How Fear Hijacks the Brain

Have you ever done something in the heat of the moment that you regretted later? Maybe you were so overwhelmed with emotion like fear or anger or you were just so stressed out that you had a “what was I thinking moment?” Well, the explanation is that weren’t thinking.

You were hijacked.

The brain has two minds -  one that thinks and one that feels? Your hand is a good model of the brain. The downstairs brain is in charge of survival.  The upstairs part of the brain is in charge of rational thought. This is where the prefrontal cortex is and that’s the part of the brain that handles executive functions like planning, goal setting and insight.

The limbic system sits right in the middle, and that is where the amygdala is located. The amygdala is the emotional sentinel and it has a lot of power. Any strong emotion, anxiety, anger, fear, or betrayal trips off the amygdala and initiates a rush of stress hormones floods the body before the prefrontal cortex can respond.

Daniel Goleman coined the term amygdala hijack to explain how the downstairs brain takes over to survive and puts the upstairs brain – or the thinking brain on hold.

Neuroscientists have discovered an inverse relationship between the amygdala (our emotional alarm system) and the prefrontal cortex (our rational control center). When the amygdala lights up with stress, fear, or anger, it hogs the brain’s fuel supply of blood and oxygen. That leaves less energy for the prefrontal cortex, which means clear thinking takes a back seat. In those moments, it’s as if you’ve temporarily lost 10–15 IQ points — explaining those all-too-familiar “What was I thinking?” moments.

The good news? You can train your brain to resist that hijack. Mindfulness practice has been shown in MRI studies to actually shrink the amygdala while strengthening and thickening the prefrontal cortex. At the same time, neural connections shift: the amygdala’s grip weakens, while the networks tied to focus, attention, and self-control grow stronger.

So what exactly is mindfulness? At its core, mindfulness is simply paying attention on purpose, in the present moment, without judgment. While 20 minutes a day is considered the gold standard, even a few mindful minutes can make a difference. Here’s how:

• Take Notice. What has your attention right now? Where is your mind wandering?

• Focus Inward. Push everything else aside, even frustration or impatience. Inhale for 6 counts, exhale for 6 counts.

• Shift to Your Senses. Notice the rise and fall of your breath. What do you see, hear, taste, feel, or smell? Try to discover something new in the familiar. Ask yourself: What am I grateful for in this exact moment?

• Savor It. That final step stretches the psychological “present” and literally helps build new neural pathways in your brain.

  
  

We all get hijacked from time to time. But understanding what’s happening inside your brain — and practicing mindfulness to strengthen your “thinking brain” — puts you back in the driver’s seat.

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