Thursday, September 5, 2013

GOOD POSITIVE BEHAVIOR #1 - RECONNECTING


RECONNECTING This is a bit complex to understand but let me try and make it simple.

The human brain has several parts. Let’s call one part the THINKING BRAIN. This is where our thoughts reside.

The other part can be called the EMOTIONAL BRAIN or the LIMBIC SYSTEM. This is where our emotions reside.

Now, when we sense we are being attacked, whether verbally, physically, psychologically or emotionally, we undergo a series of physiologic responses which are all automatic. You do not think about these responses. Rather, they are guided by the by the Emotional Brain and are directed by an almond shaped area within the emotional brain called the AMYGDALA.

The amygdala is sort of a radar system constantly surveying our surroundings and searching for attacks against us. When an attack is identified, the amygdala swings into instant action sending messages to our adrenal glands near the kidneys to produce two stress hormones. Also the amygdala shuts down the thinking brain. This is called an AMYGDALA HIJACK.

The first stress hormone is called EPINEPHRINE or more commonly ADRENALIN and the second is called CORTISOL.

Instantaneously, the adrenalin causes our heart rate to increase, our pulse rate to increase, our blood pressure to increase, our breathing to become shallow and our muscles to become tense. We are suddenly transformed into an engine raring to go. But we need fuel to make this happen and that’s where the cortisol comes in.
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The cortisol causes the liver to secrete glucose or sugar into our blood which is the fuel needed to respond to the attack.

And the aggressive response to the attack is known as the FIGHT or FLIGHT MECHANISM.

We will either fight back (fight) at the attacker or run away (flight) from the attacker.

Fighting back is the ANGRY REACTION. This is the aggressive behavior learned early in childhood which we use to express ANGER the emotion.

This entire process can happen in nanoseconds and can be measured. It is ENTIRELY AUTOMATIC. It does not require us to think about this response to a perceived attack.

Anger the emotion is totally normal. Its purpose is to protect us and keep us alive. What is not normal, however, is totally losing control of ourselves through the angry reaction I spoke of earlier. Remember, that is a response learned in childhood.

So, now let’s get back to RECONNECTING. This is the process we must use to counter the amygdala hijack of the thinking brain. We must be able to start that thinking brain up again so our behavior will be more normal and we will not become angry, raging people.

Reconnecting begins when we realize that we are under attack and instantaneously take action to avoid the angry reaction. It has been said that the time from the attack until anger surfaces can be as long as six or seven seconds or as short as several nanoseconds.

For more information, please contact

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

702 353 1750

www.nevadaangermanagement.com

(c) 2013 Dr. Steven J. Sinert and Nevada Anger Management, LLC