As you may know, a new President of The United States was elected last week. As a result, many people were elated, and yet many others were horrified, deeply agitated, and left feeling traumatized. Today, I feel compelled to shed some helpful and hopeful light on this phenomena.

Many went into election week feeling nervous and fearful, and as election night returns rolled in, their fears were confirmed. For others, they woke up the morning after the election feeling that the world took a dark and nefarious turn.

Interestingly, I witnessed many people who often emphasize love and the goodness of humanity resort to outrage and calls for resistance. Some even openly questioned the goodness of humanity. So, what could be contributing to this volatile swing of emotions?

A dis-regulated nervous system. 

In my observation, there are three major things that are occurring that are directly contributing to our social dis-regulated nervous system.


1. The Trauma of Accusation / Judgement

I have learned that most people are committed to their own political views and are almost never open to rethinking their views or positions as a result of debate or argument.

The reason for this is because our political views largely come from certain unconscious stressors that we all naturally carry in our lives. These stressors are different for each person, and are often rooted in sub-conscious experiences from our past that form the foundation of our beliefs and worldview.

Our political views are often either an expression of those past beliefs and outlooks, or they could also be a reaction against our previous beliefs and outlooks. This isn't good or bad, or, right or wrong. This is simply a human phenomena. Our political views and tendencies only change as our subconscious conditioning changes.

When we accuse someone of being evil or wrong for their political views that may differ from ours, we are using accusation to try to make ourselves feel justified and safe. This is the bedrock of manipulative behavior that is all too often used in religion and politics.

Whenever we use language of accusation against someone for their political views, we unconsciously disrupt their nervous system leading to a reaction in them which leads to further reaction in us.

Although we may not intend this, when we label people as wrong or evil for their political persuasions, we invalidate their sensitivities and concerns. This can be traumatizing on an individual basis, and also on a collective basis.

We can disagree with people's political views without resorting to accusation of their character and invalidation of their stressors and sensibilities. This kind of disagreement is becoming a lost art, unfortunately. Both political brands in this country (progressive / conservative) are guilty of this destabilizing behavior.


2. The Trauma of Collective Fear Mongering

As you may be aware, each election season for the past few decades have been a contest of sorts between which political brand can best cause their constituents to be the most afraid of the opposition.

In our most current election, both major party candidates spent several billion dollars in messaging telling one half of the electorate that if the other half of the electorate gets their way and elects their candidate to office, the country will be in grave danger and democracy will be lost.

This kind of thinking is meant to dis-regulate the survival based (sympathetic) nervous systems of people to get them to act out of fear. Again, using fear and a dis-regulated nervous system to get people to do something you want them to do is manipulation 101.

As you might imagine, when one candidate is inevitably declared the winner, the base of people supporting the defeated candidate can only feel terrified and unsafe. This further contributes to our collective trauma. There is a better way.  

People can be motivated to act through a compelling vision of wellbeing, or they can be motivated by fear. When there is a lack of a unifying vision for the wellbeing of all people, fear is often the tool used to drive people to the polls.   

In her concession speech to the American people the day following her election loss, Vice-President Harris reassured people with these words:

"We are all going to be okay".

I applaud those words, but where were those words during the campaign? Neither major party candidate reassured the people they were speaking to in this way during the previous ten months of the presidential campaign.

It's foolish and destructive to use fear and dire language for a year, then suddenly think you can turn off that destructive messaging the day after an election.

Anyone who would aspire to leadership must seek to heal the dis-regulated nervous system of the people they wish to lead, not inflame them to get them to the polls. Words are powerful tools of energy transmission and we need leadership who understands this at even a basic level. 


3. The Trauma of Outsourcing Personal Sovereignty

For many of us, we have often been conditioned in life to feel helpless and powerless. This is why many are quick to put their sense of wellbeing into a political candidate or movement. Yes, elections do have consequences, but none of those consequences can take away our power to decide how our lives and how our world will function ultimately.

Yes, political leaders can try to start wars, but WE are the ones who decide to kill or not to kill through our participation.

Yes, political leaders can collude with food and drug companies to promote toxins, but WE as people decide what we do with our own bodies and with our own health practices on a daily basis. I could go on and on. 

How WE choose to respond to situations already within our control is always our decision and always makes the greatest difference in our lives and in our world no matter who is in office in Washington D.C.

True leadership never takes on the mantle of being the 'chosen one' to fix our nation and all of our problems if only we will elect them and give them our allegiance. This is the language of religious cults that both political brands use all too often.

Yes, participate in the political process as you feel compelled. We can vote for a candidate of our choice, or we can abstain. It's always our choice. We will do well to remember this however...  

True leadership simply reminds us that WE the people are the ones in power, and it is our collective unifying vision together that will ultimately create the world we want. Last week's election did not enhance or detract from our safety and power in the least.    

Today, may you realize your own inherent safety and power.

Jamal Jivanjee 
Author / Life Coach
Free To Love Coaching Solutions LLC