Hijacking of the Amygdala
by Joshua Freedman
This is what happens in your brain when you get really mad
-- or really anything!
The routes from sensation to action are depicted in
this brain. The journey begins with sensation -- in this
case vision -- which is routed to the thalamus. The
thalamus acts as "air traffic controller" to keep the
signals moving. In a typical situation, the thalamus
directs the impulse to the cortex -- in this case the
visual cortex -- for processing. The cortex "thinks"
about the impulse and makes sense. "Aha," it says,
"this is an exclamation mark! It means I should get
excited." That signal is then sent to the amygdala
where a flood of peptides and hormones are released
to create emotion and action.
In what Dan Goleman labeled "The Hijacking of the Amygdala," the thalamus has a
different reaction. Like any skilled air traffic controller, the thalamus can quickly react to
potential threat. In that case, it bypasses the cortex -- the thinking brain -- and the signal
goes straight to the amygdala. The amygdala can only react based on previously stored
patterns.
Sometimes this kind of reaction can save our lives. More frequently it leads us to say
something harmful, to escalate the situation, or even to violence.
To minimize the damage from hijacking, it is important to practice patterns which lead to
de-escalation.
From that hijacked state, that condition where your brain is flooded with electro-
chemicals, you still have options. You do not need to stay hijacked -- you still can choose
actions. After all, the chemicals do not persist -- they will dissipate in three to six
seconds.
The Six Second Pause
by Joshua Freedman
One of Six Seconds' techniques helps create a pause so you can act instead
of react. This simple tool is essential!
At any given time, there is a broad spectrum of feelings and emotions present in each
person's brain and body. You can imagine a room full of people each wearing a t-shirt
labeled with a feeling or emotion. Some of the people are really loud and bossy. Others
have gotten used to being passive. You listen to them; like real people, you decide who's
advice to follow. You make that determination from your beliefs about each feeling-
person - who is smart, who understands the situation, who sees the big picture?
Sometimes, one voice gets really loud, and it is very difficult to hear others. In academic
terms, this kind of bossiness comes from "hijacking of the amygdala" (see the story to the
right) or from "downshifting" (where your brain shifts to a "lower level" of functioning).
In that situation, you have a variety of choices. You can listen to the loud voice, and often
encourage it to be even louder. For example, if someone interrupts me, my "I feel
disrespected guy" might jump up in my head and say, "Hey, that was rude!" If I turn to
him and say, "Yeah, that was rude." He might say, "That person is always interrupting
you. I can't believe it. What a jerk!" And my feeling of being mistreated can increase. A
few moments go by, and the same voice shouts again, "Hey! You ought to teach that
interrupter a lesson. He doesn't respect you. Get him." And the cycle continues - the
anger builds and builds. I am fueling it, re-creating it, rehearsing it.
On the other hand, I can choose to not focus on my "I feel disrespected guy." He jumps
up, seizes my attention, and starts his song and dance. What I need is a technique to slow
down and listen to all the other voices too. Loud voices can be anger, jealousy,
judgement, self-doubt - and even happy feelings - the point is to not have one voice
dominating your emotional landscape.
Voila - that's where the six second pause comes in.
It turns out that those shouting voices mainly hang out in one part of your brain - the
limbic ring. So when they get too loud, if you can use another part of your brain for about
six seconds, you create a moment in which you can choose a constructive response to
your emotions. You can creatively express the emotions you want to express, and you can
do so in a manner consistent with your real goals.
If you want to create a pause, try using the analytical part of your brain - the cortex - for
six seconds. The cortex does work like math, language, complex visual or auditory
processing, and other "high order" thinking. To get an effective pause, you'll make the
cortex work hard on one of those tasks by thinking. And remember, when the "pause
button" you've used becomes habitual, it is time for a new one.
Even though this technique sounds easy, it takes practice. Start practicing on little "flare
ups," notice the improvements, and be patient with yourself.
Ready to Pause?
What will you practice to create a six second pause? Remember it should engage your
thinking brain.
Examples:
Count to six in a foreign language you are learning.
Remember six of the Seven Dwarfs in alphabetical order.
Think of six foreign capitals.
Visualize six details of a beautiful place.
Decline six Latin verbs.
Feel six breaths of air filling your lungs and imagine what it looks like.
Name six emotions you are feeling.
Find six beautiful qualities of the person with whom you are talking/fighting.
