Amygdala Hijacking and the Process of Orienting
Rapid heartbeat, antsiness, sweaty palms.
These are all symptoms we might experience in the midst of an "amygdala hijacking."
💡 Amygdala hijacking: a moment when our body overreacts to stress and in its desire to survive, allows the amygdala (the emotional center of our brain) to temporarily shut down or "hijack" our brain's ability to reason.
When faced with a real physical threat, amygdala hijacking is one of our body's prime protective mechanisms. It helps us to quickly shift into fight, flight, or freeze states based on what our body perceives is needed. (No need to think about it – just run!)
But here's the problem: while our body is good at sensing threats, it's not as good at understanding the subtleties of them.
Is that a lion coming toward me? Or just my boss with feedback?
Is she going to attack me? Or does my partner just want to remind me to get the groceries I forgot?
Faced with an emotional threat or a "hit to our ego," our body can respond as if we're under real physical attack. We might get overly defensive, feel our shoulders tighten up, and before we know it, our amygdala – our brain's emotional center – has taken full control.
I bet you've had this experience once or a million times.
And if you're like me at all, you also know all-too-well the consequences.
So here's a practice that has helped me. It's something you can do before and/or during an amygdala hijacking to allow your central nervous system to settle and ground yourself in "What's Real."
Practice: Somatic Orienting
Face forward and rest your eyes on whatever is in front of you.
Slowly turn to look over your left shoulder, gently twisting your body and activating your hips. Let your eyes explore the space around you. Identify any windows, doors, or possible exits in the room.
Slowly repeat over your right shoulder, taking note of any and all windows, doors, and exits.
Face forward again and notice your breathing. Give yourself a few moments simply to feel yourself in the space.
Why is this practice helpful?
Orienting helps to short-circuit the process of amygdala hijacking (sorry for the mixed metaphor here.)
It helps our body to settle, recognize where we are, where our exits are in case of immediate danger, and whether there are any real threats to begin with.
And if our body feels safe and knows its options, our amygdala can relax a bit and give the reasoning part of our brain some room to work.
📝 Questions:
In what contexts or situations do you most often experience "amygdala hijacking" in your life? (Think about the who, what, why, when, where, and how.)
How does this process change the ways you engage and interact with your friends, family, and broader communities?
🧰 Resources:
Learn more about amygdala hijacking (article)
My Grandmother's Hands by Resmaa Menakem (filled with trauma-informed somatic practices like this one)
