Premier Neuro Therapy
  • HOME
  • PREMIER TEAM
  • NEURO THERAPY
  • TESTIMONIALS
  • CONTACT US
  • Blog

How Big Is Your Amygdala?

3/11/2019

0 Comments

 
This week's blog was written by our Clinical Director of Neuro Therapy, Leah Zinnert.​ It's a really fascinating piece!

​
National Geographic recently came out with a documentary called “Free Solo,” about how Alex Honnold became the only person in the world to climb the 3,000 ft wall El Capitan without a rope or other safety gear.  

An article written about the climb stated that:

“Elite climbers have pointed to Honnold’s unique ability to remain calm and analytical in such dangerous situations, a skill that Honnold has slowly developed over the 20 years he has been climbing… There are other climbers in Honnold’s league physically, but no one else has matched his mental ability to control fear.”
Picture
His ability to remain calm in these high-risk situations intrigued scientists. So much so, that they actually conducted a functional MRI of his brain.

This type of imaging shows changes of blood flow that occur in the brain when a person is performing a certain task or exposed to a certain stimulus. Essentially, what is activated (or not activated) will light up during the scan.
Local to the Towson, Lutherville-Timonium,
Cockeysville, or Hunt Valley area?

Friends & Family receive a FREE
Discovery Session at Premier!

CLICK TO REFER
​FRIENDS & FAMILY
The amygdala, the part of the brain they were especially interested in studying in Alex, is a part of the limbic system. It helps us to interpret and process emotions. It helps us to identify threatening stimuli and regulate our fear response.

What they discovered in Honnold was interesting. When they exposed him to stimuli that, in you and I, would most likely cause a fearful response, it generated nearly no response in Alex’s amygdala. His brain remained in the parasympathetic (rest and digest) state instead of being driven into the sympathetic state that would occur in the typical person.
​

But how? One hypothesis could be genetics. Some people are just wired to be more ‘chill’ than others. Some of us are better at remaining calm in stressful or scary situations.

Or perhaps it’s a result of his training?

Has the repeated exposure to scary situations given him the ability to actually train and control his responses even at the deepest levels of the nervous system?

Maybe it’s a combination of both.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, what if your amygdala was the opposite of Alex Honnold’s? What if it was OVER active (which studies have suggested would cause the amygdala to be larger than normal)?

Could it signal a fear response in a situation that may not be appropriate, which would increase anxiety, fear, and even pain levels?

And what if we have the ability to train our brains to interpret stimuli differently?

Here are 5 tips that have been proven effective at training (and shrinking) your amygdala, so you can be more in control of your fear response.

1.  Face your Fears

Avoid Avoidance. Is there something that your fearful of? Often, repeated or controlled exposure to these things can help decrease fear, help you to manage anxiety, and stress. If you’re unsure of how to do this, talking to a professional can help.

2.  Breathing

It all starts with the breath. Ever been stressed out, feel like you can’t control anything happening around you? One thing you can always control – your breath. Try this exercise to drive your brain in to chill mode:
  • Inhale quietly for 4 seconds, hold your breath for 7 seconds, exhale slowly for 8 seconds
  • Repeat this cycle 5-10 times.

3.  Meditation/Mindfulness

The goal here is to increase focus and calm. There is a lot of information you can find online about best strategies to initiate a meditation practice if you are unsure. https://www.wikihow.com/Meditate or App’s such as Headspace or Calm can be helpful.

4.  Exercise

It has long been proven that regular aerobic exercise helps to release endorphins, which naturally stabilize mood, decrease anxiety, and decrease stress. Not sure where to start?  Pick something simple that you know you’ll enjoy doing!

5.  Why are you fearful?

Take some time to explore why you may react or be more sensitive to certain stimuli. Once you are more aware of the WHY behind certain behaviors, they are easier to manage.

Do you know someone who would benefit from training their amygdala?

Send them this article!
Local to the Towson, Lutherville-Timonium,
Cockeysville, or Hunt Valley area?
CLICK TO REFER
FRIENDS & FAMILY
Friends & Family receive a FREE
Discovery Session at Premier!
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

      Never Miss A Post!

    Subscribe To The Blog
    Picture

    About the Author

    Evan Lewis is a nationwide leader in Neuro Therapy and founded the Baltimore area's only specialist Neuro Therapy facility.

    You might know Evan from his work with MLB, NFL, and NCAA players around the country.  After discovering the benefits of Neuro Therapy while playing football at Penn State University, he opened Premier Neuro Therapy in 2015.  Within just 6 months of opening, clients were so excited about Evan and his techniques that athletes from around the country began calling to request his services. Since then, he has been featured  by numerous publications and productions around the country including WEEI Boston Sports News, Jacksonville 1010XL The Drill With Dan Hicken And Jeff Prosser, and The Washington Post. 

    Today, Evan continues to strive towards his mission of bringing Neuro Therapy to as many people as possible.  This work begins in the Baltimore, MD area, where he looks forward to introducing you to Neuro Therapy and getting you back to the active lifestyle you love.

    Picture
    Questions About Neuro Therapy?  Download the answers to the 28 Most Common Questions we're asked.
    Picture
    Download now: 7 Quick & Easy Tips To Reduce Back Pain (without painkillers,, injections, or seeing the doctor)!

    Archives

    February 2022
    December 2021
    August 2021
    March 2021
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017

    Categories

    All
    Arthritis
    Back Pain
    Compensation Patterns
    Concussion
    Discovery Session
    Goals
    Golf
    Health Care
    HRV
    Knee Pain
    Mindset
    Multiple Sclerosis
    Nervous System
    Neuro Activation Exercises (NAE)
    Neuropathy
    Neuro Therapy
    Painkillers
    Performance
    Protein
    Repetitive Injuries
    Sciatica
    Shoulder Pain
    Sleep
    Support Team
    Surgery

    RSS Feed

    Local to the Towson, Lutherville-Timonium, Cockeysville, or
    Hunt Valley area?
    CLICK TO REFER
    FRIENDS & FAMILY
    Friends & Family receive a FREE Discovery Session at Premier!
About
Premier Neuro Therapy specializes in helping people overcome nagging pains and injuries, avoid surgery and injections, and transform the body to a state of peak performance.
Hours
Monday 8am-6pm
Tuesday 8am-6pm
Wednesday 8am-6pm
Thursday 8am-6pm
Friday 8am-6pm​
Saturday Appointment only
Sunday Closed
Our Location
Our home base is just outside of Baltimore, MD, but we serve clients virtually throughout the United States!
10815 Beaver Dam Road
Unit E 
Cockeysville, MD 21030
​
support@premierneurotherapy.com
(410) 929-3617

15 miles north of downtown Baltimore, MD

©2022 Premier Neuro Therapy LLC
PRIVACY POLICY

​

  • HOME
  • PREMIER TEAM
  • NEURO THERAPY
  • TESTIMONIALS
  • CONTACT US
  • Blog