Razzle
01-04-2012, 09:31 AM
I was asked to write this by the owner of another Anxiety support forum I participate in - I wanted to share it !!
This is complex neurobiology but I will try to do a simple review. While the human brain is made up of many complex parts it can be divided into two distinct functions. The primitive brain (limbic system) which has the fear centers and the emotional/arousal centers and the later developing cortex. The cortex has many functions but for this example it is the rational thinking part of the brain.
For our preservation the primitive part of the brain can "Wire Around" the more "Adult" rational cortical brain to give us immediate protection. When you see a brown stick on the trail the primitive brain can jump to a conclusion that it is a threat but the cortex can also settle it down by saying it has no eyes, it is not moving and it does not look like any snake I have seen....but it does look like a stick. So the amygdala stands down and the fight or flight reaction settles back to normal.
If you have an anxiety disorder this wire around has been triggered hundreds to thousands of times. This usually starts in childhood and we have literally built a neuro-pathway to fear as a first response. If we are in a severe anxiety state and have a long term anxiety trait our cortex can be almost shut down under threat- we cant see the reality of any threat and our primitive brain has become so adapt at eliciting fear that it screams at a pimple being cancer.
Humans do not have a fully developed cortex until around age 25. When a child has fear the primary response is not to reason it out (they cant) but to engage the primitive brain for protection. This is where negative thinking begins and the neuro-pathways to automatic fear.....it is called the Hebbian Response.
The more the threats set off the HPA axis the more the amygdala takes control of thought processes and the more simple stimuli become interpreted as a threat. In an extreme anxiety state even a coffee cup newly placed on a table can elicit a fear response. Any novel stimulus can be seen by the amygdala as a threat. This process has kept humans at the top of the food chain since creation. Unfortunately it can get out of control and we have severe anxiety and nervous illness suffering.
Anxiety drugs can shut off the warning lights but the car is still running out of oil. The primitive brain is not "rewired" by a process called learned extinction and all anxiety medications have an adverse effect on cortical functions that can make it harder to shut down the limbic response. The also do not teach us critical anxiety tools - retrain the respiratory centers for proper breathing or provide the critical endogenous (internal sense) of control. As long as we feel like we must find safety in externals ( a hospital - safe person - medication etc.) we will keep an anxiety state alive.
Couple this learned behavior of a "Hair Trigger" limbic system with the known fact that children who encounter stress have lowered GABA response (the neurotransmitter for calming the nervous system) for a lifetime we have work to do to retrain this system....and we have to live a lifestyle that honors our genetic and environmentally learned sensitivities.
When I had my first panic attack at age 19 eons ago doctors were stumped as to what was wrong with me. Now we have great knowledge and protocols that are non-drug ways to retrain the nervous system. We also have ways to connect with and share support and knowledge with other people on the journey to anxiety recovery. This is so critical to building a safety net to reduce the fear response.
Anxiety is not a disease or a genetic defect. It is one part inborn sensitivity - 80% learned maladaptive behaviors and the rest not taking good care of ourselves or enduing too much stress for our sensitive constitutions.
This is complex neurobiology but I will try to do a simple review. While the human brain is made up of many complex parts it can be divided into two distinct functions. The primitive brain (limbic system) which has the fear centers and the emotional/arousal centers and the later developing cortex. The cortex has many functions but for this example it is the rational thinking part of the brain.
For our preservation the primitive part of the brain can "Wire Around" the more "Adult" rational cortical brain to give us immediate protection. When you see a brown stick on the trail the primitive brain can jump to a conclusion that it is a threat but the cortex can also settle it down by saying it has no eyes, it is not moving and it does not look like any snake I have seen....but it does look like a stick. So the amygdala stands down and the fight or flight reaction settles back to normal.
If you have an anxiety disorder this wire around has been triggered hundreds to thousands of times. This usually starts in childhood and we have literally built a neuro-pathway to fear as a first response. If we are in a severe anxiety state and have a long term anxiety trait our cortex can be almost shut down under threat- we cant see the reality of any threat and our primitive brain has become so adapt at eliciting fear that it screams at a pimple being cancer.
Humans do not have a fully developed cortex until around age 25. When a child has fear the primary response is not to reason it out (they cant) but to engage the primitive brain for protection. This is where negative thinking begins and the neuro-pathways to automatic fear.....it is called the Hebbian Response.
The more the threats set off the HPA axis the more the amygdala takes control of thought processes and the more simple stimuli become interpreted as a threat. In an extreme anxiety state even a coffee cup newly placed on a table can elicit a fear response. Any novel stimulus can be seen by the amygdala as a threat. This process has kept humans at the top of the food chain since creation. Unfortunately it can get out of control and we have severe anxiety and nervous illness suffering.
Anxiety drugs can shut off the warning lights but the car is still running out of oil. The primitive brain is not "rewired" by a process called learned extinction and all anxiety medications have an adverse effect on cortical functions that can make it harder to shut down the limbic response. The also do not teach us critical anxiety tools - retrain the respiratory centers for proper breathing or provide the critical endogenous (internal sense) of control. As long as we feel like we must find safety in externals ( a hospital - safe person - medication etc.) we will keep an anxiety state alive.
Couple this learned behavior of a "Hair Trigger" limbic system with the known fact that children who encounter stress have lowered GABA response (the neurotransmitter for calming the nervous system) for a lifetime we have work to do to retrain this system....and we have to live a lifestyle that honors our genetic and environmentally learned sensitivities.
When I had my first panic attack at age 19 eons ago doctors were stumped as to what was wrong with me. Now we have great knowledge and protocols that are non-drug ways to retrain the nervous system. We also have ways to connect with and share support and knowledge with other people on the journey to anxiety recovery. This is so critical to building a safety net to reduce the fear response.
Anxiety is not a disease or a genetic defect. It is one part inborn sensitivity - 80% learned maladaptive behaviors and the rest not taking good care of ourselves or enduing too much stress for our sensitive constitutions.