The Impulse Map – Toward and Away
- Andy Audet
- Oct 14
- 2 min read
Impulse: The First Spark of Movement
Before you form a thought, before you set an intention, your body is already leaning. Toward connection. Away from harm.
This is the nervous system at its rawest level — the spark of life-force that directs every action.
When Toward Gets Twisted
In its pure form, the Toward impulse draws us into connection, love, curiosity, creation. It’s the pull toward what nourishes.
But when it’s distorted, the same movement gets tangled.
Connection turns into people-pleasing.
Curiosity turns into chasing.
Love turns into neediness or proving worth. You’re still moving Toward — but at the cost of losing yourself.
When Away Gets Twisted
At its best, the Away impulse is about discernment. Stepping back from what drains you. Protecting your energy.
Drawing a healthy boundary.But distortion changes its nature:
Boundaries collapse into avoidance.
Stepping back becomes freezing.
Discernment hardens into rejection — of others or of self. You’re still moving Away — but in a way that disconnects you from life.
An Example from the Body
A client arrives with back pain. Testing shows their Toward impulse is locked in over-gripping: spasms pulling the lumbar spine. Their Away impulse is twisted into avoidance: disconnecting from the pelvis.
Correcting the distortion doesn’t erase the impulse. It frees it. The back can relax. The pelvis can carry weight. The nervous system can move cleanly again.
The shift isn’t “removing” impulses — it’s giving them back their pristine form.
Why This Matters Beyond the Body
The same is true emotionally. Toward becomes over-giving in relationships. Away becomes isolation.
When impulses are distorted, life feels like mud work — effortful, sticky, repetitive.
When impulses are clean, life flows again. Choices feel natural. Boundaries feel easy. Energy feels free.
From Distortion to Flow
Impulse is never wrong. It’s distortion that bends it.Awareness straightens it.Being restores it to its original clarity.
This is the map:
Toward = curiosity, connection, creation.
Away = discernment, safety, clarity.
Both are needed. Both are sacred.
When restored, they stop being a tug-of-war and return to being the simple, reliable compass of your life-force.
So next time you catch yourself grasping, chasing, avoiding, or collapsing — pause.
Ask yourself:
What is the pure impulse beneath this distortion?
You may find it was always simple: a Toward wanting to connect, or an Away wanting to protect.
And when you let it return to that simplicity, the mud clears. Flow begins again.
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