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Chuck's Blog

Chuck’s Place: Completing The Past With Love

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Put Triggers Safely to Rest…
-Artwork © 2026 Jan Ketchel

Triggers are spontaneous eruptions of emotional terror that can seize the heart, take the breath away, or throw one into a rage. Logically, we seek to avoid such encounters. In fact, loved ones and friends often know to avoid certain topics with us rather than trigger such explosions.

What are actual triggers? Simply put, triggers are current experiences that resemble prior experiences in life that were never fully put to rest. Triggers can also be schemas, in the form of powerfully negative beliefs about the self, which overshadow our comfort with current life and self.

Triggers thus represent unfinished business, current reminders of past experiences and the emotional outbursts generated by those reminders.

Triggers are inevitable encounters that will, ultimately, be fully mastered. Life reviews in Near Death Experiences frequently send a soul back into life in their body, with the charge to fully resolve a trigger in their current life.

Buddhists believe that triggers are the seeds of reincarnation that must be completed in an otherworldly bardo adventure upon leaving this world and before beginning the next life, or that they are an actual reincarnation in a human life, which must be dealt with before life can progress.

Carlos Castaneda’s loving advice to us all is to take all the time we need, but, to hurry up! The evolving journey is magnificent; let’s free our energy to fully go forward into it!

Triggers are composed of life experiences we have already had but have been unable to mentally and emotionally digest and, ultimately, fully metabolize. Full metabolism is nothing short of love for everything we have ever experienced or believed. Fortunately, we have the innate capacity to achieve this radical acceptance of all of our lives.

At some level, most triggers exist in states of isolation from the greater personality and typically generate sadness. This sadness is separate from the actual sadness of a traumatic experience or core schema. This sadness results from the imposed isolation of the trigger as being too much or too powerful for the rest of the personality to bear.

When the ego is ready to go and be with a trigger, suddenly that trigger is no longer alone. The weight it has borne in isolation is in some degree lifted, as the ego—in whatever state of fear and trembling— proves, simply by its presence, that it can be with the contents and intensity of the trigger.

This act alone introduces a primary love, love for the unwanted and undesirable. Some sadness can be released at this rudimentary level of acceptance. With this act alone the past begins to be completed.

Regardless of the nature of a trauma or schema the truth is that it has been stuck in a suspended animation of no time. All experiences naturally find their home in our personal storybook of life. However, given the suspended state of triggers, they have never been allowed to be calmly put to rest in that loving storybook.

Once the ego, on its hero’s journey, is perseveringly present to a trigger, other resources within the greater soul are able to offer their resources. The subconscious generally provides dreams and synchronicities that offer a needed memory trail that support the full recapitulation of triggers.

The High Self might also point one to helpers, or clinical modalities, to support this natural processing of life experiences.

Processing such triggers or experiences changes the past because the past was never previously fully known or fully completed. Ego’s engagement with the trigger brings its own broader view and inclusion of elements not available to an earlier state of self.

Acceptance of everything leads one to fully loving every aspect of one’s lives lived, which renders all former triggers to become colorful and  neutral pages in one’s personal storybook.

And that storybook could easily be shared with all—no legacy of shame or limitation attached.

And then, the unfettered journey resumes,
Chuck

Chuck's Blog

Chuck’s Place: Taking The Pain Out Of Archetypal Bite

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We are all frozen children when our triggers show up…
-Artwork © 2025 Jan Ketchel

When we get triggered we are involuntarily seized by the power of an archetype. Archetypes are the core building blocks of human experience that lie dormant in the ocean of our shared collective unconscious until called forth to define and respond to a situation we encounter. 

The terror of a trigger is a tidal wave of emotional archetypal energy that floods both body and mind with panic. “Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? The Shadow knows!” is an apt definition of the Shadow archetype, as presented by the 1930’s radio mystery series. When we are caught off guard by an encounter, the Shadow archetype—the mystery and danger of the unknown—is activated, and we are in its grip.

Jung defined the shadow globally as everything that we are but don’t know about, which exists in the dark; hence, the term, shadow. Many things that exist in this dark region of the unconscious mind are purposely kept there because they evoke both fear and anxiety, which greatly compromise our stability and ability to function.

We are all frozen children in relation to our triggers. A child state is one of innocence. Shadow shatters innocence. We are no longer safe. We then install the protection of constrictive body armor. Our freedom of movement is checked by insistence of advance notice of everything.  Our breath is shallow and often held.  Our mind is either hypervigilant or not present at all.

The normal child state precedes the age of responsibility. The child, by definition, is taken care of. The overpowering danger of the greater world is held in abeyance until it is confronted by the shadow of the unexpected. When our adult state of confidence and autonomy is overpowered, we too become like children, overwhelmed by the unknown.

If we choose childlike defenses, we are caught in the existential kink of anguish, which contains the emotions of archetypes, generating the illusory belief that we are in control. Truthfully, however, we are like children playing hide and seek. We are victims, clinging to the child state of non-responsibility. We become like Little Red Riding Hood, haunted by the shadow of the Big Bad Wolf.

To defuse the power of archetype, we must first be willing to turn on the light in the shadow. This can be initiated by stating the intent to master the unknown trigger. Here, consciousness is taking a stand and presenting a suggestion to the subconscious mind. Previously, the subconscious mind was given the suggestion to avoid the trigger. That became its marching order and, consequently, an automatic habit.

This intent mobilizes the subconscious mind to channel the High Self, who then arranges a series of experiences tailored to achieve the necessary steps toward mastery. These experiences will show up in outer synchronicities, dreams and relationships. Slowly, the shadow archetype will be refined to reveal other archetypes that are the root causes behind the trigger.

For example, fear of approaching a woman might reveal the overwhelm of the Goddess archetype in all her piercing beauty; or terror of the Witch archetype, who threatens to castrate. Reflection on the terror experienced with an authority figure might reveal an encounter with a God archetype like Kronos, who would not even grant his children life.

The basics of achieving dominion over shadow require that we, as ego, undertake the Hero’s Journey. This will likely require that we revisit the triggers many times, as we gradually desensitize from them. When a trigger actually becomes boring, we are freed of emotional disruption. We are done.

There may be many other tasks to complete, as well, such as talking with or confronting someone, despite our trepidations. Inner mastery of the central nervous system through various kinds of breathing practices and body practices will support challenging tasks and build needed confidence.

Perseverance in all of these practices will eventually lead us to neutralize and integrate the shadow of all of our triggers. With this comes the restoration of a child’s innocence in the personality, coupled with an adult knowing that indeed, we can navigate the big bad world with truth and right action, the essence of love and wisdom.

Reflecting,
Chuck 

Chuck's Blog

Chuck’s Place: Watch My Words

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Carrying a lot of extra words around?
-Artwork © 2024 Jan Ketchel

Thought is the first cause of manifestation. Words are the currency of thought. The words we use create our realities.

Take for example the use of the word my. It’s quite typical for people to refer to a physical condition, such as a migraine headache or cancer as my headache or my cancer when discussing their status.

Though logically it makes sense to refer to a condition one is grappling with as my ________,  on a subtle level the use of this possessive adjective grants the condition full citizenship in the physical body. Every time we use the word my we suggest to the subconscious mind that the condition being identified exists in and is a part of me.

Of course, a diagnosis, deemed essential for proper treatment, requires a distinctive name, but once we put the word my in front of it, we plant it as a seed in the fertile soil of the creative substance in the subconscious mind, the very substance that creates and manifests life.

Inadvertently, through the use of the word my, we may be sending suggestions to the subconscious mind that substantiate the very condition we are seeking to eliminate. From an internal family system perspective, the word my can generate an entity that is entitled, because of its my-ness, to be part of one’s internal family. We might then actually feel powerless to insist that it leave us.

An alternative, which bypasses this conundrum, would be to acknowledge the symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment one is working with without claiming personal ownership of it through the use of the word my. For example, one might speak in this manner: “Sometimes I experience headaches that have been diagnosed as migraines. This is the treatment I’m involved with to eliminate the issue.”

Another common misuse of the word my is in the oft-stated phrase, my triggers. The phrase my trigger grants a trigger legitimate entity status and permanent residence in one’s personality. Triggers should actually be treated as transient experiences that reveal the existence of root issues that need to be processed.

The processing of a trigger means to fully neutralize its negative effect upon one’s life. When we say, my trigger, we send the message to the subconscious mind that this is a powerful and permanent condition that must be avoided at all costs. This also results in the expectation that other people take responsibility to both know and avoid provoking these hidden bombs that we house but seek to avoid.

The antidote is to assume responsibility when triggered. Often this requires one to retreat, release activated emotional energy, and then process the root issue that has come to the surface. Triggers should be thanked for their guidance as we track the true culprit of our discontent.

Saying thank you is a powerful way to gain the support and influence of the subconscious mind. Triggers are actually present associations to established habits that the subconscious activates, as per the instructions it receives from established beliefs and suggestions.

By thanking the subconscious for the trigger that enables us to root out its cause, we warmly engage our inner partner, the subconscious mind, in the task of reclaiming our defensive energy and releasing entities we have created to avoid uncomfortable issues.

Thank the subconscious often for its tireless efforts to create the self we ask it to be. For best results, may that intended self reflect the truth of the heart.

Thank you,
Chuck

Chuck's Blog

Chuck’s Place: Erasing Personal History

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Erasing personal history…
-Illustration © 2023 Jan Ketchel

At one point, Don Juan Matus abruptly threatened the continuation of Carlos Castaneda’s shamanic apprenticeship by challenging him to immediately disengage from all his attachments and habits of daily life, thus erasing personal history, a prime tenet of a shaman’s advancement. For instance, Carlos was encouraged to immediately dissolve a lucrative tie dye tee shirt business partnership, which he did within a few hours.

Erasing personal history means ending the control of an identity, rooted in past associations, that continues to define one’s present life activities and sense of self. When I was in Castaneda’s world, I experienced people taking this insinuation to change to the extreme, completely leaving their daily lives, even changing their names, to free their energy to be employed in a totally new way.

This radical form of dissociation from the past is more a metaphor than a practical and effective form of achieving desired change. As a therapist, or spiritual guide, I approach such an intent for new life through the experience of changing one’s past self, and thereby, altering one’s present and future selves. Changing one’s past self is indeed erasing the hold of one’s personal history.

To change the past self we must fully revisit it. The power of suggestion is extremely powerful and can indeed change the present self, at least temporarily, through the power of dissociation. However, our wholeness requires us to fully associate with ourselves, which requires full acceptance, not dissociation, from our past self, and all it has experienced.

When we encounter our past self we must be willing to feel the fullness of everything it has experienced. This includes its feelings, bodily sensations, and beliefs, particularly around powerful experiences that overwhelmed its capacities and froze its further development.

The presence of the past self’s frozen state is experienced in what is called a trigger. When we are triggered our past self eclipses present self adaptation, as we become locked in our frozen past. Often, we expect others to respect our triggers, controlling their speech and behavior so as to protect us from experiencing the sting of our triggered, unsettled younger self.

Relationships are often tasked to avoid each other’s minefield of triggers. Sometimes this is considered an act of true love. How ironic. For triggers, once resolved, are the gateway to new and fuller love of self and other.

When the present self is fully able to be present to the experience of its past self, we begin to change the past. For one thing, this very act of showing up establishes a new fact of the past: Whatever was experienced in the past no longer has the power to shut one down.

When the present self is fully present for the past self it is also no longer alone. This alters its isolated experience of the past, as the present self becomes a true traveling companion to the past self’s journey.

When the past self relives its frozen moments, it is encouraged to  express its innate reactions that were previously suppressed. Words and agency come on line and metabolize a prior silent scream. The body breaths deeply as it expands beyond its habitual, frozen in time, stance.

In a dream, I am back in an old neighborhood under great siege of winter storm. I am confronted by an intimidating, rageful acquaintance. His threatening silent glare intensifies as his eyes bulge. I force myself to speak, refusing to accept this frozen encounter. A portion of my past self is changed in that moment.

Dreams often present us with dramas that are permutations of our frozen moments. With consciousness we can send our present ego self into dreaming with the intent to act where we were once previously frozen. Ego advance in dreaming generalizes to ego advance in waking life.

Often, the cognitive understanding of frozen moments in time is highly distorted for defensive reasons, or developmentally hampered by the age at which the traumatizing event occurred. The developmentally matured and advanced present self can be extremely helpful in broadening the scope of the past self’s experience by exploring factors unavailable to the younger self. This can considerably alter the past self’s identity, which then contributes a changed foundational stone to the present self’s state of being.

A fully transformed younger self no longer lives in the prison cell of its frozen past. While this in no way erases the facts of its prior experience, the younger self is no longer emotionally or cognitively conditioned by it. Its freed energy is liberated to rejoin its wholeness of being.

Thus, the past becomes fully recovered, resolved and revitalized for new life. The fully matured past self delivers its evolved gift to the present and future of self. This is how to truly erase personal history.

Erasing,
Chuck

Chuck's Blog

Chuck’s Place: Neutralizing The Terror Of Archetypal Trigger

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Our archetypal partner…
-Illustration © 2023 Jan

Ever-present in the background of ego consciousness is the archetypal human, that which, with its accumulated wisdom from having lived the entirety of human history, lives inside us and reacts along with us as we think, imagine, and encounter the phenomenal world.

Imagine standing at the edge of a tall mountain, flying in a plane, or crossing a turbulent river. The immediate instinctual reaction of our inner archetypal human might be anxiety, as it accents its knowing of potential danger. Archetypal triggers are the emotional downloads of ancient wisdom, gleaned from prior human experience, that automatically react to similar stimuli that appear in present-day life.

Our ego reaction to these same imaginary scenes might be to quickly rationalize the overwhelming statistics of the safety of flying and the ability to stay calm and in control in challenging situations. These efforts are attempts to minimize archetypal fears and master the challenges presented.

Ultimately, ego is tasked with becoming the Hero, who finds the means to  surmount the archetypal challenges being presented. Ego does well to begin with humility. Instinctual reactions are automatic; there is no blame in the reaction of terror.

The thought of giving a speech or performing before an audience might provoke immediate terror. It’s a completely valid instinctive response. This is the archetypal mind scanning the power of groups in myriads of human encounters throughout history and delivering its verdict—terror.

The lowered consciousness of group mind in such experiences has resulted in many tragic consequences in the course of human history. The ego does well to acknowledge this truth and to consider how it might best prepare itself for such a challenging event.

Sometimes ego might attempt to puff itself up to feel equal to or greater than the power of the archetypal trigger. Positive self-talk in such circumstances may be helpful but is not likely to maintain the confidence needed for true mastery.

The Hero’s journey is its own archetypal journey of ego development. First and foremost, one must heed the call to action. The call originates from our High Self or Spirit, informing us that it is time to grow: “Yes, you must meet with this person whom you experience as the archetypal bully or harpy.”

The instinctive reaction to freeze or retreat is respected but not chosen for this challenge to be successfully met. One might engage in yoga, breath work, meditation, neurofeedback, or any body-centered technique to increase conscious control over the instinctual reactions of the central nervous system generated by the archetypal mind.

The home of the archetypal human is the subconscious mind, which responds immediately to triggers or suggestions by generating chemical and electrical reactions in the body. The use of conscious positive suggestions to the body present new behavioral options to the subconscious mind. Just as the subconscious mind reacts to instinct, it also reacts to consciously generated suggestions.

Thus, regular self-hypnosis that suggests actions of calm and mastery can give the ego greater control over the habitual, instinctive reactions of the archetypal mind. The calmer we can be in an archetypal encounter the greater will be our ability to remain present and to respond quickly and thoughtfully to rapidly changing conditions.

Practice, practice, practice! This is the guidance given to all music students. Its wisdom can be generalized to prepare all of us for all kinds of archetypal encounters.

For instance, visualizing the scene and the myriad of possible permutations of an event, accompanied by the bilateral recapitulation breath as you live those scenes, allows you to gain greater clarity, fluidity and calm over the actual event.

Ego is also free to ask for help and support from its High Self, who appreciates ego’s efforts to meet its appointed task. In particular, one might ask the High Self for help in gaining access to the appropriate words and ideas that would be helpful as it navigates the challenge before it. Memorization has its place, but a quickness of mind is best suited to be fully present and responsive to an unfolding challenge.

Ultimately, the archetypal human is extremely conservative. Its aim is to keep us safe and alive. In fact, in actual life-threatening circumstances this ancient human can take possession of the ego and the body and perform superhuman feats. Don’t leave home without your archetypal human self!

On the other hand, realize that consciousness was evolved at the behest of the archetypal mind, who saw the wisdom of being able to change course on a dime, rather than suffer the consequences of habitual patterns ill-fitted to changing circumstances.

The ego is the child of the archetypal human who must truly become the adult to the personality, working respectfully with its archetypal partner and cohort.

Archetypal triggers are merely necessary tests meant to be mastered. Also, life always provides many makeup tests!

Choose wisely,
Chuck