The Amygdala and How it Affects Emotions

I was reading a book last week, Culture of Honor by Danny Silk and right in the middle of an emotional description between two people, I saw this word 'Amygdala'. Since I had no idea what this was and it seemed to be a really important reference in the paragraph, I went to Google and Wikipedia. What I found out is nothing short of amazing for those people who have no explanation of certain outbreaks or angers and fears that they might have.

The Amygdala is a behavior mechanism that every human being has which sits right atop the brain stem, behind the eyes. This mechanism is about the size of an almond, and yet it has the ability to manipulate the entire body with its stored impulses. Counselors refer to it as a defense and fear mechanism because it is what triggers the brain to react or not react to protect that person from perceived oncoming danger. Imagine if a tiger was coming at you, your Amygdala would offer an alarm which would hit the brain stem, which in turn would set off the proper responses for you to turn and run!

Very important job and very needed, when the Amygdala is operating in perfect order. But how many people are raised in perfect circumstances? Not too many. So when the situations of childhood are less than perfect, and our emotions and reactions suffer while the emotions go unattended and uncared for, what we have as the result is road rage, children shooting other children, abuse, rejection and the like. All are the roots of a mis-perceived impression in the brain. This can be changed with proper treatment.

This almond sized organ is responsible for determining what is danger to us, what we allow to get close to us, and this also includes other people. It keeps record of how we may have been hurt in the past, and it causes us to react in the same way every time the situation comes up again. It also remembers anything that is a threat to us. This is what it is designed to do until it gets damaged and twisted. We need this detection device and that is the job of the Amygdala, but if it gets wrong information, as in abuse or with other lies, then it can't perform correctly anymore and it causes fear and trauma which can result in mental deficiencies.

As adults, though, we don't want to hold onto those old reactions that aren't working for us any longer, like flying into a fit of anger like when you were still 3. Society won't accept it. The good news is that if you become aware, you don't have to hang on to those emotions if you don't want to. You are able to find recovery for the Amygdala by retracing your emotions when they go off track and re-training them not to be defensive in a certain situations. Everything can be OK and you are choosing to grow past that hurt. This is an amazing breakthrough! And if you would like to know more about this Operant Training, please consult a behavioral therapist. Old things have passed away - All things have become new is a great motto.

Resources:
www.wikipedia.com
http://www.articledashboard.com/Article/Reducing-Your-Stress-Levels-By-Retraining-The-Amygdala-At-Home/242729