The OptimalWork Podcast 238. Understanding Dynorphins I: Exploring Unwillingness
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Mar 10, 2025 Delve into the fascinating world of dynorphins and their impact on emotional growth. Discover how embracing feelings of unwillingness can transform them into opportunities for personal development. Mindfulness is discussed as a tool to combat experiential avoidance, while exposure therapy contrasts acceptance with fear. The metaphor of cold plunges illustrates how discomfort fosters resilience, emphasizing the importance of love in navigating challenges. Practical strategies for cultivating willingness in the face of adversity are also shared.
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Unwillingness Drives Emotion Actions
- Acting on emotions happens because we are unwilling to experience them, not simply because the emotions are strong.
- This unwillingness drives behavior to make emotions go away, illustrated by cravings and the act of acting on anger or anxiety.
Suffering Amplified by Unwillingness
- Suffering results from pain plus the unwillingness to experience that pain.
- This unwillingness amplifies the pain through increased attention, secondary emotions, and intolerable neurochemical effects like dynorphins.
Dynorphins and Thwarted Escape
- Dynorphins are tied to a feeling of thwarted escape and learned helplessness—the sense of being stuck.
- They create the intolerable aspect of frustration and suffering beyond the primary emotion.