08/28/2026
Shenpa
Inspired by Seth Godin’s book the Linchpin and Pema Chodron, shenpa is a word that roughly means scratching the itch. Think about it a small itch gets scratched which makes it itch more, so you scratch more until you are literally in pain. Anxiety. That’s the lizard brain (amygdala), fight, flight or freeze response. A more descriptive translation might be "hooked” (that’s how we refer to it at Y Mind). It’s sticky. It’s an everyday experience. It can involve interactions with other people. It matters what the herd thinks of you. It’s a baked in response, instinctual. The lizard brain wants to strike out or flee and influences the rest of your brain that desires achievement, connection and grace. It is a part of the sauce that flavours your life experiences. That is the challenge.
“Shenpa thrives on the underlying insecurity of living in a world that is always changing. We experience this insecurity as a background of slight unease or restlessness. We all want some kind of relief from that unease, so we turn to what we enjoy--food, alcohol, drugs, s*x, work or shopping. In moderation what we enjoy might be very delightful. We can appreciate its taste and its presence in our life. But when we empower it with the idea that it will bring us comfort, that it will remove our unease, we get hooked.” ~Pema Chodron
The quiet strength it takes to sit with the squirming lizard, sit with the itch. Don’t get stuck in the lizard cycle of preening and fear. Withstand the urge, take care of yourself when surfing the urge, the result can be a wave of confidence, the lizard realizes that you aren’t going to change your position and it quiets down.
Define what is important to you like art, brave action and generosity. Share it with humanity. It changes what you choose to do
Come join us this fall and we can explore shenpa.
https://vancouverislandy.com/program-services/community-health/mental-wellness/
