Brain Word

Frontal Cortex | Amygdales | Limbic System

There are 3 places we can have “thoughts” from. The Limbic System is where we have thoughts we are not conscious of (subconscious). This is the part of the brain that handles things like heartbeat, breathing, walking, talking, impulsive actions, etc. 90% of our thoughts are subconscious. This is also where habits are stored. Habits are things we repeat often enough that we do not have to think about them. This is the “Nike” part of the brain – “Just Do It!”  The Limbic System is often referred to as the Reptile” part of the brain. The Limbic System kicks in when we have high emotions (fear, out-of-control feelings, anger) and triggers the Amygdales.

The Amygdales (there are two of them) are the part of our brain responsible for emotions/feelings. They play a large role in how we respond to high emotions and fight, flight, or freeze situations. They judge when we are in danger and if they think we are, they activate the sympathetic part of our nervous system which releases all of the fear chemicals (cortisol, adrenaline). The Amygdales are sometimes referred to as the “Child” part of our brain because all our feelings come from here (called Child because children are all about their feelings).  The Frontal Cortex is often referred to as the “Adult” part of the brain as it is reality and reason-based. A major job of the Frontal Cortex is to moderate the Amygdala so we don’t act on our feelings without thinking first. It also helps moderate impulsive actions. The Frontal Cortex plays a major role in helping us deal with situations that evoke high emotions. This is the part of the brain that we can “train” to help us through stress, anxiety, and traumatic situations. Without tools learned by the adult part of our brain to deal with highly emotional and anxious situations, we can experience psychological and physical problems in our lives.