Discharging the Loyal Soldier to Become Authentic Man

In a past blog I said that ‘Loyal Soldier’ (Plotkin, 2003) is the games our ‘false self’ taught to play in order for one to feel safe, loved and accepted by the most important people in one’s life - the parents at the beginning, and later goes to spouses, peers, co-workers and bosses. One of the main strategies used by him among men is to “restrict their range of feeling by encouraging us to always be in charge, busy, angry, ruthless, withdrawn, and/or numb; and surpassing our intelligence, talent, enthusiasm, sensuality, and wildness by locking up these qualities in an inaccessible corner of our psyches”.

Plotkin reveals that the Loyal Soldier’s adamant is this: “it is better to be suppressed or inauthentic or small than socially isolated or emotionally crushed - dead” (2003, p.93). Clearly, the loyal soldier is of vital importance to survive in the system we live in. It is not all that bad. It becomes a problem when one lives all his life according to the Loyal Soldier’s strategies.

Another authority on the subject, Thomas Keating, call this strategy as the Emotional Happiness Program, but for now, let’s stay with the term loyal soldier.

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The term loyal soldier is originated from a “World War II epilog, where hundreds of Japanese marines and soldiers who survived shipwrecks or plane crashes in the Pacific found themselves stranded, alone or in small groups, on uninhabited or sparsely settled islands. Some of them managed to endure despite extreme conditions and severe social-cultural isolation”. They were discovered several years after the end of the war, which they struggled to believe, “because their loyalty to the cause was what had kept them alive all those years” (2003, p.92).

The process of discharging is hard and feels like death. It is as Rohr says “to let go of the Loyal Soldier is like a severe death and an exile from your first base”. The retirement only happens after great confrontations like love, death, suffering, subtlety, mystery, and others. Therefore, when compared to our inner journey, our Super Ego will struggle and suffer to understand that he is not needed anymore, that his services and strategies are no longer necessary. That it is time to the Super Ego (or Loyal Soldier) to retire. The Ego will fight as hard as he can to prove he is still worthy.

That is the point where the symptoms of depression, anxiety, PTSD, and suicide comes up, revealing something deep inside is disconnected, in chaos, confused, facing an unbearable unknown future. The process of retirement or of discharge the Loyal Soldier needs to be initiated.

Want to work the retiring of your platoon of loyal soldiers? Book a session now below:

Once you make a decision to embrace the work of discharging your loyal soldier, it is imperative to journey along someone who has been doing this journey for a while, and have large experience on it.

I am a Seasoned Executive & Life Coach from Brazil. My formal education is a Masters in Psychotherapy and Counselling, and I have been working with men for more than a decade taking them through the most important Masculine Themes specially discharging the loyal soldier so the can start living their Authentic Life™.  

I am a psychotherapist with more than 1500 hours registered with a powerful specialisation in Trauma therapy - TRTP.

My major purpose in life is to lead people to their Authentic Life™ - a life from inside out! A life based in your personal and professional experiences.

If you believe I can help you, please go ahead and book a session below.

"Felipe's tailored approach quickly brings meaningful change. His warm, approachable manner made our sessions comfortable. He emphasizes living an authentic life, encouraging genuine self-expression over conforming to others' expectations. His guidance helped me overcome deep-rooted trauma, leading to a healthier, more healing path. I strongly recommend Felipe to anyone seeking transformative life changes".

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