Freaking Out Blowing Up & Shutting Down · Rewire Your Anxious Brain: How to Use the Neuroscience of Fear to End Anxiety, Panic, and Worry. Oakland, CA: New Harbinger Publications,

Freaking OutBlowing Up &Shutting DownIt’s not you…

It’s your brain

Esther Perry, MA, LPC

NEURONS

Neurons

are the

nerve cells

that

connect

the brain

and body.

The Thalamus receives sensory

information and shares it with the

Frontal Cortex and the Amygdala.

The Thalamus

The

frontal

cortex is

the main

decision

center

of the

brain.

This includes:

• Judgment

• Problem Solving

• Memory

• Language

• Planning

• Impulse Control

• Expression

The Frontal Cortex

The Amygdala

The Amygdala’s job is to

detect and manage threats.

• Saves short recordings of your senses

from stressful experiences.

• When a current experience matches a

recording, the emergency protocol starts.

• The amygdala takes control of the brain

and body to react.

• This reaction creates a chain of neurons

linking senses, emotions, thoughts, and

body responses.

THE AMYGDALA

THE BRAIN TAKEOVER

DEFENSE RESPONSE

The first

step of the

emergency

protocol is

to cut off

the Frontal

Cortex.

The Vagus Nerve

(Bundle)

Sends and receives messages

between the amygdala and these internal

organs.

THE BODY TAKEOVER

THE BODY TAKEOVER

ACTIVE TAKEOVER

If the autonomic nervous system is triggered, the body releases Adrenaline

and Cortisol

which prepares the body to

activelydefend itself.

• Brain hyper-focuses on looking for

danger

• Lungs breathe hard to fill your body with

oxygen

• Heart races to send oxygen to muscles

• Muscles get loaded with energy and start

to shake

• Body sweats to cool down hot muscles

• Temperature changes

• Turns off digestion to save energy

Freaking Out and Blowing Up

PASSIVE TAKEOVER

If the body needs to conserve

energy, the

Dorsal Vagal Response

shuts the body down to passively

defend itself and save energy.

• Difficulty focusing (even on stressors)

• Lack of breath

• Slowed heart rate

• Flat facial affect

• Disassociation

• Collapse, including fainting

• Shut down unnecessary functions

• Sleepiness

• Stunted growth

• Numbed to pain and emotion

Shutting Down

THE BASAL GANGLIA

Once a reaction

chain repeats

enough times,

the network will

be saved in the

Basal Ganglia.

THE BASAL GANGLIA

When the chain moves here,

it becomes a muscle memory (autopilot).

The more the amygdala reacts,

the more intensely the reward system pushes the brain and

body to look for activities that add pleasure or remove distress.

Balancing Defenses

Retrain the Chain

FACE TO REPLACE

• Sleep 7-9 hours every night to stay charged.

• Calm the Vagus Nerve regularly.

• Exercise without headphones and screens.

• Practice Mindfulness daily to stay aware of your

senses, body reactions, thoughts and emotions.

• Unplug from electronics to stop avoidance.

• Use treatments that engage the full chain:

EMDR, Neurofeedback, Somatic Approaches,

Medication, DBT, CBT, etc.

Sleep Tips• Get in bed when you’re ready to sleep, train your brain to match the

bedroom with sleep.

• Make a routine and stick to it, train your brain to have a sleep time.

• Avoid screens 1 hour before bed, blue light triggers feeling awake.

o If needed, blue-light filter glasses can be worn in the evening.

• Avoid naps after 1pm as it can interrupt evening sleep signals.

• Exercise will increase tiredness and regulate sleep signals.

• Phone Apps:

o Blue light filters will reduce blue light on the phone - “Twilight”

o Sleep meditations, sounds and stories - “Calm”

o Sleep trackers and smart alarms - “Sleep Cycle”

• Sleep sounds with specific frequencies and patterns to increase sleep

signals (goo.gl/pcJqMz) or look for ASMR videos on YouTube.

CALM THE VAGUS NERVE

Mouth/Throat/Face:

• Breathe, whistle, sing, hum, chew gum, laugh, drink or gargle cold water, splash cold water on the face

Chest/Lungs:

• Breathe, ice pack on the chest, cough, weighted blanket

Heart:

• Meditation, mindfulness, prayer, focus on gratitude, share (be vulnerable) with trusted friends or family

Digestion:

• Take probiotics, eat fiber, tense and release abdomen muscles, eat small snacks often for upset stomach, be mindful of hunger/full signals

Whole Body:

• Massage, stretching, acupuncture, yoga, exercise

• Focus on breathing OUT

• Hold one hand on belly

and one hand on chest

• Go slowly & consistently

• Balances oxygen levels

• Stimulates Vagus Nerve

• Turns Frontal Cortex ON

HOW?

WHY?

BREATHING

http://imgur.com/gallery/Huou7Gh

Mindfulness

• Set aside a time and place every day.

• Remove all distractions.

• Focus attention to yourself.

• Notice your senses, body, emotions, and thoughts.

• Try not to judge what you discover inside yourself.

• If needed, remind yourself of the bigger picture and

realize that feelings pass. Use breathing, if needed.

• Challenge yourself to increase how often and how

long you are mindful until you can see the results.

• Keep it up!

Mindful Activities

• Prayer, Scriptures, and Meditation

• Yoga or Martial Arts (goo.gl/vhP1wz)

• Guided Meditations (goo.gl/wRdAXD)

• App: Stop, Breathe, and Think

• Playing an Instrument or Singing

• Gardening

• Journal (Writing, Gratitude, Bullet, etc)

• Tapping (goo.gl/1UcFju)

• Crafting, Art and Creating

• 5 Senses Grounding (goo.gl/MYAV2W)

• Spend Quality Time with Loved Ones

Managing Electronics

Phone Apps:

Stop, Breath & Think - mindfulness app

Forest – help grow trees by taking phone breaks

Offtime – set limits and block activity for focus

Cold Turkey – block phone for set times

OurPact – parental control for limiting use

Kaspersky SafeKids – parental control for limiting use

Computer Programs:

Cold Turkey – set limits on Mac or Windows to focus

FocusMe – set limits on phone, Mac or Windows

References

Amen, D. G., Routh, L. C. (2003). Healing Anxiety and Depression. New

York: Penguin Group.

Arnsten, A. F. (2009). Stress signalling pathways that impair prefrontal

cortex structure and function. Nature Reviews Neuroscience 10(6): 410-422.

Dana, D. A., Porges, S. W. (2018). The Polyvagal Theory in Therapy. New

York: W. W. Norton & Company.

Dukakis, K. & Tye, L. (2007). Shock: the healing power of electroconvulsive

therapy. New York: Penguin Group.

Field, T. & Diego, M. (2008). Vagal activity, early growth, and emotional

development. Infant Behavior & Development, 31(3): 361-373.

Graybiel, A. M. & Grafton, S. T. (2015). The striatum: where skills and

habits meet. Cold Springs Harbor Perspectives in Biology 7:a021691

Koenigs, M. & Grafman, J. (2009). Post-traumatic stress disorder: the role

of medial prefrontal cortex and amygdala. Neuroscientist, 15(5): 540-548.

References

Matosin, N. Cruceanu, C. & Binder, E. B. (2017). Preclinical and clinical

evidence of DNA methylation changes in response to trauma and chronic

stress. Chronic Stress, 1: doi:10.1177/2470547017710764

McCauley, K. Clegg, J. (2009). Pleasure Unwoven: a personal journey about

addiction [DVD]. Salt Lake City, UT: Institute for Addiction Study.

Pittman, C. M., Karle, E. M. (2015). Rewire Your Anxious Brain: How to Use

the Neuroscience of Fear to End Anxiety, Panic, and Worry. Oakland, CA: New

Harbinger Publications, Inc.

Sternberg, E. J. (2015). Neurologic: The Brain’s Hidden Rationale Behind Our

Irrational Behavior. New York: Pantheon Books.

Stiles, J. & Jernigan, T. L. (2010). The Basics of Brain Development.

Neuropsychology Review, 20: 327-348.

Van der Kolk, B. A. (2014). The Body Keeps the Score. New York: Viking.

Walker, M. (2017). Why We Sleep: The New Science of Sleep. Penguin

Random House.