Page 27 - Advance Copy: Todd Kaufman, Author

HOW TO MANAGE ANXIETY & END PANIC ATTACKS
or physical development to run or fight, but the urge is there and strong.
The amygdala, which does our emotional processing, works as a team with a part of our brain called the hypothalamus. The hypothalamus is a control centre that manages a whole pile of involuntary systems in our body like breathing and our heart rate. It is technically the hypothalamus that orders the release of our “fight or flight” hormones, adrenaline and cortisol, and it does so as a direct response to an alert from our amygdala.
So as your brain began to form from birth onwards, there was this little amygdala, online and working furiously. And as you began to learn about your world and structure thoughts, this well-practiced part of your brain had a lot to say about how you think!
Fast forward to now and presto: You have inadvertently programmed yourself to create most of your thoughts from the part of your brain that is constantly scanning for danger. It reports to your pre-frontal cortex, which then starts formulating defense or avoidance strategies to keep you safe!
It’s important to note that, since all of the events your amygdala is constantly scanning for are in the future, and have not actually happened, they are fictional. Once they are given to the thinking part of your brain to handle – the pre- frontal cortex – it works fast and hard to run case scenarios as if they are real in order to protect you. How much time have you invested in running through case scenarios in your head about how to have that talk with your partner, or how to avoid an uncomfortable or dangerous event? How many times have you said to yourself, What if?
As a result of this process, most of us take these Fictional Events Appearing Real and ruminate on them, getting stuck in “thought loops” that are anxiety-provoking and may trigger a panic attack.
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