When survival takes over our perception
Sometimes Protect Mode doesn’t just activate —
it takes over.
This is what we call Mode Hijack.
A Mode Hijack happens when a present moment feels too similar to a past threat, and the nervous system reacts as if the danger is happening again.
You might notice:
- sudden anger or shutdown
- difficulty thinking clearly
- feeling attacked by neutral words
- wanting to escape or control
- interpreting everything as criticism
- a sense that “something is wrong”
This isn’t overreaction.
It’s the body trying to protect you from something it learned long ago.
Threat Lock
Threat Lock is what happens when Mode Hijack becomes chronic.
The body learns:
“Safety is rare. Protection is safer than connection.”
So even small signals feel like danger.
Threat Lock can look like:
- always scanning for tone
- feeling unsafe when someone is calm
- reacting fast, even when you don’t want to
- confusing discomfort with danger
- needing distance to feel stable
- struggling to trust closeness
Threat Lock is not personality.
It is a nervous system adaptation — a body that hasn’t felt safe enough, for long enough, to relax out of survival.
The good news is:
with awareness and consistent safety, the lock can loosen.
Mode awareness is the key that begins this shift.
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