Talk Rx by Neha Sangwan

Author:Neha Sangwan
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Hay House
Published: 2015-04-12T16:00:00+00:00

WHAT’S THE HIJACK?

Biologically, your brain is hardwired to seek pleasure and avoid pain, so your natural reflex is to escape feelings of discomfort. This reflex is created by the amygdala, an almond-shaped mass deep inside the brain. Here’s how it works:

You are continuously taking in information externally and internally. Incoming data pass through the thalamus, which you can think of as a central processing station for your brain. It’s the hub—kind of like Chicago is for United Airlines. All planes land there first, and then they are routed to their next destination. The thalamus sorts information and sends incoming data to your frontal cortex (the thinking part of the brain), where you make sense of it. This is where your critical thinking skills lead to the stories in your head. Then the information travels to your amygdala, which is your emotional center. A special section of the amygdala stores memories of your past, including all of your emotional trauma. The amygdala compares the present experience with past experiences and identifies similar patterns.

It is not by chance that your amygdala sits next door to your thalamus and eavesdrops on incoming information. If information flows through the normal routes dictated by the thalamus, you will process your thoughts and emotions clearly. On the other hand, if the information coming in resembles a past traumatic experience, this communication loop can be short-circuited by the amygdala. The amygdala hijacks the information from the thalamus and doesn’t let it go to the thinking part of your brain (cortex). Yes, the amygdala hijacks the incoming data, taking your emotions and response as hostage. It doesn’t allow the cortex to make sense of it before responding.

An amygdala hijack results in an out-of-proportion response to what’s happening in the present moment. So it’s easy to recognize when you or someone else has been hijacked.

Let’s play make-believe. Suppose when you were two years old, you were bitten by the black poodle that lived next door. You were small, and the dog looked big. It scared you silly, and you cried and cried. You might have even bled. Now, fast-forward 40 years. You go to a new friend’s house. When he opens the door holding a black poodle, you let out an abrupt, “Oh my gosh!” as you jump back and brace yourself.

Your new friend would certainly be confused at the strength of your reaction when he was just expecting a hello. He’s not the only one who might be taken aback. You might be, too, especially if you don’t consciously remember the childhood incident with the dog. But even if you don’t remember, I promise you, your amygdala does!

This explains why I woke up my neighbors yelling, “I am not a baby!” When Ritu called me a baby, it triggered my amygdala with the memory of my desperately vying for my sister’s love and attention, an effort that was repeatedly thwarted by one simple statement: “Babies aren’t allowed to play with big kids.” For years I had wanted to stand up to my sister, and now it all came up, like verbal vomit.

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