THE EMOTIONAL BRAIN

The emotional brain is called the limbic system. It’s the area of the human brain which controls our emotions.

The emotional brain must be differentiated from the rational or thinking brain. This is where our thoughts are generated and where we think.

Anger is an emotion and is controlled by the emotional brain.

The amygdala is an almond shaped area within the emotional brain and is basically our personal radar system, surveying our immediate environment and surroundings 24/7 for any attacks which may be coming towards us. When an attack is identified, the amygdala hijacks the rational brain effectively shutting it down. We cannot think clearly or at all and emotions take over. Anger, that normal emotion designed to protect us and keep us alive, comes to the surface. The angry reaction we have is the behavior we learned as a child to express the emotion we call anger.

Anger and the angry reaction are automatic responses. In order to control our anger we need to learn new responses to the attacks that frequently come at us. We need to teach our brain to respond instantaneously without anger.

By the way, those attacks are most frequently verbal but can also be physical, psychological or emotional. The attacks are all stresses, and all stresses are attacks.

ANGER MANAGEMENT training teaches our brains how to immediately recognize the attacks and how to respond appropriately. When an attack comes at us, we have a very short time to respond and we do not have the time to think about how to respond. Remember, the amygdala has shut down our thinking brain when we’re attacked. The response time can be measured in real time and is usually less than 2 seconds, maybe even less than that.

So Anger Management training must also include STRESS MANAGEMENT training. If we can recognize and cope with our stresses better, we can better control our angry reactions.

Since most (but not all) of the attacks are verbal we must also improve our COMMUNICATIONS skills so we can speak more honestly and clearly and listen more effectively and actively.

Most importantly, we have to become more in touch with our own emotions as well as the emotions of anyone else with whom we have any kind of relationship to develop positive behaviors without aggression or anger. This is called EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE and is also a component of the ANGER MANAGEMENT program.

For more information, please contact

Dr. Steven J. Sinert, Certified in Anger Management
Nevada Anger Management, LLC
5812S. Pecos Road – Suite B
Las Vegas, NV 89120

702 353 1750

Email: dr.sinert@nevadaangermanagement.com

Posted: November 14, 2012