THE NOMADIC PERSONALITY AND IT’S EFFECT ON SOCIETY.

There is an aspect of many people today that remains as an inherent element of their being and it is called the Nomad. The purpose of this article is to describe the Nomad or the aspects of the nomadic personality and list ideas as to how it can serve the person, as well as the greater society, and also list how it can cause self-destructive behaviors and ultimately harm the nomad and the culture he or she lives in.

The Nomad is one, who wanders, in a simple sense. Traditionally speaking, the Nomad was one who traveled for adventure but mostly because resources were limited. They would go wherever there were bartering opportunities, available food and shelter and less environmental turmoil. This adaptive quality served them and kept them alive. It also created a lifestyle that demanded acceptance of change.

Today’s Nomad exhibits behaviors that can be either romanticized or demonized. The desire to seek out change every so-often; a year, 3 years, 7 years, there is no concrete allotment of time that plays into the definition but on average, every few years there is a life-changing situation that occurs. These changes may involve moving into a new house or to a new part of the country or the world, changing jobs or career, sexual partners, spouses and even friends.

Aside from inherent mechanisms, theories as to why the nomadic personality exists are: 1) A heightened sense of purpose. 2) Left-brained dominance. 3) Greater activity in the pre-motor cortex and other planning centers of the brain. 4) The existence of an addictive personality (not necessarily addictions, but the pre-disposition to look for outside stimuli for happiness or to quell fears and/or other unwanted feelings) 5) Learned behaviors such as running from our problems (which I am sure existed in some of the early Nomads) and 6) Neurological hyper-excitation (ADD, ADHD in today’s world) from food sensitivity/allergy, nutritional deficiencies, sensory overload (visual input from watching too much TV, sitting in front of a computer screen for too long or playing excessive video games, etc).

Left-brain dominance may cause some aspects of perfectionism which leads to a chronic unhappiness with whatever comes into one’s life, be it a home, place, or relationship. Those who are left-brain dominant or those who have a heightened sense of purpose (over-active higher brain function or 7th chakra) may learn to see other people, jobs/careers and places all as a means to an end, viewing them objectively and in extremes, with little or no feeling. This allows them to discard or move away from something once the sense of contribution or purpose feels complete.

Greater activity in planning centers, such as the pre-motor cortex, allows for a superior ability to create, especially on the front-end of projects. In extreme cases, these people are the ones who rarely complete any sizeable projects. Their destiny may have been to “run point” or be the advanced scout for long-ago nomadic cultures and in our culture today, the idea-makers, inspirational leaders, muses and so forth.
Addicts, or those with a pre-disposition to addictive behaviors, will often exhibit nomadic tendencies, possibly from the unrest of their afflicted state and overly sensitive neurological system (damaged), and as mentioned above, the likelihood that they are using a substance or behavior to mask the pain or fear of an unwanted situation or of life itself.

There are times where the tendency to wander is from a learned behavior or defense mechanism. For example, many people are accused of “running” from their problems or in other words, doing anything that distracts from what is causing their pain (their issue or issues). This may involve moving, changing jobs, jumping from one relationship to the next; all of these behaviors are both stressful and exhilarating. Stress and excitement of this kind are excellent distractions and allow for the subconscious mind to learn that these behaviors work in making them feel better, thus the behaviors become perpetual until intervention arrives.

There are also external factors that contribute to a diminishment of function of the neurological system as well as poor neuro-transmitter production causing disorders such as ADD and ADHD. When there is a conditioned shortened attention span, the tendency to move from one thing to the next is part of the definition of that person’s existence, at least until appropriate treatment is given. From the natural side of the fence, an example would be to remove any foods to which the person is sensitive or allergic, supplement with amino acids, essential fatty acids and other neuro-transmitter precursors and neurological and energy treatments such as acupuncture or healing touch. Also, remove artificial sweeteners, artificial colors/flavors and preservatives as well as anything which may be causing sensory over-stimulation (minimize TV, computer and electronic gaming).

The nomadic personality or Nomad can be a natural occurrence, conditioned occurrence or it can come from imbalance as was suggested above. It may have both positive and negative outcomes for the Nomad and the people involved in the Nomad’s life. Examples of negative outcomes are: not allowing people to get close, often due to trust, insecurity or superiority issues, hurting those who love them by “running” away or straying from commitment, never reaching full potential, feelings of inferiority, letting other’s down due to lack of follow-through, limited ability to give of oneself so most relationships are superficial, all of which allow for nomadic behavior to continue. When there is no real connection or on-going purpose, it is easy to keep moving on and with each new situation there is renewed hope that true happiness will be found.

Like most everything else in life, the whole picture isn’t bleak. There are positives that arise from the existence of the Nomad such as, the ability to inspire others, seeing the big picture, great imagination and creative energy, acceptance of change, and for those who embrace their nomadic tendencies, staying positive while touching the lives of many people.

Identification of whether there is imbalance or whether one’s nomadic personality is a natural component is important as those who are imbalanced are often unhappy or struggle with their sense of self, while those who are “born” Nomads are more often content and find successful avenues of expression while in-turn avoid the pit-falls of revolving door emotions and relationships. Of course, in looking at both the causes and the Nomads themselves, it is quite possible to be a Nomad due to both reasons.

Whether one is a Nomad due to imbalance or both imbalance and natural causes, it is important to treat the imbalance to insure that there is the greatest chance of achieving success and happiness instead of being mired in neurological issues, hyper-activity, inability to concentrate, avoidance of problems and emotional issues, many of which may exist due to food and/or environmental sensitivities or allergies.

Seek out the help of a competent natural health Practitioner who may help you achieve balance at which point it will become a clearer picture. You will be able to better recognize WHO YOU ARE and you will be more focused and more motivated to become WHO YOU WANT TO BE. If you are a natural-born Nomad, embrace your true self and “saddle-up.”

Paul Gerst L.Ac., C.Ht. developed The Paragon System which is a systematized approach to treating chronic inflammatory and chronic degenerative health problems.