How to understand ‘your two siblings’
The amygdala, marked in blue, is a key player with ‘not so smart and older sibling’. By contrast, the pre-frontal cortex plays a large part in creating meaning within our ‘smarter, but younger sibling’.
When these two work together well, our ultradian rhythm, with a cycle of between 90 and 120 minutes, will flow fluently and easily. When the two struggle, and that will commonly arise, then we can expect to experience the well documented symptoms of stress, including anxiety, reduced impulse control and poor memory function. Bear in mind the key point that not so smart and older sibling may be less smart but its the faster of the two to react. For that reason, it is difficult to use ‘logic’ to get yourself out of stress-related problems. Logic is not enough and therapy is about helping the not-so-smart sibling slow down and appreciate that it may be reacting at an ‘unhelfpul’ time.
If you bear in mind that the not so smart sibling was ruling the roost for millions of years, and then that upstart smarter sibling arrived so comparitively recently, then it is not difficult to see that tension and conflict will arise. Do you find it easy to live with the different values, ideas and wishes of your close relatives!!