In this episode you'll meet two tiny organelles with the power to transform you – or anyone – into a fight, flight, or freeze follower of their survival agenda: your amygdalae.

The fight or flight response, or its more modern-day expression,  the "Amygdala Hijack," carries an ancient legacy of success in getting our long line of ancestors away from threats to their survival. After all, we wouldn't be here today if their collective amygdalae hadn't excelled at firing the "alert and convert" chemical takeover that fueled their defenses or escapes.

Yet in today's world, those ready-to-fire little amygdalae are more likely to surge into action when a threat to our ideas, feelings, identity, or comfort, rather than to our actual survival, arises. Since nothing in their evolutionary legacy has taught them the difference, it's often on us – the proud owners of two powerful little amygdalae and navigators of an often mentally threatening reality – to manage the way our defense systems show up in the world.

That's what this episode explores. Understanding the ancient – as in billions of years ancient – roots of the brain's survival manifesto and the vigilant, ever-ready mechanics of the amygdalae, we'll look at how mindset affects our emotional responses, how to "disarm" the potential for hijack, and how to "disalarm" a mind and body takeover when the fight or flight chemicals fire.

Lots of episode resources at www.thebrainandbeyond.com/episodes/14

I welcome feedback and suggestions at ellen@thebrainandbeyond.com

Thanks for being here. By the way, this episode partners well with the recent interview with Mónica Guzmán, political bridge-builder and author of the bestseller "I Never Thought of It That Way."

Best,

Ellen
Neuroscience Educator, Author, and Coach
www.ellenleanse.com

Theme music: Land Where I Belong by Lucia Lilikoi

Learn more at www.thebrainandbeyond.com