Herd Behavior Workshop

Make peace with the mammalian herd impulse in 6 free group zoom sessions

Register by messaging Loretta @  InnerMammalInstitute . org  (delete spaces!)

Calendar

At NOON New York time  (check time calculator)

January 24:   How Mammals Really Act in  Herds – Not So Warm & Fuzzy

January 31:   Noticing Our Herd Responses In Daily Life

February 7:    Discover the Early Experiences That Wired Your Herd Pattern

February 14:  Designing Your Preferred Alternatives

February 21:  Rewarding Yourself for Activating Alternatives

March 21:       Reflecting on a Month of Practice

Hear recordings of our last workshop on Status Anxiety below

Our big human cortex romanticizes social groups with abstractions like “community” and “cooperation.” Real life disappoints these ideals because the animal brain is focused on its own survival needs. When you see people focus on their own needs, disappointment triggers cortisol. You can relieve the cortisol by rewiring your idealized expectations. This may sound “wrong” and even unethical. Those responses come from myelinated neural pathways. You’ve already invested a lot of your life in the romanticized view of how others should act. 

The big human cortex is good at finding fault with other people’s herd behavior. It decides that life would be great if only “they” would “change.” Your cortex looks for a perfect solution, but your inner mammal focuses on its next step. With each step, a mammal chooses to approach the herd or to blaze a new trail toward greener pastures. There is no one right choice. There is no having it both ways. But you can learn to feel good about your next step, and the next.

For details, check out my books I, Mammal: How to Make Peace With the Animal Urge for Social Power and The Science of Positivity: Stop Negative Thought Patterns By Changing Your Brain Chemistry. 

We need to know that animals work hard to for any social support they get. When a cow says “mooo,” it is saying “I’m here, where are you?” The herd might move on while your attention is elsewhere and an isolated mammal is quickly picked off by predators. So natural selection built a brain that keeps track of others with a sense of urgency. This brain rewards you with oxytocin when you find a way to get protection from others. It feels so good that we want to repeat behaviors linked to past oxytocin moments. We do things for oxytocin that don’t always make sense to our conscious brain.

Our big human cortex has created the idea that we “deserve” social support without having to work for it. Animals don’t expect their herd mates to make them “feel safe” all the time, but the human cortex solves problems by constructing abstractions. This leads to endless cortisol, so we need to know that animals prefer to go their own way until they sense a threat. A common enemy is what keeps a group of mammals together.

This is why human groups spend so much time talking about their “enemies.” You may be too polite to use the word “enemy,” but you can see how groups ease internal conflict by focusing on external threats.

The urge for a herd is a two-edged sword. The oxytocin feels great, but you lose confidence in your ability to face the world without them. You’re tempted to follow the herd even when it goes in a direction you don’t like. Or you leave the herd and feel like a sheep among wolves all the time. 

Old neural pathways produce these responses. Fortunately, anyone can build new neural pathways to get more oxytocin with less cortisol. This workshop shows you how. There will always be herds doing things you don’t like, but you can stop suffering and celebrate your choices.

Status Anxiety Workshop

6-week group coaching program to rewire your social-comparison response

Weekly Goals and Recordings

You may say you don’t care about status, but when you see someone get ahead, a bad feeling turns on. You may say you only care about the greater good, but when your ideals don’t bring recognition, a bad feeling turns on. You may think people are judging you, but you don’t notice the judging that comes from inside you. Why not update the neural pathways that create these responses? Social comparison will always be a thing, but you can stop fueling it with stress chemicals.

This workshop is for all mammals regardless of demographic category or philosophical belief. No fingers are pointed in any direction. We’re all mammals, but anyone can find their power to redirect their brain from threat to opportunity.

The next workshop begins on October 11 at noon New York time. Secure your spot with $299 payment at https://www.paypal.me/lbreuning. Then send an email with your preferred book format (paper, ebook, audio) and a two-sentence bio to [email protected].

Get on the waiting list for future sessions by emailing: [email protected]. An Asia-friendly time will be offered when six people are interested. (noon Sydney Australia time on a Saturday)

Questions? Email me: [email protected]

Learn more about nature’s status and social-comparison impulse:

on my Substack:  #1   #2

on my reading list

on my podcast