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Brain primitives

Our brain has many amazing parts that can help us.   One part is the primitives.  "The primitives are naturally geared to wage war.  Whether it's a little battle or a big battle, they're ready to defend us, whatever it takes.  They allow us to sense, feel, and react, and tend to be the first receivers of information, both inside and outside the body.  This makes them fast at identifying dangers and threats, and expedient when dealing with those dangers and threats.  In fact, our primitives have all the advantages millions of years of evolution can afford, such as integration, efficiency, and speed.  They are the first to arrive on the scene and will likely be the last ones standing at the end (death).

"Amygdalae  - Pick up signals (e.g., dangerous words and phrases; dangerous faces voices, sounds, movements, postures, smells)

"Hypothalamus - Releases chemical in the brain and gives instructions to the pituitary and adrenal glands to release stress chemicals into the body; signals the need to fight, fee, or freeze

"Pituitary and adrenal glands - Receive commands from the hypothalamus to release stress chemicals

"Dorsal motor vagal complex (dumb vagus) - Reacts to stress or danger by extensively slowing the cardiovascular and respiratory systems" - Stan Tatkin in Wired for Love

Renee Madison, MA, LPC, CSAT is a counselor in Colorado.  She can be reached for appointments at 303-257-7623 or 970-324-6928.

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