1. Security

Fear is the foundation of safety.

- Tertullian

The cortex of an unborn baby’s brain develops around six months, making it highly likely that we were conscious before birth. While we may not have explicit memories of our time in the womb, what we experienced nonetheless remains deeply entrenched.

During these formative months, we adopt our mother’s state, sensing much of what she experiences in the outside world. If our mother is overwhelmed, the stress hormones in her system will invade and put us on high alert. As a result, her anxiety becomes imprinted in us at a cellular level. We curl our hands and feet while tensing our tiny body to resist the fear seeping in.

This ‘armouring’ of our bodies is a way of withstanding the stress of our environment, and it can remain with us indefinitely. The plus side is that we survive, the minus side being that we can never truly relax....