I lost my mind and other stories…..

Part 1

I did a radio interview a few years back when a listener called in to relate how concerned she was when she had an extremely violent reaction to the wedding planners at her daughter’s wedding. Her reaction immediately brought to mind the term ‘Amygdala Hijack’.

What is it?

The term “amygdala hijack” was coined by psychologist Daniel Goleman in his 1995 book ‘Emotional Intelligence’. In essence, it refers to an intense emotional reaction that’s way out of proportion to the circumstance.

What happens?

The rational part of the brain is bypassed, and signals are sent straight to the “emotional brain.”

Strong emotions such as anger, fear, anxiety or even extreme excitement, impair the prefrontal cortex, which is the part of the brain in the frontal lobe that regulates rational thought.

There seems to be an inverse relationship between the amygdala and the prefrontal cortex. For instance, when the amygdala is activated, the prefrontal cortex is less activated. This means that when emotions run high, the blood and oxygen flows to the amygdala rather than the prefrontal cortex, it reduces our ability to think rationally. Hence the colloquial expression, ‘a rush of blood to the head’ and an exaggerated response is elicited.

This process can be very helpful in an actual life-and-death situation, when you are being chased by a lion but unfortunately an amygdala hijack can also happen when you get road rage, or you lose your mind with your kid at the supermarket. It does not help that all of the blood runs out from the rational part of your brain and may cause you to act in ways you later regret.

Later, when the thinking part of your brain processes the information, and you become rational, you may realize your reaction was over the top.

Here are some examples of an amygdala hijack:

You lose your tennis match and smash your racquet.

You have been trying to open a jar for the last ten minutes and you slam the jar down and break it.

You get a call with very bad news, and you struggle to remember the details.

You win the lottery, scream and faint.

You confront a driver on the road who has angered you with their driving and attempt to or actually hit him/her.

What are the physical symptoms of an amygdala hijack?

• shaking

• increased blood pressure

• racing heart

• fast breathing

• tense muscles

• nausea

Part 2 - How to manage an Amygdala Hijack to follow.