a transcendent future. The thread of faith between the past and the future all but broken by an act of violence against the planet so deep that we cannot begin to fathom the consequences. Ecoshock is having the spiritual ground pulled away, continuity crushed, and species self-respect tumbled into the abyss.

SYMPTOMS OF ECOSHOCK

Ecoshock may comprise of an insidious mixture of anger, sadness, stillness, quiet, malevolent-glee, gloating, stupor, helplessness, what-the-fuk, incredulousness, superiority, disdain, dissociation, vigilance and hypervisual acuity. The symptoms of Ecoshock can include frustration, fatigue, clumsiness, anxiety, paranoia, depression, irritability, black and white thinking, rigidity, and poor decision making. Short-term illness and clumsiness from the breakdown of the immune system and imbalanced physiological reactions.  Outrage and disgust over social ignorance and apathy and a corrosive rage at having to keep silent, frozen trust and loss of faith in humanity, coupled with morbid sense of isolation and loneliness from not having any responsible, aware and mature adults to talk to. A dream told me that a Tower of Babel phenomena will occur as we enter collective shock and social stress increases, confusion will reign and we may not understand  the meaning of one another’s speech. Ecoshock can be likened to having to die alone, unloved, unnoticed and unremembered.

Subconscious worry and anxiety can result in excessive emotional reactivity or the absence or suppression of observable emotion, feeling concern, or passion ie: apathy and ambivalence. Subrational denial is one of the primary defenses against Ecoshock. Refusal to admit or acknowledge Reality, thus avoiding emotional conflict or anxiety and resorting to displacement activities, substitution, transference, dissociative stupor, emotional paralysis, cognitive dissonance, repression, anxiety, defensiveness, provocative behavior, loss of memory, and/or loss of motivation.

With the specter ecocide on this scale there is nowhere to put one’s emotions and no higher authority to go to who will make it all right. The biological shock we are presently experiencing is on the equivalent to a nuclear war...for unless we can get out of the radioactive zone, our aspirations for the future and the entirety of our lives and our life’s work seems futile. However we cannot simply close our eyes on the Dark Night and hope it will simply go away…we must act! Ideally we need to be joining in groups (locally if possible) to both mount a response to the threats (radiation, food supply, social unrest) and to work on the solutions.

The progression of Ecoshock follows the classic stages of grieving: denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. The viable response of responsible citizens requires nothing short of a rapid full-scale campaign of social and cultural change. Honesty, truthful communication, artistic expression, music, spontaneous dance and all manner of self-exegesis and physical/mental/emotional/spiritual expansion will prevent us from going into a collective catatonia and depression.

PROTOCOL FOR DEALING WITH ECOSHOCK

We can approach Ecoshock with a classic PTSD protocol of nutritionally building up the nervous system, increasing antioxidants and fortifying the adrenals, bodymind detoxification, eliminating addictions, fasting, nurturing bodywork, dance, music, grounding, sungazing and meditative Inner Arts practices.

First stop ruminating on your prognosis and PROACTIVELY pursue a course of action that will build up your nervous system, increase your energy resources (enzymes), promote increased breathing and exercise, and build up your resilience and emotional equilibrium. Rather than simply reacting to circumstances we can condition emotional equilibrium through use of the mind in understanding emotion, through spiritual practice of meditation, toning, chanting, yoga, hanging, grounding, focusing and mindfulness etc... and through nutrition and aerobic exercise. We reach this emotional equilibrium by “building energy reserves,” while “discharging tension,” and strengthening a perfectly relaxed body.

• Allow the grieving cycle to proceed and support each stage.
• Bleed off the Fight/Flight response in strenuous exercise.
• Do de-armoring bodywork and yogic exercise to overcome freeze-paralysis.
• Create a supportive social group and an action response group.
• Express your angst and soulutions through art and creativity.
• Educate yourself and others about the causes of the eco-catastrophy.
• Reduce the stressors in your life in general by cleaning your life’s closet, clearing relationships and moving on if necessary.
• Face addictions and self-sabotage head on as you need all the strength and consciousness you can muster.

• Remove things that acidify your blood such as coffee, sugar, meat, baked goods etc…

• Eliminate Toxins: GMOs, mercury, aluminum, metals, herbicides, pesticides, chemicals, plastics, dyes, preservatives etc

• Eliminate or counteract EMF poisoning: cell phones, wifi, microwaves, TVs, cordless phones, cell towers, smart meters etc…

• Avoid self-sabotage: processed and junk foods, substance abuse, smoking, alcohol; lack of physical and emotional exercise and intellectual stimulation.

• Clean house, sort, tidy, simplify, prioritize, order, beautify and upgrade lifestyle.

• Toning/Mantra/Humming especially by a river radically calms and cleans the nervous system.
• Prioritize…stop wasting your time, energy and resources on that which doesn’t “work,” ie: further your own progress and the evolutionary process.
• Fast and adopt a raw-superfood diet with sprouts, juicing and smoothies in order to reduce the metabolic load allowing more energy and consciousness.

• Increase the raw Green in your diet manyfold to reduce anxiety and calm nerves.

• Turn the devastation into a celebration of the human spirit. Turn a loss into a gain wherever possible.

• Laughter is the universal panacea for many of the problems associated with Ecoshock and PTSD including depression, panic, maldigestion, lowered immunity, hypertension, convulsions and dissociation. Laughter also improves health by suppressing stress hormones and elevating antibodies and immunity.

• Meta-adaptation is accomplished by diet, fasting, sports, martial arts, cathartic vocalization, psychodrama, addressing relationship problems, changing work environments and undertaking new hobbies and interests etc…

You can find answers to dealing with Ecoshock by studying future shock, bioenergetics, Wilhelm Reich’s work, empathetic psychotherapy, the writings of Derrick Jensen. My writings on meta-adaptation to awakening and kundalini such as The Exhaustion Phase on biologyofkundalini.com ... and my Inner Arts book. http://www.lulu.com/shop/jana-dixon/inner-arts-1-practicum/paperback/product-21369534.html

OVERCOMING ADRENAL FATIGUE

•Reducing Stress Hormones— The adrenal cortical hormones suppress inflammatory processes, healing processes and the immune system. They also convert glycogen stores into glucose and elevate blood sugar levels—to counteract this catabolism chromium and Corosolic acid from Banaba leaf improves glucose entry into cells. Consume raw-complex/low glycemic carbohydrates and high quality protein to potentially deflect the ill effects of elevated cortisol. Rhodiola rosa, acetyl-L-carnitine and phosphatidylserine are used to reduce cortisol production and repair receptor sensitivity in the hypothalamus. One of the best ways to control elevated cortisol levels is to keep well hydrated for dehydration causes cortisol levels to increase.

•Adaptogens—Adaptogens are herbs that help cope with stress by restoring hypothalamic cortisol receptor sensitivity. Adaptogenic herbs include: Ashwaghanda root, Basil, California poppy, Cordyceps, Echinopanax elatum, Devil’s claw, Dong quai, Codonopsis, Fo Ti Tieng, Goldenseal, Gotu kola, Green tea, Hawthorn extract, Hops Flowers, Kava kava, Licorice, Magnolia bark, Manchurian Thorn Tree extract, Nopal cactus, Rhodiola rosea, Schizandra, Siberian maral root, Suma, Tibetan ginseng (Rhodiola crenulata), Valerian. Perhaps the most well known adaptogen is ginseng of which there are three types: Asian (Panax ginseng), which produces the strongest stimulation, American (Panax quinquefolium), which soothes and Siberian (Eleutherococcus senticosus) for stamina. The adaptogenic Maral Root (Rhaponticum Carthamoides) or leuzea root is a legal herbal alternative to anabolic steroids with none of the negative side effects. It increases tendon and joint strength as well as the lean muscle gain and fat loss and improved athletic performance. Research also shows that Rhaponticum extract can help to increase work capacity and endurance, while reducing mental and physical fatigue.

•Hypoadrenalism—Prolonged stress exhausts the adrenal glands and other glands and organ systems resulting in Hypoadrenia. Hypothyroidism, reactive hypoglycemia and depressed immunity are often associated with this condition as well. To build up your adrenals to recover from fatigue take 1000 mg four times per day of buffered vitamin C with plenty of water between meals. The adrenals are the site of the highest concentration of vitamin C in the body. Natural Vitamin C Sources: Amla powder, acerola cherry, camu camu, rose hips, kiwi fruit, red capsicum, parsley, broccoli, black currents, elderberry, acai, maqui, sea-buckthorn berry, aronia, pomegranate, goji and mangosteen. Pantothenic acid or B5, vitamin B1 and vitamin B6 work synergistically to nourish and strengthen the adrenals.

Herbs to overcome adrenal fatigue and rebuild the adrenals are: Ashwagandha, Chaparral, Ginseng, Licorice, Ma huang and Suma. Licorice root slows down the deactivation of cortisol and aldosterone extending the life of these hormones in the body, so may be best to avoid a lot of licorice root during the peak phase.