The Curse Of Consciousness

Curses work by activating the emotions of our threat brain which motivate us to behave aggressively, defensively, or submissively. In this series of posts, we will be exploring five human curses—consciousness, memory, culture, family, and own character—which are particularly potent and which, if we do not recognise or manage, can cause us significant problems.

The curse of consciousness

Being able to think about ourselves as creatures that have a past, a present, and a future is a significant evolutionary advantage. Whilst all animals can ‘think’ in the sense that they process information about themselves and their environments, it is only animals (us) with a sense of self who are able to imagine, plan, analyse, use language, symbols and decipher and connect meanings. Some animals do use simple forms of, for example, language and planning, and possess a sense of ‘self’ that is unencumbered by past or future concerns. The neuroscientist Antonio Damasio associates these animal capabilities with ‘lower notches of consciousness,’ or, what he describes as core consciousness. In contrast, Damasio describes a more developed autobiographical consciousness where thoughts about our past and future often take priority. This ability to self-reflect in increasingly complex ways about the past and future is a distinct feature of human consciousness, and it has enabled us to become a highly adaptive, inventive, and successful species.

However, we can pause for thought here. We might reflect on what ‘success of the species’ means and whether being able to think about ourselves so much is actually an advantage or benefit. You’ve probably noticed, for example, that often you judge and criticise yourself, or that you think about things that make you anxious and unhappy. You’ve also noticed how easy it is to lose focus. Right now you might be trying to think about consciousness but you’re distracted by thoughts about lunch, the birthday card you need to send to a friend, and your dog barking. Negative self-talk, rumination, worry, and distracting thoughts are some of the unpleasant and unhelpful consequences of being humanly conscious.

Thus consciousness is a curse partly because it gives us too many things to think—and worry—about. When we pay more attention to the quality of our thoughts, we often notice the extent to which they are dominated by evaluations, judgments, dilemmas, memories, and anticipations—so much so that we often fail to appreciate what is good and new in the present moment.

It is not our fault that many of our thoughts are problem-focused and trigger threat brain emotions because, as a basic survival response, we are designed to detect and prioritise problems first. However, it becomes our problem when we fail to notice and thus regulate our sensitive threat brain. If we do not notice the acid in our stomach, the tension in our muscles or our shallow breath, and if we do not notice the consequent loops of feeling and thinking that these threat brain emotions feed then we live in threat brain autopilot. Most, if not all, of our personal and social problems can be traced back to overactivity in our threat brain.

Worrying

The psychologist Mark Leary suggests that the reason we worry so much is because modern society is a ‘delayed return' environment in which people need to invest effort today for uncertain outcomes in a distant future. This, he writes, stands in contrast to earlier hunter-gatherer lifestyles characterised by day-to-day living and immediately available returns.

Another worrying discovery that consciousness reveals is what the psychologist William James described as ‘the worm at the core.’ The worm in James’ analogy is the knowledge and fear of our death. In other animals, unconscious, instinctual fear acts as a protector and motivator towards life and self-preservation. However, add human consciousness (self-awareness) and this basic and useful fear turns into a complex psychological and social narrative that can compel us to feel, think, and act as if the world is hostile—even when it isn’t. Or that we are bad, even when we aren’t. Then useful fear becomes, through conscious over-thinking and rumination, neurotic and debilitating.

By creating and re-creating danger in our minds, we trigger the same biological stress reaction as actual danger and thus cognition and imagination, both capabilities of consciousness, can make us ill.

Distraction and obliteration

Given all this, it is understandable why some of us feel the curse of consciousness strongly. One way to manage the curse is to obliterate it with drugs, alcohol, busyness, and box sets. Another way to deal with the curse of consciousness is to create and live in a world that is always on. Through our screens, on billboards, across our neon cities, from the soundwaves, in the constant flow of social media content, in new products, fast-moving fads and fashions, 24-hour availability, and windows overlooking the global world, we are distracted from consciousness and its curse.

But obliteration and distraction do not undo the curse. These strategies are more likely over time to give rise to a toxic pattern of behaviours motivated by threat and resulting in burnout, depression, stress, and relationship breakdown.

Beyond consciousness

For the curse of consciousness to be undone, we must learn how to respond to whatever arises in cogitation and reverie, without falling into our threat brain. When difficult thoughts and feelings arise in us, we need to develop calm receptivity and curiosity. Remember our thoughts are experiences that we can control and change. We do not need to be held hostage to them.

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There are many mindfulness practices and therapeutic interventions that help us learn to observe our thoughts without getting entangled in or frightened by them. Psychoanalysis and other depth psychologies, for example, have helped us to understand and work with our threat brain habits including repression, denial and ‘throwing out’ (projecting) our unwanted experiences. In doing so, we develop the ability to be conscious without being afraid. And without this fear, we are able to invite more and more of ourselves into awareness, which constitutes learning and growth.

In Part 3 next week, we will be exploring the curse of memory.