Parasynthetic Procrastination

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The Vegas nerve has gotten super trendy, which I think is absolutely hilarious. There's a nerve in your head that when it's like danger for whatever reason, perceived real historical or whatever, it shuts you down. And there are really cool videos about opossums playing dead and they're not actually playing dead. That's their nervous system preparing them for a threat. Parasynthetic procrastination is like a very low level shock response. It's your body deploying all of those nummies so we don't move because getting bit by a shark hurts.

It’s February. It’s that time of year when we start to wonder if we might not follow through with our New Year’s resolutions. It’s that time of the year when procrastination becomes a centerpiece of our psychological concerns.

Our guest in this episode is professor, author, therapist, and speaker Britt Frank, a trauma specialist who treats people with a unique and powerful set of techniques and approaches which, taken together, helps clients to get out of the feeling of being STUCK.

Author of The Science of Stuck, she says, “Procrastination is not a character flaw. Nor is it a sign of weakness. Nor is it a sign of laziness.⁣ Procrastination is an indicator that internal consent has not been given. When our inner parts are distressed, afraid, sad, angry, grief-stricken or anxious, it is important to listen to their concerns, not to shame them or coerce them into action.⁣”

In the show you’ll learn about the physiological origins of procrastination – the inner brake pedal and gas pedal – and what to do to escape the two different versions of this universal challenge to getting unstuck and getting things done.