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THE HEALTH | NOVEMBER , 2022
| Opinion |
The amygdala hijack
Understand how your brain responds to psychological threats such as the pressures and stress of modern life , work , and relationships
BY TONY PEREIRA
IF YOU watched the 2022 Oscars , you would have been introduced to the concept of the amygdala hijack . The amygdala is a small part of the brain located in the limbic system .
Its function is similar to the “ panic button ” in a car park or the “ break glass ” emergency button in a building . When the brain identifies a stressful situation , be it physical or non-physical ; real or perceived , the amygdala is activated and will send a signal to another part of the brain called the reptilian brain on how to respond to the threat .
When the amygdala is activated , it shuts down the rest of the brain . The reptilian brain will send an order to the body to fight , flee or freeze from the danger , whether real or perceived .
Every day , our amygdala is activated several times . For example , when driving and another car cuts in , there may be a moment of anger - that is the amygdala being activated . Or , if you get an email that annoys you and you respond immediately and later regret how you responded , that is another example of the amygdala hijacking the rest of the brain and informing the reptilian brain to respond .
The smart part of the brain is the prefrontal cortex . This is where logical thinking and complex problem-solving take place . However , when the amygdala is activated , this part of the brain is shut down .
Understanding the infamous altercation
The infamous altercation between Chris Rock and Will Smith at the 2022 Oscars earlier this year is a perfect example of the amygdala hijack and the response of the reptilian brain . The reptilian brain is located at the back of our head , as indicated in the image . This is what happened at the Oscars .
You can see when Rock first cracks the joke about Smith ’ s wife , Smith laughs but his wife is not amused . At some point , Smith must have been made aware that his wife was upset .
It is at this point the amygdala has taken over control of Smith ’ s brain . You can see the
HERE ARE some tips on recognising which option the reptilian brain has chosen to pursue in a stressful or perceived threat situation . Remember , the amygdala cannot differentiate between real and perceived threats ( this is where with practice , one can override the reptilian brain ).
If a person is in flee mode , his or her voice will quiver . It is an indication that the person really does not want to be there at that point in time .
There will be involuntary body
anger on Smith ’ s face . The message sent by the reptilian brain is to fight . Hence Smith walks on stage and delivers the slap to Rock .
What does Rock do ? His amygdala has also hijacked the rest of the brain for a moment . The signal sent by his reptilian brain is to freeze . But being the experienced presenter that Rock is , he overcomes the reptilian brain and cracks another joke .
The amygdala is an important stress and danger monitoring system . It works with the reptilian brain to be our first-order defence system . However , we should also learn how to override the reptilian brain because it cannot differentiate between real and perceived danger .
Imagine an office setting where a staff member is upset with something and storms into the room of another colleague and starts shouting . The amygdala of the other colleague will shut down all the other parts of the brain .
The reptilian brain will issue an order to the rest of the body on how to respond - and it will be one of three - fight , flee or freeze . But it may not necessarily be the right response .
We need to learn how to overcome the reptilian brain and use the executive part of our brain , the prefrontal cortex which applies logic and reasoning to each situation . There are a couple of ways to override the reptilian brain .
movement . For example , the individual will not be able to look the other person in the eye ; might start sweating ; eyes will flicker faster than normal ; might even cover his / her face without realising it . These are all signs that the person is in flee mode .
If the person is in fight mode , the tone of the voice will increase ; the person will glare at the other and might even move towards the other in a threatening though not violent way . This is probably the easiest mode to recognise .
Finally , in the freeze mode ,
Deciding how to respond
The technique I use is to have a trigger phrase when I want to wrest control of the reptilian brain . The phrase I use is “ activate filter ”.
I say this to myself when I feel the amygdala has shut down the other parts of the brain . When I say the phrase “ activate filer ”, the circuitry between the amygdala and reptilian is broken .
I then analyse the situation and decide how to respond . This is where the prefrontal cortex takes over . But this approach takes time to develop . The first few times , I failed and let the reptilian brain control the situation . But with practice , I now can override the reptilian brain most times .
The other technique that can be used is a technique known as box breathing . This is a technique used by the US navy seals when under stress . With box breathing , one inhales for four counts , pause for four counts , exhale for four counts , and pause for four counts . Repeat this five times and it will calm the reptilian brain and enable you to wrest control back .
The reptilian brain is not all bad , though . When physically threatened , its best to let the reptilian brain make decisions . I recall a time in London many years ago when I was attacked .
At that time , I had no knowledge of how the brain worked and simply fled . Some years later , I was attacked by two burly guys just outside my home when taking an evening walk .
This time my reptilian brain sent a message to fight . I never could explain why in this instance I fought back . It was only recently that I understood why the reptilian brain asked me to fight .
I was attacked on a hill . There was no scenario where I could have escaped from my attackers who were on a motorbike . The amygdala sensed this and , in a millisecond , communicated with the reptilian brain and the order was “ fight ”. It was the right response .
The amygdala is activated also when we are anxious about something . Perhaps you are about to give a major presentation or have an important discussion about performance . These are examples of when the amygdala may shut down the other parts of your brain .
You need to have a method to overcome the amygdala hijack . The amygdala is also activated when in conflict at work or at home - with colleagues or with family . If we know how to recognise when the amygdala has been activated in a person , we can manage the situation more effectively . – The Health
Tony Pereira is an Independent Consultant and Founder of SuperTrouper365
Recognising which option to take
the individual may start getting emotional ; the breathing will get shallow or heavy ; the person may not even be able to respond to simple questions .
If you are a leader in your organisation , you need to know how your team responds when under stress . Learn about your team . Observing them is a good way to understand how they respond .
But also write down how you respond whenever the amygdala is hijacked . Keep a journal . That is how you learn to override the amygdala .