17. Excitatory Nervous Symptoms

To recover rapidly it is important to recognize the many types of excitatory nervous symptoms as detoxification crises during which the brain is releasing toxic amounts of noradrenaline that store repressed anger, and to do the redirecting during these symptoms. The list of excitatory nervous symptoms is long and varies for each person, but your speed of recovery depends on recognizing these symptoms and doing the redirecting as often as possible when they occur.

Here is a partial list of excitatory nervous symptoms: anxiety, fear, palpitations, panic attacks, nightmares, tremors, insomnia, compulsive thoughts or behavior, mania, paranoia, resentments, judgmental thoughts, moral or ethical condemnation of others, misdirected anger or rage, aggressive behavior, guilt, shame, low self-esteem, suicidal thought, biting your nails or picking at your skin, cravings for stimulants, alcohol, caffeine, nicotine, sex, shopping or other psychological stimulants, cravings for sedatives, sedating foods, or other calming techniques like meditation, fear of abandonment, feelings of rejection, loneliness.

The more often you do the redirecting, physically if possible--but if not do it mentally--the sooner you will reach post flood, i.e. when about 95% of anger related to childhood has been released. If you are already at this point be sure to continue the redirecting. If you stop redirecting, your journey to normalcy will stall. If you still have any depression, it's a signal you need to redirect more to past abusers. Eventually your anger when triggered will be about the current interaction and you will need to direct it toward the current abuser, not necessarily in person, but sometimes by calmly confronting. The goal of RST is to achieve, not a sustained, but a sustainable euphoria, best defined as freedom from anxiety and depression, i.e. a sustainable quiet mind.

Ellie