Do you remember when I was writing the Healing Plan how many times I mentioned the amygdala in blog posts? I felt like I was saying it constantly!
Essentially, the amygdala is a part of our ‘old’ brain that helps control our emotional responses, especially fear ones. I was saying that, if we experience trauma as a child – so-called ACEs (adverse childhood experiences) – as I did, the amygdala switch can sort of be set too high as the brain is developing. That’s a very layman’s way of saying it, but you get the gist, I’m sure. I was always on about techniques to calm the amygdala, to reset it so that it didn’t see trauma in normal, everyday things – like food, chemicals, events, people etc.
Anyway, I took two years to calm mine down and I then became a lot less sensitive to stuff, a lot less reactive generally. I then took my eye off the ball in excitement and found I had to go back to some of those techniques recently – and have again been far less sensitive for the past year as a result. Fingers crossed. Lesson learned anyway, and I now do my meditation, yoga nidra and brain training more again in case!
I saw a piece today from Invivo on this topic and thought I would share it to remind us.
How to stop your amygdala from hijacking your emotions Amygdala hijack, a term rooted in neuroscience, explains why our emotional responses can sometimes overwhelm us or others, even in response to seemingly innocuous situations. The amygdala brain region, responsible for processing emotions and memories, has a central role in this phenomenon.
Sometimes, the amygdala can perceive a threat based on past experiences, impulsively seizing control of our emotional response. By practising self-awareness and fostering curiosity, there is a way to help manage these heightened emotional responses, and build healthier relationships with ourselves.
Invivo Newsletter
You can read the article and tips they are referring to here in Big Think.