We like to think we are in the driver’s seat of our own brains.

We believe we are certainly superior to animals when it comes to our responses in various stressful situations.

To consider our reactions as ‘programmed’ though might sound alarming.

That’s right. Animals experiencing the equivalent stress factor as humans showed the same response as we do and it can be traced to the central nucleus of a very small almond shaped piece of our brain called the amygdala which is known as an emotional sentient in what work it does. Not to mention that the name ‘amygdala’ sounds more like a rare kind of salamander.

Meet George our example.

The stress response is predictable.

This is because it includes fast breathing, a racing heart and heightened blood pressure. It shows in the eyes as pupils dilate, perspiration increases and we might feel nauseous and experience indigestion as our stomachs clench and blood quickly rushes away from our faces.

We know of the fight or flight response under stressful situations but what of the freeze response?

No, we’re not talking snowmen in winter or shivering near an open fire trying to warm up either.

These three responses, flight, fight or freeze are made up of an intense mixture of adrenaline and cortisol and spring up from the subconscious.

The amygdala, though such a little wee thing, kicks a larger bite then the rest of the brain with this, knowing precisely what the situation is within a fraction of a second and signaling danger! The beauty of this is that the amygdala works without waiting for the rest of the brain to catch up.

Its ability to identify a threat or deem it as safe happens before the same information is still being processed by other brain sections. - What the?

If the amygdala is so lifesaving then why do people with anxiety have difficulty with interpretation of its signals?

It all has to do with recognition.

When the body undergoes stress response in one of the three ways - Fight, Flight or Freeze, and the amygdala has sprung into action, then when what’s experienced is processed by the rest of the brain beyond that, we either recognize what is happening or we misinterpret it. People with anxiety disorders are often stuck in a vicious cycle of disordered interpretation.

There can be many reasons for that depending on past traumas experienced in a person’s life. The brain doesn’t forget, it learns and adapts.

If somebody for example endured being caught in bush fires and it was a horrific ordeal, then whenever there is a bush fire warning, that same person might now have an anxiety response that’s quite extreme opposed to somebody else who hasn’t and is able to rationalize that a fire warning asks for a state of preparedness rather then a belief that death is highly likely. So, recognizing the body’s responses to a perceived threat is necessary and understanding anxiety triggers based on past events can allow a person to start rewiring their reactions to the initial speedy state of alertness caused by the amygdala.

“When my child was just 3 years old, the next-door neighbors - a house of university students - decided to pull an all-nighter.

There was loud talking, thumping music, obnoxious laughter and the unsettling sound of smashing beer bottles on our roof and at our back door.

The reveling got more and more outlandish including the tossing over the fence into our yard of a fresh human fecal log. Talk about stomach churning.

The commotion went on like this for hours, so nobody got any sleep, least of all my small child. A complaint was registered with the local authorities who informed me to knock on the neighbor’s door to come to an arrangement with a house full of drunken idiots. - How ‘bout no.

My stance quickly changed though when my beautiful three-year-old, unbeknownst to me, decided to follow me outside the back door when I went to inspect the latest clang and crash on our side of the fence. I had literally just checked and supposed they were asleep in bed before my tentatively venturing outside into the war zone again, except here my little person came, padding quietly up to my leg to see what I was doing and, SMASH!

Another beer bottle came hurtling over the high fence, missing my child by mere millimeters and exploding on my thonged foot instead.

In an instant blur of action everything changed.

Somehow, I found myself on top of that high dividing fence between our yards, having scaled it with such precision it didn’t register, and there I sat glaring over and down at the sea of red sweaty partygoers like a harpy eagle, talons ready.

About twenty faces on that opposing side jumped to attention at the commanding, robust voice that came streaming out of my mouth like breaking news, addressing the stupidity and blatant irresponsibility of those hoping on degrees from their schooling. I roared like a volcano; I sat perched effortlessly like a massive tarantula.

I became invincible over them nearly killing my child.

One minute I felt quietly distressed, not wanting to engage, the next I was superman.

The strength and resilience that filled my veins, unmistakable.

The precise clarity and focus pinpointed so specifically nobody could say a word against it. A moment of pure action-taking wonder thanks to the amygdala.” *

When the programmed danger response is activated, there is no time to think, weigh up or wonder. The resulting action just happens. Programmed.

*credit to original source individual by arrangement.

by X.Geis