Welcome! In this blog post, I invite you to explore the fascinating world of brain function and its impact on our emotional well-being and mental health. Understanding how our brain works can be incredibly helpful, especially when dealing with feelings of depression or anxiety. This is because they are symptoms of our mental well-being. It is essential to recognise these feelings and understand their underlying mechanisms.

I will explain the roles of the prefrontal cortex and the more primitive parts of our brain and highlight some of the mental traps we can fall into because of how our brains function. While the brain is designed to protect and support us, it can sometimes feel like it’s working against us, especially when we do not fully understand it. By the end, you will see how our past experiences shape our perception of the world and influence how we navigate both our inner and outer lives.

At the front of the brain is the “prefrontal cortex”, the conscious part responsible for interacting with the world. It connects to a vast network of intellectual resources, the brain’s main cortex. When we operate from this part of the brain, we generally make good decisions, as the prefrontal cortex provides answers based on thoughtful analysis, usually fostering a positive outlook.

Caveman Brain

The brain also has a crucial part known as the “limbic system,” often called the original primitive or emotional brain. At its core is the “amygdala”, which plays a key role in triggering the “fight, flight, or freeze” response. Hyperactivity in the amygdala is linked to anxiety, while underactivity is associated with depression. As the brain’s emotional engine, the amygdala constantly interprets and generates emotions, helping us respond to the world around us.

The amygdala works closely with two other primitive areas: the “hippocampus”, which stores learned behaviours (some of which may be outdated or unhelpful), and the “hypothalamus”, which regulates the chemical responses that affect both your mind and body.

Now, imagine coming face-to-face with a polar bear. Your anxiety would spike, causing you to shift from the intellectual part of your brain to the primitive, emotional brain. Your heart would race, your palms would sweat, and adrenaline would surge, preparing you to flee or defend yourself. In this case, the primitive response is entirely appropriate for survival.

Unfortunately, this same process can occur in everyday life when our anxiety gradually builds. When anxiety increases, we lose intellectual control, and the primitive mind takes over. The primitive brain can perceive even small challenges as crises, triggering automatic responses like anxiety, depression, or anger as a way to protect us.

Our ancestors depended on this primitive brain for survival. When danger or extreme weather loomed, they would retreat to their caves or some form of cover and wait it out. Today, this is mirrored in symptoms of depression, where we withdraw from life, waiting for our inner “danger” to pass.

Now, imagine living in a jungle with constant survival threats. We would always be close to our “panic button.” Also, “Anger” was a primitive way to increase strength for self-defence against predators or hostile tribes. The primitive mind is inherently negative, designed to assume the worst for self-preservation (to keep us alive). If you faced a polar bear, you wouldn’t think, “I wonder if it’s already eaten?”, you would immediately assume, “It’s going to eat me!” This kind of thinking is helpful when facing life-or-death situations, but not so good when receiving a bank statement or after a disagreement.

The primitive mind is also obsessive. If danger is near, you would stay vigilant, constantly checking for threats. Unfortunately, this part of the brain is not creative, it relies on past behaviours, even unhealthy ones, to ensure survival.This is how we can become caught up in unhealthy habits.

Mental Trap Alert: It can be a perceived threat rooted in a fear, an emotion not necessarily grounded in facts but rather fueled by opinions and beliefs. It can serve as the underlying cause of Obsessional Compulsive Disorder OCD.

Subsequently, because our primitive brain has not caught up with modern life, it can lead to unhealthy behaviours:

• Overeating: Our ancestors ate whenever food was available, not knowing when their next meal might come. Today, we still tend to overindulge even though food is abundant.
• Procrastination: Delaying tasks might have helped early humans avoid risks. Now, it often results in binge-watching TV instead of working on important projects.
• Checking Phones Obsessively: Our brains crave connection for survival, but obsessively refreshing social media is not the same as genuine human interaction.
• Stress Eating: In times of stress, our brain signals us to fuel up, but it doesn’t specify whether we should reach for chocolate or celery.

So how do we end up in an anxious or depressed state where the primitive brain dominates? Anxiety is driven by “negative thinking”. It’s not always our life circumstances that create anxiety; it’s how we think about them. If that were not the case, everyone in similar situations would have the same reactions, but they don’t. Our thought patterns significantly shape how we feel.

Mental Trap Alert: Sometimes our thoughts can be unhelpful and can lead us into thinking traps referred to as errors of thinking styles in Cognitive Behaviour Therapy. There are many errors of thinking styles, which can distort our perception of reality and unchecked they can impact on our emotions, becoming unhelpful patterns.

Every negative thought converts into anxiety. We create anxiety by negatively forecasting the future, whether it’s about big things like “I’ll never find another job” or small ones like a meeting.

Mental Trap Alert: The brain does not differentiate between imagination and reality. You might know intellectually that meetings usually go fine, but if you’ve imagined 50 scenarios going wrong, your brain believes you’ve endured 50 terrible meetings, even if only one meeting actually took place. This phenomenon can lead to avoidance behaviour as a coping mechanism for the stress and anxiety associated with those imagined negative outcomes.

All these negative thoughts accumulate in what we call the “stress bucket”. Fortunately, there’s a natural way to empty this bucket: “REM sleep” (Rapid Eye Movement sleep). During REM sleep, we process the day’s events, either exactly as it happened or metaphorically. You move them from the emotional, primitive brain to the intellectual brain, where we can manage them better. This is because emotional memories become “narrative memories”, which we can reflect on more calmly.

You have likely experienced this: someone upsets you in the afternoon, and despite advice to “let it go,” you can’t stop thinking about it. After a good night’s sleep, you wake up thinking, “Why did I let that bother me so much?” That’s REM sleep at work, transferring emotional memories to the intellectual brain.

Waking up with an “empty stress bucket” allows you to start the day free from anxiety, anger, or depression. But sometimes, life’s events overwhelm us, causing the stress bucket to overflow. REM sleep is limited to about 20% of total sleep, and when we try to process too much at once, the mind wakes us up, often leaving us wide awake and miserable. This makes it hard to fall back asleep, and we wake up without having fully emptied the stress bucket. The vicious cycle continues, waking up stressed, unable to cope, and stuck in negativity.

How do we break this cycle and regain intellectual control? We need to reduce the stress filling our bucket by focusing on the “positive aspects of life”. Improving sleep patterns is also crucial. I provide clients with an MP3 recording to listen to before bed, helping them relax and re-balance the intellectual and primitive parts of the brain.

Before wrapping up, let’s explore what’s happening physiologically when we suffer from anxiety disorders and depression.

Our ancestors were rewarded when engaging in positive, survival-based activities. Hunting, gathering, and socializing within their tribe led to feelings of reward and satisfaction. Simply thinking about these activities going well could trigger a positive response. These rewards kept them motivated, helped them manage daily challenges, and allowed them to face fear and physical pain with greater resilience.

Scientific research shows that these rewards are tied to “positive neurotransmitters” in the brain (dopamine, oxytocin, serotonin, and endorphins) . These neurotransmitters, chemical messengers, act as a catalyst for mentally healthy behaviour. When we produce a constant flow of these neurotransmitters, we feel happier, braver, more motivated, and better equipped to handle life’s difficulties.

So, how do we encourage the flow of these beneficial neurotransmitters? We need to engage in positive activities, socialize, and maintain a positive mindset. Although we no longer need to hunt, we still need to be active and think in ways that promote the production of these “feel-good” chemicals.

Now, what reduces the flow of these neurotransmitters? When we feel down, anxious, or overwhelmed, the production of these chemicals slows down, sometimes drastically. Instead, our bodies produce “stress hormones” like adrenaline and cortisol, which are great for survival situations (like facing a polar bear), but not so useful in managing modern-day stress.

To regain control, we can use the powerful tool of “trance”. Hypnotherapists use trance to enhance therapeutic work. Trance is a common state, we experience it many times a day, whether deeply focused on something, watching TV, working out, or driving along a familiar route. In trance, the conscious and subconscious minds come together, allowing access to your subconscious and its vast intellectual resources. This can help you achieve your best possible self.

The good news is that “solution-focused hypnotherapy” usually works quickly, within 8 to 12 sessions, though some people may see results even faster or take a bit longer.

In conclusion, understanding how the brain works is key to managing anxiety, depression and break free from the mental traps. By recognizing the roles of the intellectual and primitive parts of the brain, we can better grasp why we react to stress in certain ways and, more importantly, how we can regain control. Negative thinking and stress can trap us in a cycle of anxiety, but by focusing on positive activities, social interactions, and maintaining a healthy mindset, we can encourage the production of the neurotransmitters that keep us mentally strong. We are the ones that make these lovely neurotransmitters through engaging in life.

Solution-focused hypnotherapy is an effective tool to help break this cycle, using trance to access the subconscious and shift from emotional reactions to intellectual responses. With the right support and understanding, you can reduce the effects of anxiety and depression, regain control over your thoughts, and ultimately live a more balanced and fulfilling life.

Ready to take control of your mental health and unhelpful thinking? Now that you understand how your brain influences your emotions, it’s time to take the next step towards a healthier, happier life. Solution-focused hypnotherapy can help you break free from the negative cycles holding you back. By focusing on positive thoughts and activities, you can retrain your brain to support your well-being.

If you are ready to start your journey towards better mental health, do not wait. Reach out today to learn more about how solution-focused hypnotherapy can help you regain control and find balance in your life. Take the first step and book your free initial consultation with me Tina now, call 07448569443 your future self will thank you!