At 03:31 AM 2/2/99 -0800, you wrote:
>Lucia,
>
>I wasn't able to copy and paste your comment about getting angry to
>cover up fear. I think this is true, but the psychological reasons we
>create for what we do are really secondary to what's going on
>physiologically in the brain. Fear and anger are both normal emotions of
>the fight or flight reaction. I didn't find figuring out why I did
>something as very helpful in my recovery. I knew that when I felt fear,
>it was a sign that anger was trying to emerge and a good time to
>recognize that if it was misdirected, I could redirect it toward early
>abusers and in that way speed up my healing process.
>
>Ellie

This whole issue of whether fear or anger is primary is a huge debate in the
psychological /medical field.  I was just reading an essay by Norman Shealy
last night in which he identified fear as the primary emotion and the cause
of all illness.  So.... I don't think we'll solve this problem here :-)

The issue, in respect to Ellie's work, seems rather to be whether neuronal
toxicosis in the brain can arise from any of these repressed emotions
associated with the flight or fight response, and hence can also be
detoxified appropriately through emotional release and re-establishing
healthy patterns of response.

Another question for Ellie -- in response to the posting yesterday about
anti-corisol drugs, cortisol having been identified as a stress hormone with
harmful consequences, could you explain the relationship between cortisol
secretion and metabolism and the buildup of toxic neurochemicals?  Thanks.
Janis