slow learner

As I was reading a book about the neurobiology of attachment, I came across the following: "Moreover, in order to remain in a state of relative stability, people need to learn to engage in sustained activities without being distracted by irrelevant stimuli. The organism needs to learn from experience and to be able to entertain a range of alternatives without becoming disorganized, or acting upon them" (van der Kolk, 2003, p. 179).

At that very moment, I looked over at Isabelle, who is lying near my desk on my fleece jacket on the futon. She was curled up in a ball, trying to catch her tail and was at it a good ten minutes. She's been doing this for ten years. So much for animal evolution.


*Kolk, B. van der (2003). Posttraumatic stress disorder and the nature of trauma. In M. F. Solomon & D. J. Siegel (Eds.), Healing trauma: Attachment, mind, body, and brain (pp. 168-195). New York: W. W. Norton.