Part One; What's Happening to My Body? Knowledge is Power

When you're anxious, or after a panic attack, I'm sure that you can tell me what you are feeling and and perhaps, you can even describe what you were thinking during your anxiety or a panic attack. But there is something else going on, a physical component that can be as much, or even more powerful than what you are feeling or thinking.

Some people like the thrill of excitement, or the "adrenaline rush" as we call it. Another term for this is the "Flight or Fight Response, or Syndrome". You've probably heard these terms, and I will discuss what is going on physically, so you can identify those physical signs and triggers. Have you ever wondered why you feel anxious and others feel really great when confronted by similar challenges? How is it that some people who enjoy the adrenaline rush may actually be physically different from those who suffer from panic attacks? Part of the difference is your perception of what is actually happening, and who is in control of the situation. We can go into that further in another blog. Right now, we're going to stick to the physical part.

The Flight or Fight Syndrome is given to us by Nature to deal with emergencies. Beginning with the creation of mankind, this physical response to a perceived threat is rapid, effective, and complete, at the first sign of danger.

YOUR SENSES

The first thing that must happen, is that your brain is alerted to some kind of danger. The danger may be real or something perceived as dangerous. Think about your brain as a three pound computer, sitting in it's case on top of your neck. While it's pretty sophisticated, it has two jobs and two jobs only; to drive your mind and your body. How does it do this? Though feedback from internal and external sources. That is, it takes information put in by your five senses; hearing, smell, eyesight, touch, taste, or by signals sent from within the body via chemicals, neurotransmitters, hormones, electricity, allowing it to respond. While this is a really elegant piece of equipment that you are responsible for, it doesn't always function perfectly. That does not mean, however, that we shouldn't help it out in anyway that we can.

So let's just track an external source of anxiety, ok? Let's just say you hear a loud crash in the other room. You're startled, right? Then what happens? Well, there are a lot of theories, and I will explain one of them to you.

THE LIMBIC SYSTEM

AMYGDALA

OK, since we're tracking this startle response, the sound causes the Amygdala to register fear in the form of the startle response. The amygdala is a little almond-shaped structure in the brain that processes emotions. This is the control center for the identification of danger and is fundamental for self preservation.

The Amygdala is a component of the Limbic System, the part of the brain deep inside that manages more of the primitive parts of your functioning. This is the part that has a lot to do with your survival; that is, your hunger, sex drive, and emotions. Among other structures, the amygdala is connected to the hippocampus.