Environment-dependentStates
See also state-dependent memory.
People have roles in life. Individuals within multiple systems also have roles in life. It is to the distinct evolutionary advantage of any entity to be prepared for things that are likely to happen in given situations, with certain people around, or in a specific environment. In other words, the environment outside the body can alter the state-of-mind of the individual entity in question.
Let's take Joe& as an example -- Joe&'s mom harasses them all the time. Whenever Joe& are around their mom, they are testy and defensive, even when she's not doing anything wrong at the moment. Joe& are in the middle of an environment-dependent state. In this case, the environmental trigger is mom. The state is Joe&'s emotional preparedness for verbal battle.
Now Joe& go to Vermont. Joe& have always had a wonderful time in Vermont, and every time he goes, his family and friends can't believe the change that comes over them -- they really relax and let their collective hair down, and seem really happy. Joe& are in an environment-dependent state that is triggered by the location, and the state is Joe&'s ability to let down defenses and relax.
Joe& realize that it's tax time again. They hate tax time. Looking at a tax form sends Joe&'s blood pressure through the roof. Joe& are in an environment-dependent state that is triggered by either the context of the situation (tax time), or the object in front of them (tax form), and the state is one of being exceptionally stressed and volatile.
The concept of an environment-dependent state plays deeply into the idea of state-dependent memory, because these states can, as is discussed in the other section, trigger memory families in related groups.
(I will eventually tie this all together better, but I'm not up to writing a thesis paper right now. honestly, there are places to go with this and the other section -- Crisses)
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We seem to be very highly environment-dependent as a system. Where we physically are in space seems to dictate how we feel, who is around front/filling fronting, even what we remember or believe to be true. For example, if I visit our parents in our old family home, I rarely remember what happens inside (though there may be flashes of memory here and there, often seemingly shared to me by others). I am not the one in control of what is said or done while we are there.
This can apply even to different rooms within the place we currently, whether we are inside or outside, what the weather is... It feels like the outside world is nearly always calling the shots for us, and I/we(?) don't know how to gain better control. It is entirely automatic, and we often are not even aware it has happened until after it is over and we're in a different environment again.
Do you have any tips or recommendations for how to begin to stave this off? We have little to no co-con currently, as we are in a period of survival mode. But this makes us feel very vulnerable, as just being in a certain place or near a certain person can make us forget important/relevant information about where we are or who we are with, and we can suddenly feel very attached to someone we have previously decided is unsafe (because we cannot think of why we would ever consider them unsafe).
The only solution we have found so far is to physically remove ourselves entirely from an environment that affects us this way too strongly-- but these days, that means going back to living in our car (which we do occasionally but is not at all ideal). Are there any other ways to buffer the impact of environment on system reactions, or is isolation the only viable solution under these circumstances?