Exploring the Brain: Understanding Emotion Regulation and Our Mental Health

Get ready to unravel the intricate workings of your brain with the enlightening insights of esteemed neuroscientist Dr. Dan Siegel and his handy hand model. 

Today’s episode will provide a simple yet profound understanding of how our brains regulate emotions and manage our reactions. The spotlight shines on the prefrontal cortex, our brain's master controller, and its vital roles in connecting with others, calming our fears, and creating that crucial space between impulse and action.

That's not all. As we continue our exploration of the brain, we'll also touch upon the importance of online regulation and engagement. Don't forget to stay tuned for our next insightful episode, where we continue this fascinating journey into mental health.

 

Resources

NAMI 

Psychology Today 

Here are 4 parts of the brain we discussed today, based on a model created by Dr. Dan Siegel.

 The brain stem:

• It controls fundamental body functions such as breathing, eye movements, blood pressure, heartbeat, and swallowing

• Responsible for the fight, flight, freeze response

 The limbic stem: the emotional part of the brain,

• When we perceive a threat, the amygdala sounds an alarm, releasing a cascade of chemicals in the body. Stress hormones like adrenaline and cortisol flood our system, immediately preparing us for fight or flight

• How do we focus our attention

• How we remember things

  The cortex is the higher part of the brain.

We can call this the executive region - we want this part to remain regulated to maintain a connection with each other. We’ll talk briefly about what happens when we get dysregulated and how this keeps us from connecting with ourselves and others.

• helps you to manage and mention your emotions

• It helps with thinking and planning

 The prefrontal cortex -  also called the “master controller”:

• regulate the body, the ability to tune into someone else, which allows compassion or empathy (what happens when we feel rejected or triggered),

• response flexibility:  allows you to put a space between an impulse and an action,

• the ability to calm fears - teach your upstairs part of the brain to calm fears

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Have a great week!

Melissa