Un-Emotional to the point of ignoring reactive instinct?

[Misty_Mountain_Rose]

Heres a question that has been rolling around in my head lately.

I have a weird 'problem' in that when I'm startled, I don't freeze, but I will make a HUGE, almost instinctual effort NOT to react to whatever scared me. For instance, I'll SLLLOWWWWWLYYY turn my head to toward the sound of a loud noise.

I don't know if its a need to appear composed or if its maybe suppression of feelings going on. It makes me nervous though, because these 'jump', 'flinch', 'duck' instincts are there for a REASON... its basic survival instinct.

Many, many people have commented on their inability to startle me. What they don't realize is that they DID startle me, I just made no outward appearance of being caught off guard. Inwardly I jump, flinch and duck... but my body just doesn't show any sign of it. My Kung Fu instructor has even commented on it.

Heres the question then:

Can a lifetime of not revealing internal emotion when startled with emotional situations or people translate into supressing basic instincts? Can a person have such a firm grip on their outward appearance of calm, cool and collected that they can override what our bodies are telling us?

[Jennifer]

Originally Posted by Misty_Mountain_Rose

I have a weird 'problem' in that when I'm startled, I don't freeze, but I will make a HUGE, almost instinctual effort NOT to react to whatever scared me. For instance, I'll SLLLOWWWWWLYYY turn my head to toward the sound of a loud noise.

I don't know if its a need to appear composed or if its maybe suppression of feelings going on. It makes me nervous though, because these 'jump', 'flinch', 'duck' instincts are there for a REASON... its basic survival instinct.

Many, many people have commented on their inability to startle me. What they don't realize is that they DID startle me, I just made no outward appearance of being caught off guard. Inwardly I jump, flinch and duck... but my body just doesn't show any sign of it. My Kung Fu instructor has even commented on it.

I can identify with that. I might not even look at all -- I would just drive myself even more deeply into my protective invisible cocoon and pretend nothing happened.

But inside sometimes I was still very shaken.

Sometimes we make changes in our lives, though, that demand we open up more. I can't hide my startle reflex anymore, I find the emotions are much more on the surface than they used to be, along with being more accessible emotionally to others.

Can a lifetime of not revealing internal emotion when startled with emotional situations or people translate into suppressing basic instincts? Can a person have such a firm grip on their outward appearance of calm, cool and collected that they can override what our bodies are telling us?

I think the physical reflex might still exist, but it's all just sensation that the mind has to interpret. I think if the mind has taught itself to ignore incoming sensation, then it can operate as if the sensation doesn't exist at all. It's just a conscious "break" in the sensory transmission, rather than a literal one (such as when someone has a spinal cord injury and might only feel numbness/nothing from certain body areas).