Nervous System Questionnaire: AENS or LNNS?

There are two types of nervous system arrangements, an affective empathic nervous system and a limited narcissism nervous system. Although the nervous system exists on a spectrum, meaning the two types are often mixed, a nervous system remains organized on one side of the spectrum or another.  This makes nervous systems dominant in different sets of characteristics, modes of operation, default traits, strengths, weaknesses, and most importantly they have a divergent pathway of increasing/decreasing personality disorder.  Contrary to the field of modern psychology, a nervous system will never experience the opposite side of the duality spectrum and cannot have a legitimate dual diagnosis for opposite sides of the spectrum.  Therefore, a nervous system can be a limited nervous system (LNNS) with or without affective empathy.  It can also be an effective empathic nervous system, with or without limited narcissism.  Limited narcissism means there is a restriction on the affective empathic experience with executive functioning in the pre-frontal context dominant over body sensory information.  Affective empath means that the heart and body sensory information take precedence over the pre-frontal cortex in the experience of life events and cannot be physically filtered out of the CNS physiology.

Nervous system genetics do not change over time; however the level of health or disorder of a nervous system can change the expression of a nervous system.  Heath and disorder change based on 1) a person’s level of heartful-mindfulness skills in combination with 2&3) the social and systemic environment it exists and operates within.

In a healthy state, nervous systems are harder to discern from an interactive or outside perspective due to the lack of observable “inappropriate traits” filling in for a lack of self-development.  With a healthy, developed self, nervous systems operate optimally with cognitive empathy and/or high affective regulation.  A healthy person would have to self-identify due to a lack of displayed traits.  The person themselves would know, even if an outsider would find it hard to discern.  With highly mixed nervous systems it is also more difficult to discern, however by tracking inappropriate traits, in time it becomes clear.  Very pure or unmixed systems, where they lack the opposite system traits, are also easier to distinguish.

Here I provide three sets of analysis.  Looking objectively at nervous systems, the first survey compares nervous system criteria.  Subjectively evaluating yourself, the second survey allows you to discern your own nervous system.  Inter-subjectively or relationally, the third survey allows you to see another’s nervous system through your interactions with another person.  Although this latter survey can be used for clients to asses their relationship with family members or people in their life, it is not recommended to observe two people in relationship to each other as a third person outside the relationship.  This is because, in the presence of a social environment or a therapist, what may look “inappropriate” may actually be appropriate based the real intimate extreme dynamics behind the social/public scene.  The real story is always hidden, and levels of “inappropriate” from a person presenting extremely well behaved are always “beyond belief” from an outsider’s assumptions.  Appropriate narcissistic traits and communicating problems are essential for victims and are usually done in public, yet normally misunderstood by outsiders. 

Nervous System Criteria Comparison:

1. In Siegal and Bryson’s 2012 book, The Whole Brained Child, they differentiate between a bottom-up and top-down tantrum. In the former, the child is emotionally overwhelmed, out of control, and have the emotional centers of the brain overriding rational thinking and executive functioning.  In the latter case, the child is manipulating the parents through a dramatic display, fully in control of themselves, strategically working through their pre-frontal cortex, executively managing themselves and the situation.  These two phenomenological states are typical patterns of the two different types of nervous systems.  What is the life-long pattern of the nervous system when the “self” has not developed appropriate responses to situations?

AENS: bottom-up patterns; the intrinsic cardiac nervous system overpowers the central nervous system; reacts from the heart; body overrides the brain

 

LNNS: top-down patterns; the central nervous system overpowers the intrinsic cardiac nervous system; reacts from the PFC through executive functioning; the brain does not receive much emotional information and can override emotional sensations IF they are experienced.

2. What is the common experience within the social environment? 

AENS:  Entangled in thoughts and emotions of others, and needing time to unwind, processing information through rumination with techniques of labeling and neutralization.

LNNS:  Not strongly affected by others thoughts or emotions and can take advantage of the various types of dispositions around them through exclusive attention.  They can control others and situations through projecting or denying realities, enforcing beliefs to shape collective situations.

3. Besides cognitive empathy which all people need personality health, what is the greatest need in heartful-mindful practices for an integrated personality?

AENS: The development of appropriate boundaries through appropriate narcissistic traits. Self-focus with dual attention healing, and self-determination.

LNNS: Inclusive awareness in situations, contextual analysis, and loving-kindness compassion towards people having affective empathic experiences.

4. What is the trajectory of mental disorder the nervous system follows?

AENS: Trauma conditions, Autistic traits for dispersing energy, Borderline traits coming from a place of confusion and ego (social-positional) loss.  They take on beliefs of others by accepting projections or denials concerning themselves.

LNNS: Inappropriate narcissistic traits, a false-self creation that legitimizes itself through projecting or denying other people’s realities or situational realities.  They determine reality for other people.

5. In the wake of adverse events that go against one’s desired ideals, such as situations of abuse or loss, is the experience of psychosis (fearful delusion or confusion about matters) or neurosis?  (Neurosis for purposes of UEA MEDS is defined as anxious mental irritability that causes agitation, evoking misplaced anger.)

AENS: Psychosis as a trauma condition, feeling out of control and “taken over” feeling defensive and victimized.

LNNS: Neurosis (defined by UEA MEDS as mental anxiousness, irritability and agitation and evokes conscious displays of anger as a control tactic).  They become an instigator to PFC in-control drama

6.  Under adverse environments, what would be the trajectory of mental health?

AENS:  Trauma, Complex Trauma, and possibly Borderline Personality Disorder or Dissaociative Identity Disorder.

LNNS: Narcissistic Traits, Narcissistic Personality Disorder, Sociopath, Psychopath.

Self-Assessment Questions:

1. Do you feel like a predator or a prey in the social environment?

AENS: Prey

LNNS: Predator

2. Where are the problems originating from in your life?

AENS:  It comes from other people acting badly towards you, giving you problems.

LNNS:  It come from within you because of not being satisfied with the world around you or with the ways other people work.

3. If self-esteem is knowing that you are a good person and are trying hard in the world, and if self-confidence is knowing that you are successful in accomplishing what you want to do in the world, which feeling towards yourself is stronger?

AENS:  Self-esteem. I know I am a good person, despite whether people can see it or not.

LNNS:  Self-confidence.  I know I can be successful in the world in goals and attainments.

4. When people get aggressive toward you, do you feel it strongly in your body and take a long time for your nervous system to reset?

AENS: Yes  (with the exception of BPD-due to right brain shut down/ cognitive dysregulation)

LNNS: No  (with the exception of BPD-due to right brain shut down/cognitive dysregulation.)

5. How do you react to negative feedback?

AENS:  I take it to heart and am disappointed by criticism.

LNNS:  I get charged up and feel revengeful towards the person criticizing.

6. Do you have the autistic traits of self-soothing, habitual coping, or self-harm?

AENS:  Yes, sometimes

LNNS: No.

7. How do you react to other people’s pain?

AENS:  I feel that I mirror their state

LNNS:  I feel detached, annoyed, and can be dismissive.  Sometimes I feel pleasure.

8. If someone finds you biased or judgmental of them what is your reaction?

AENS:  It was implicit, unintentional and I genuinely made a mistake.  I can stand corrected and care more about the relationship than my assumptions.

LNNS:  At best, we can agree to disagree.  The bias is explicit, and determined. Other cases are that “my correctness” is all that I am willing to hear regardless of other information.  If others do not agree, they will always be wrong in my mind.

9. Are you a very emotional person and experience strong affective reactions from other people’s behaviors?

AENS: Yes

LNNS: No

Assessing other Nervous Systems:

1. What is their inappropriate trait expression?

AENS:  Although they mean well and have a good heart, they always make problems and “drive me crazy.”  They are quick to make peace, but the problems are sticky and always replay in the next situation, unable to be resolved on a deeper level.

LNNS:  They are calculated and measured, and if angered “they bite” with a strong unwavering assertion.  They enforce beliefs and will not budge in flexibility.  If they have to end a friendship to be right, they will.  However, if the friendship is worth it, they will correct themselves in a permanent fix and will not repeat the mistake.

2. How do they function in society?

AENS:  They get tired and need time for processing.

LNNS:  They are high functioning and high energy with a good, steady focus.

3. What are the mindlessness characteristics?

AENS:  They get traumatized by others. Drama is unintentional and works against their nervous system and will for achieving goals.  They experience a lot of entanglement with others’ minds and emotions and emotionally ruminate over events.

LNNS:  They project and deny on others intentionally and benefit from the manipulations.  Drama is an intentional strategy that works in favor of their success.  If an event causes them to ruminate, it is purely of the mind for a determined revenge/retaliation. 

4. How is their affective state?

AENS:  They emotionally absorb people’s thoughts and emotions.  They want to please others. 

LNNS:  They are not very permeable to other people’s influences if it is not opportunistic.  They experience emotions for themselves, but not for others.

5. What is their splitting pattern? Internal in their relationship to themselves, or external in creating other people into something that works for them?

AENS: Internal, shifting in their own self-perceptions.

LNNS: External, shifting other people’s perceptions of them and situations.

6. What type of behavioral correction is most needed?

AENS:  Self-determination and learning how to say no, giving to the self rather than others.

LNNS:  Respect for people in where they are at and supporting other people in developing their sense of self.  Having patience for others and not shaming or blaming them.

7. When they display a inappropriate “narcissistic trait” is it a borderline-narcissistic trait or a pure narcissistic trait?

AENS:  It is a borderline-narcissistic trait being acted out of fear and confusion, trying to survive, yet it works against them in repercussions.

LNNS:  It is a pure narcissistic trait being acted out of PFC executive control for dominance with the purpose of strategic gain.  It works in their favor and typically goes without repercussions.