Amygdala

Today in school...I learned.

Isn't that refreshing to say. Sometimes I feel like school is simply regurgitation of information, and others...

Others are a testimony to me that the Lord knows the things I need to learn to better understand myself.

Sometimes I think stupid things...
Sometimes I say stupid things...
and often I spend a lot of time kicking myself for things I ought not have said.

I have on several occasions - especially those where I feel intimidated (which is a lot) - said things that I really didn't mean. Often things come out of my mouth completely distorted from what I intended to say...

Moments like this haunt my life...I probably think about them too often - But!

In class today we discussed the brain. There are three parts to the brain responsible for processing thought - the Brain Stem, the Amygdala, and the Frontal Cortex.

The frontal cortex is the only part of the brain that actually thinks, or uses reason. The Amygdala is responsible for emotion. The Brain stem is motor movements.

Thoughts have to pass though the Brain stem, and the Amygdala before they can reach reason. For instance - when you are in a panic situation - life and death - your instinct (Brain Stem) goes into action - and that is where thought stops. Everything that we do after that is instinct - not based on reason, not thought about. However, if you are able to get past the basic instinct to the Amygdala you still have to get that thought through the Amygdala to the frontal cortex before it can be reasoned with. Once it gets to the Amygdala, it can stop there, and then your reaction to whatever the situation is at the mercy of your emotions - for instance, you get up to bear your testimony, and all of a sudden you are so overcome with emotion that you simply forget what you had planned to say - that is your Amygdala stopping the thought process.

I am grateful that my brain stem, and Amygdala are functioning in their proper fashion. It is just good to know that although I am feeling more and more dyslexic, I am not mentally retarded, or incapable of getting past this hurdle.

I have let many a situation - especially performance wise - I can get past the brain stem, and then my emotions run crazy, and I am not able to perform/ sing to the range I am capable of - honestly, very few people have heard me sing to my full capacity because of this problem. Now I have a solution - I simply need to keep my Amygdala in check, calm and collected - and then I can do better. Amazing.

I already experimented with it in Women's Choir auditions, and it works like a charm...but as soon as my Amygdala starts interrupting things go downhill.

I don't know if I have presented this information in an understandable way, but I do know that I now have a tool I can use to better myself, as well as be a better teacher in the future.

amazing.