01/29/2026
States driven by control, dominance, or the need to overpower are typically rooted in threat physiology, heightened stress responses, sympathetic activation, and a system bracing against perceived danger. Power, in this sense, is often compensation for a lack of internal safety.
Love, by contrast, is not sentimental or abstract. It correlates with regulation. When the nervous system feels safe, parasympathetic pathways activate, allowing for connection, empathy, discernment, and calm authority rather than force. In regulated states, there is no need to dominate, clarity and coherence replace control.
Jung’s insight points to a biological truth: what we call “love” emerges naturally when the system is no longer defending itself. Power struggles fade when inner stability is restored, because nothing needs to be protected or proven.
This reframes love not as a fleeting emotion, but as a positive state of being, one that supports presence, clarity, and grounded leadership without force.
Where in your life might regulation soften the need for control?