Category Archives: IPNB of Hierarchy
Why Conversations End When You Expose the Hierarchy
A few months ago, I agreed to a podcast interview with a prominent pain specialist, someone widely known for using Stellate Ganglion Blocks (SGBs) to treat people diagnosed with PTSD. He states that the shot works fast, with people often … Continue reading
Posted in IPNB of Hierarchy
Tagged Complex PTSD, hierarchy, pain specialist, podcast, SGB, SGB4PTSD, Trauma
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Welfare Systems Trap the Nervous System and Hold People Down
A friend also lives with severe Complex PTSD rooted in extreme developmental trauma. They are profoundly disabled by it, not because they are incapable or unmotivated, but because their nervous system learned very early that survival required constant vigilance. The … Continue reading
Posted in IPNB of Hierarchy
Tagged hierarchy, social services, support, systems, welfare
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The Gilded Age Values of the Modern Mental Illness Industry
The dominant culture continues to enforce many of the values of the Gilded Age, especially those related to economic inequality, individual responsibility, and the criminalization of marginalized groups. While there have been some advances in social justice, the structures of … Continue reading
Posted in IPNB of Hierarchy, Mental Health
Tagged Behavioral Health, Guilded Age, hirarchy, industrialists, Mental Health, mental illness, status quo
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The Brilliance of Being Free: What the DuPonts Can Teach Us About Inequality
I recently took a tour of the Nemours Estate, and from the very first room, the docents kept repeating the same line: “The DuPonts were brilliant. Absolutely brilliant.” The first time they said it, they were talking about AI DuPont … Continue reading
Posted in IPNB of Hierarchy
Tagged brilliance, brilliant, DuPont, environment, estate, genius, Inequality, mansion, Nemours, privilege, wealth
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Why Hierarchy Is the Problem
Hierarchy creates the separation that promotes contempt, which is the breeding ground of cruelty. From an Interpersonal Neurobiology perspective, hierarchy disrupts the natural processes of connection, safety, and co-regulation that support human well-being. In relationships or systems where hierarchy dominates, … Continue reading
Posted in IPNB of Hierarchy
Tagged Domination, harm, hierarchy, power, reciprocity, separation
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The Patriarch’s Ledger: A Tale of Power and Estrangement
Several years ago, my brother told me that he intended to leave his multi-million dollar estate to my sister, me, and our female children, because he understood that women are at a disadvantage in this culture. It struck me as … Continue reading
Posted in Family, IPNB of Hierarchy
Tagged alienation, brother, Domination, estate, family, interpersonal neurobiology, IPNB, money, no contact, patriarchy
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Hidden in Plain Sight: Predators, Power, and the Systems That Shelter Them
I didn’t set out to study the neurobiology of predators. I got there by surviving them. My interest in this work comes from a long history of being harmed by people in power, capped by what is known as “The … Continue reading
The President Parenting Our Nation
Our nervous systems respond to leaders the same way we react to people who hold power in our lives, especially caregivers when we were young. That’s because our bodies and brains develop in the context of relationships. Safety, connection, and … Continue reading
Posted in IPNB of Hierarchy
Tagged alloparenting, America, Donald Trump, hierarchy, parenting, President, Trump, Trump Administration, USA
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The True Cost of a Billionaire Wedding
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez’s wedding celebrations in Venice are estimated to cost $46,000,000 to $56,000,000. This includes the multi-day event, hosting celebrity guests, and associated expenses. The couple and their guests are staying at the Aman Venice hotel, where … Continue reading
Posted in IPNB of Hierarchy, The Billionaire Class
Tagged Amazon, Bezos, Billionaire, billionaires, fairness, Inequality, instability, Jeff Bezos, Marriage, Venice, wedding
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The Neurobiology of No Kings Day
No Kings Day protests are fundamentally about reclaiming agency, restoring dignity, and strengthening collective regulation in the face of perceived threat, domination, or injustice. When people gather to protest something they believe undermines shared values like democracy, accountability, or basic … Continue reading