Reclaiming Your Power: Understanding the Emotional Mind

🧠 Let’s Be Honest: Sometimes It Feels Like We Have Two Brains

Let’s start with a truth most people won’t say out loud:

Sometimes, I feel like I have two brains—and one of them is slightly unhinged.

You ever find yourself saying something you instantly regret? Or panicking about something that logically doesn’t even matter? Or maybe you’re calm one second… and irrationally angry the next?

Well, welcome to your inner jungle.

Because The Chimp Paradox by Dr. Steve Peters explains that you’re not crazy—you’re just human. And part of being human means sharing your headspace with a wild, emotional machine called the Chimp.

🐒 So, What Is the Chimp?

According to Peters, your brain has three key players:

1. The Human – the logical, rational, thoughtful you
2. The Chimp – your emotional, impulsive, fight-or-flight brain
3. The Computer – your memory bank, habits, and auto-responses

The Chimp isn’t bad—it’s just not always helpful. It was designed to protect you, to sense danger, to react quickly. The problem is… it can’t tell the difference between a lion chasing you and a slightly passive-aggressive text message.

So while your Human might be calmly thinking, “Let’s have a mature conversation,”
your Chimp is already screaming, “RUN. HIDE. DELETE THEIR NUMBER.”

Sound familiar?

🌱 Why This Matters

We often beat ourselves up for our anger, fear, anxiety—or any emotion that feels “too much.” But those reactions aren’t signs of weakness. They’re signs of an untamed Chimp running the show.

That inner beast—the one that panics, lashes out, or tells you you’re not good enough—isn’t trying to ruin your life. It’s trying to protect you.

If we don’t acknowledge, understand, and learn to manage the Chimp, it will continue to control our thoughts, behaviors, and decisions. It’s the same Chimp that says you can’t do something because of a limitation, disability, or past failure.

But here’s the key:
To break free from the Chimp’s grip, your Human self has to get back in the driver’s seat.
It’s not about shutting the Chimp down—it’s about taming it.

💡 A Personal Note

So when you’re blind like me—or living with a disability, a limitation, or just some heavy life challenges—that inner voice that whispers:

“You can’t.”
“You’re not ready.”
“It’s safer to stay small.”

Yeah, that’s your Chimp talking.

It might sound harsh, but it’s not trying to hurt you—it’s trying to protect you from pain, failure, embarrassment, or rejection. That voice is rooted in fear, not truth. And recognizing that is step one.

For today, just notice the voice. Don’t fight it.
Simply acknowledge it and say:

“Hey Chimp, I see you. But I’ve got this.”

It’s not crazy—it’s human.
And in the next blog post, we’ll dive deeper into why your Chimp acts this way and how to calm it without losing your mind in the process.