The Effects of Stress on Your Brain with Rick Hanson, Ph.D.

the second major layer or floor in the house of the brain built from the brainstem sub cortex and neocortex sitting on top of it all the third floor of the House of the brain in the second floor of the House of the brain the amygdala and hippocampus are very close to each other and they communicate with each other so the hippocampus among its many functions literally sends inhibitory signals to the help to the amygdala in effect it puts on the brakes it says slow down and big to the chill also the hippocampus signals the hypothalamus which is close by if you look at a picture of the brain Ewell's you can see they're all close to each other and that the hypothalamus is a really ancient part of the brain as I said it's considered to be part of the sub cortex but it sits right on top of the brainstem it's really close to the top of the brainstem so it's an ancient part of the brain and literally neurons go from the hippocampus to the hypothalamus that are also in inventory put on the brakes and signal to the hypothalamus we've received enough cortisol you don't need to keep telling the adrenal glands to shoot more adrenaline or cortisol into the body enough already the problem is as a detail when people experience repeated stress including the stress of negative emotions like anger or fear or sadness or hurt again and again and again the cortisol that comes with those negative emotions and stressful experiences weakens the hippocampus while simultaneously strengthening and sensitizing the amygdala which creates a vicious cycle in effect and this is Mother Nature's plan it's very effective for animals living in harsh Stone Age you know harsh conditions or humans living in harsh stone-age conditions but on the whole this vicious cycle sensitizes in primes people to become ever more sensitive to life's experience and then even more vulnerable to them the next day that's why it's very important to practice mindfulness in part to step back from these stressful reactions mindfulness can act like a circuit breaker because then we step back from it kind of we disengage from we dis identify from our upsets and also it's really important to repeatedly take in the good not out of craving for the good things and not out of looking at the world through rose-colored glasses but out of a clear tough-minded clarity about the importance of internalizing beneficial experiences including ones of grit and gratitude and commitment to social justice and commitment to sobriety and self-regulation and well the character virtues like patience and generosity as we have those kinds of experiences it's really important to take in that good through the ways that I described have it and enjoy it internalize it in yourself in part to offset the brain's negativity bias which as I put it makes it like velcro for bad experiences but Teflon for for good ones

Channel: Rick Hanson

Views: 1,855

Keywords: stress, brain, mindfulness, self help, motivation, positive neuroplasticity, well-being, rick hanson, dr hanson, rick hansen, brain science, stressed brain

Id: ggwl5a61kLc

Length: 3min 26sec (206 seconds)

Published: Wed Mar 06 2019