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Brain's Ambassadors

Brain's "ambassadors are the rational, social, and very civilized part of our brain.  It's not that they're disinterested in self-survival; they're on the same page as the primitives when it comes to survival.  As we already noted, whenever a threat is detected, they're the ones tasked with checking and rechecking all relevant information for accuracy.  Nevertheless, given their druthers, our ambassadors would just as soon use their intelligence to sustain peace and foster social harmony and lasting relationships.  By nature, they are calm, cool, and collected, and like to weigh options and plan for the future.  They favor complexity and novelty, and they learn quickly.
"If not for our ambassadors, we would be friendless, alone, and possibly even in prison.  They allow us to be in relationships for the purpose of more than simply procreation and survival of the species.  Like real ambassadors, they represent us in the world.  With appropriate and skillful diplomacy, they calm fears and cool tempers, either within us or within others.
"... Let's meet the ambassadors and look at how they help us not only avoid war, but maintain peace and love in relationships:
"Ventral vagal complex (smart vagus) - Exerts a calming effect by slowing the cardiovascular and respiratory systems (i.g. by a long, slow exhale.
"Hippocampus - Handles short-term and long-term memory, controls anti-stress hormones, and tracks location and direction.
"Insula - Provides awareness of internal bodily cues (i.g., gut feelings), including cues associated with attachment and empathy.
"Right brain - Nonverbal and intuitive; specializes in social and emotional processing (e.g., empathy) and body awareness.
"Left brain - Verbal and logical; specializes in processing detailed information and integrating complex sounds and word meanings.
"Orbitofrontal cortex - Serves as the moral and empathic center, communicates with ambassadors and primitives alike, keep them in check.
Using the tools that are in our brain can help us navigate relationship issues.

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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