A Body Mind Workers Neuroanatomical Approach to Anxiety: PART 2
As we established in the first blog relating to the anatomy of the amygdala, the amygdala receives rich and varied information from many areas of the nervous system, including information from all of our senses and information from all four of the brains lobes. It utilises the information processed from past experiences, exchanges information with the insula, a key area of the brain involved in the interpretation of pain, and combines all this information to modulate the autonomic nervous system via the hypothalamus, thus influencing the chemistry of our entire nervous system.
So how does the amygdala utilise information processed from past experiences? And how does this affect conditions such as anxiety, depression and chronic pain?
“The screen”, is a below conscious area that the mind uses to store and code information, and is unique to each individual. The information “on screen” is what the mind uses to inform the system as to what is going on in the world around us.
If an individual suffers a trauma, for example, this will result in an amygdala response. This could be described as an immediate autonomic response to fear, arousal or emotional stimulation.
If all or part of the trauma remains 'unresolved' or unprocessed, the mind can store information on the below-conscious “screen” relating to the event.
As the mind uses the screen to determine what is going on in the world around us, the information on screen causes an ongoing amygdala response. This changes information exchange with the insula and modifies the output of the hypothalamus, causing a shift in the brains chemistry. As a result of the now ongoing amygdala response, there are changes in cerebral circulation and a decrease in flow to other areas of the brain, potentially affecting cognitive function.
This change in brain chemistry affects mood, demands on the viscera (e.g - the adrenal glands), and creates a dis-ease within the system, leading to a wide range of possible health issues, such as chronic pain.
The current medical model provides pharmaceutical interventions in the form of drugs to ‘alter’ or ‘balance’ levels of certain chemical substrates within the brain, with the intention of normalising or bringing the system closer to homeostasis, thus reducing dis-ease.
However, this intervention does not resolve the negative or traumatic information “on screen”, which continues to run unconsciously, and therefore drugs often provide only temporary relief, or they allow an individual to ‘manage’ their symptoms. This ongoing medication is often accompanied by unwanted side effects and a reliance on drugs.
A BodyMindWorker session aims to lightly, safely and effectively assist an individual in engaging with their own screen and to assist the client to upgrade the negative/traumatic information to clear the screen and move forwards in life.
A change of negative information “on screen” then disengages the amygdala, as the brain no longer perceives a threat, which in turn modulates the activity of the hypothalamus. This causes a positive shift in the brains chemistry and a natural resolution to the dis-ease within the system.
If you feel you are going through life living with the same problems day after day, a good blog to read is here
If you would like a find out how a Body Mind Workers session can help you, you can book your first session at a 40% HERE
Alternatively, send me a message at info@dannygreeves.com for more information
Comments