THE EMOTIONAL BRAIN AND ANXIETY

Do You know WHY You Suffer from Anxiety-Related Disorders? 

Recent brain research by leading neuroscientists like Joseph LeDoux (pictured below) using fMRI's - moving pictures of the emotional brain (amygdala) - while experiencing anxiety and panic, tells us why.  Let me explain:

1. Your anxiety and distress are the result of something in the "here and now" triggering a protein that was stored in the amygdala (emotional brain) during an earlier fearful event, one you may - or more often may not - remember. The original fear-invoking event can be as simple as experiencing a circumcision without anesthesia, having your face caught in a pillow and not being able to breath, hearing your parents argue loudly with each other or having a parent berate you. These fearful events unleash a flood of chemicals in the brain that undergo protein synthesis and are then stored.

2. When this protein is triggered, you experience the same feelings you had during the original event.  These feelings can be and often are terrifying. Remember, the original event usually occurred when you were very small, vulnerable, and incapable of caring for yourself.  What you are feeling during a panic attack is a replica of what you felt then.

3. Now, as an adult, these feelings are confusing since you in all likelihood have no memory of the original event.  The fear seems to come from nowhere, and, not understanding where it came from, you may rationalize, tell yourself you shouldn't feel that way or attribute your feelings to the trigger - what happened just before you had the panic attack - rather than to the original event. You might lash out at the person you are with, blaming their words for your pain.  You might begin to isolate yourself or try to control other people and your world in order to protect yourself from further panic attacks.

4. Until you get rid of the protein that is stored in the brain from these past events, you may continue to attract and be attracted to dysfunctional relationships and life crises. This is called "repetition compulsion" in psychiatric circles.

Did you know that healing your emotional brain (amygdala) will do far more than bring you emotional relief? 

The amygdala, the source of your fear, panic attacks and chronic anxiety, is also responsible for your happiness, the life choices you make and contributes substantially to your physical health, even your weight.  It is responsible for a wide array of critical life functions - and by some estimates, 80 - 90% of our success in life.  It is in charge of (among other things):

• saving your life

• selecting and managing healthy relationships

• making decisions

• guiding you to careers and your life's mission

• helping you know when someone is lying and trying to manipulate you

• empathy, altruism, and the ability to raise your children in a healthy environment

• intuition

• the ability to discern what is true from what is rationalization

The amygdala is, in fact, so fast, so powerful, and so complex, that it is nearly impossible to control it with your rational brain.  In order to restore your emotional brain to full functioning, you need to learn its rules and its language which is feelings-based, instead of verbal, and cooperate with it, instead of fight it (which is what the rational brain so often tries to do).