(this was originally posted on 4-02-2014)

He came into the office pretty heated. He as angry about several things.

We reviewed the limbic system’s response in perceived danger. How he couldn’t separate all the things he was mad about. How he couldn’t get access to good thinking for the decisions he had to make. And thinking about it all made him madder.

If the amygdala is his “emergency response center,” then how could he tell that chemical producing little organ the size of an almond, that make decisions was NOT danger.  Choosing one thing over another wasn’t danger.

As we separated each tension, he all of the sudden just lit up. Tension was gone.  I asked him what happened, and he smiled:

“Things are different, and they aren’t at all what my mind makes them to be.”

The emergency responder amygdala was no longer having to send alert message through out his whole body.

He then went on to prioritize the decisions he had to make (go to concert, stay after to get a prized t-shirt, or pick up his daughter at 10:30 p.m.). All of the sudden the t-shirt wasn’t important. He could again see his daughter as the most important. Even more than the concert.  Then he figured out how to do the concert, and when he needed to leave to pick up the daughter. In complete acceptance, he was excited about doing both well. The t-shirt was all of the sudden a small, small thing.

In understanding his limbic system reaction to perceived danger, he was able to get full access to his frontal lobe thinking system. And he left ready for a great night, ending with a precious little girl.

You are invited to come into the counseling office, and find out how to have more access to your frontal lobe thinking system. Might be great nights ahead for you!