RossySoonDone
01-29-2017, 02:15 PM
This is a direct response I made on another post to another user who made the fair point that neural pathways can never be 100% forgotten, thus anxiety cannot be 100% cured. I hope it sheds light on any doubters who don't believe they can be 100% cured of anxiety or nervous illness when its the only target they should be aiming for. You wouldn't settle to be 75% cured from any other curable illness would you?
The neural pathways you speak of cannot be completely erased, no. But just as someone who stops driving a car for a decade, or stops playing the piano, much of the old learnt behaviour is temporarily lost. However, you jump back in the car and start to remember how to drive again because the neural pathways are still there blah blah blah. We can agree thus far, right?
HOWEVER, in terms of anxiety, the amygdala is in a different part of the brain and works irrespective of "learnt neural pathways", like with functions that control our metabolism and heart rate. Do you think the brain has to search for previously learnt knowledge deep inside the neural pathways to figure out that a tiger is dangerous? This isn't something we learn and build neural pathways towards - thankfully the amygdala will kick irrespective of what we already know along with an adrenaline/fight or flight response.
What you're saying is that anxiety can never be totally cured because neural pathways never disappear. You're 100% correct about the neural pathways not disappearing completely, but think about it... You go and see a scary film in the cinema, your amygdala is activated and you start to feel adrenaline, you're sweaty and panicky etc. After the film or some time after the film the amygdala response subsides but your learnt neural pathways will always remain, you will essentially always remember the film. However, now when you think about the film sometime down the line it becomes obsolete! Why? Well for one; you consciously know that there isn't any real danger and two; because the amygdala no longer perceives the film as being a real threat, you can think about the film all you like based on previously learnt neural pathways but it will no longer trigger a response
Even when you're watching the film in the cinema YOU KNOW its not real and YOU KNOW that theres no real threat but your amygdala DOESN'T KNOW THE DIFFERENCE. Thats where an anxiety illness comes from, the amygdala basically perceives things as danger that aren't real danger.
Think about what you're saying - your logic is only 50% correct.
So yes, the amygdala CAN be reset back to its birth preset and that doesn't mean you'll forget the old behaviours but why does that matter when the amygdala doesn't call these old behaviours into action? Based on your logic, every time I think about The Grudge I'll be shitting my pants because the thought alone should trigger an anxiety response like it did when I first watched it. Maybe I should do some CBT so that I can learn that the Grudge isn't a real threat lmao. THINK ABOUT YOUR LOGIC. Oh and on that note, the beloved CBT you speak of is totally flawed and follows the same logic.
Do you get what I'm saying? And if not let me know where I'm wrong, I enjoy talking about this topic because it further reinforces the fact that its possible to be 100% cured
The neural pathways you speak of cannot be completely erased, no. But just as someone who stops driving a car for a decade, or stops playing the piano, much of the old learnt behaviour is temporarily lost. However, you jump back in the car and start to remember how to drive again because the neural pathways are still there blah blah blah. We can agree thus far, right?
HOWEVER, in terms of anxiety, the amygdala is in a different part of the brain and works irrespective of "learnt neural pathways", like with functions that control our metabolism and heart rate. Do you think the brain has to search for previously learnt knowledge deep inside the neural pathways to figure out that a tiger is dangerous? This isn't something we learn and build neural pathways towards - thankfully the amygdala will kick irrespective of what we already know along with an adrenaline/fight or flight response.
What you're saying is that anxiety can never be totally cured because neural pathways never disappear. You're 100% correct about the neural pathways not disappearing completely, but think about it... You go and see a scary film in the cinema, your amygdala is activated and you start to feel adrenaline, you're sweaty and panicky etc. After the film or some time after the film the amygdala response subsides but your learnt neural pathways will always remain, you will essentially always remember the film. However, now when you think about the film sometime down the line it becomes obsolete! Why? Well for one; you consciously know that there isn't any real danger and two; because the amygdala no longer perceives the film as being a real threat, you can think about the film all you like based on previously learnt neural pathways but it will no longer trigger a response
Even when you're watching the film in the cinema YOU KNOW its not real and YOU KNOW that theres no real threat but your amygdala DOESN'T KNOW THE DIFFERENCE. Thats where an anxiety illness comes from, the amygdala basically perceives things as danger that aren't real danger.
Think about what you're saying - your logic is only 50% correct.
So yes, the amygdala CAN be reset back to its birth preset and that doesn't mean you'll forget the old behaviours but why does that matter when the amygdala doesn't call these old behaviours into action? Based on your logic, every time I think about The Grudge I'll be shitting my pants because the thought alone should trigger an anxiety response like it did when I first watched it. Maybe I should do some CBT so that I can learn that the Grudge isn't a real threat lmao. THINK ABOUT YOUR LOGIC. Oh and on that note, the beloved CBT you speak of is totally flawed and follows the same logic.
Do you get what I'm saying? And if not let me know where I'm wrong, I enjoy talking about this topic because it further reinforces the fact that its possible to be 100% cured