Why Insight Doesn't Automatically Lead to Change

One of the most common frustrations I hear from high-functioning clients is this:

"Oberdan, I know exactly why I do this. I can trace it back to my childhood. I understand the trigger. Why am I still doing it?"

It is a fair question. In almost every other area of life be it engineering, business, finance etc. if you understand the root cause of a problem, you can fix it.

But human psychology is not a spreadsheet.

In Week 4 of our series, I am exploring why Insight does not automatically lead to Change.

The problem is that we are dealing with two different operating systems.

1. Your Intellect: wants truth, logic, and optimisation.

2. Your Nervous System: wants safety.

And your nervous system has a very specific definition of safety that defies logic: Familiar = Safe.

If a behaviour (like shutting down emotionally, or working until you crash) helped you survive a difficult past, your nervous system coded it as "Effective."

Even if that behaviour is ruining your life today, your body clings to it because it is familiar.

In this week's video, I break down this mechanism and explain why you cannot "think" your way out of a nervous system response.

Watch Week 4: Why Insight isn’t enough here.

And take a moment to ponder on this week's reflection: 

What is the one thing you understand perfectly about yourself - you know the 'why', the history, the logic- yet you keep repeating it anyway?

We are moving from Understanding to Safety. 

If you're catching up on the journey, watch:

Week 1: The Definition

Week 2: The Cost of Pushing Through

Week 3: Coping vs Self-abandonment