Silencing a Thousand Barking Dogs - Episode 16 Brain Anatomy of Duality Discourse 4 - The Deep Limbic System
This is a rebroadcast of a 2011 episode by Bryan. He continues to explore for the listener, his premise that unlike God Consciousness, that of a human brain is dualistic, hence the title “Brain Anatomy of Duality.”
He continues to draw from research from Dr. Daniel Amen and cites this researcher’s discoveries using the science of SPECT Imaging, information found within his book “Change Your Brain, Change Your Life.”
Bryan begins by talking about what Amen says about the Deep Limbic System and how love and affective disorders are related to it. The Limbic system contains the Thalamic Structure and the Hypothalamus. The Limbic system as a whole contains multiple parts and Bryan focuses in this episode on just the Deep Limbic System and what neuro-psychiatry has to say about it.
Bryan, once again relates the scientific findings to the symbolic nature of dog-like thought and behavior patterns.
The Deep Limbic System sets the emotional tone of the mind. It filters external events through internal states which is known as “emotional coloring”. It is what gives “flavor” and “zest” to what we process. The DLS also tags certain events as internally important. It also stores highly charged emotional memories, it modulates motivation, controls appetite and also sleep cycles. An important function of the DLS is that it promotes bonding as seen with mammals, such as dogs, wolf-packs, and other animals, both domesticated and wild. In the DLS you process sense and smell and modulates libido or sexual drive for procreation.
The Limbic System lies near the center of the brain and its size is that of a walnut. The functions contained within are critical to human behavior and survival. From an evolutionary standpoint, this is part of the mammalian brain that enabled animals to express emotions. The Deep Limbic System adds the “emotional spice” (coloring) and passion to carry out planning and actions related to the Pre-Frontal Cortex part of the brain. The DLS sets the emotional tone. For example, when the DLS is less active there is usually a more positive hopeful state of mind in a person. On the flip side, when it is heated up, it can have a negative impact.
Dr. Amen says that when the DLS is inflamed emotional “shading” takes place. Emotional shading is the filter in which you interpret the events of a given day.
Amen says that hormones can effect emotional states that are controlled by the DLS. Highly charged emotional memories (positive and negative) are stored in this area of the brain as well and can affect your ability to think in the present. Sleep, appetite, and social bondedness are affected by damage done to this area of the brain. Such damage can seriously impair a person from healthy social connectedness. Bryan shares his understanding based on personal experiences about how he healed his ability to bond as talks about the push-pull relationships we may find ourselves in. Overactivity in the DLS can lead to decreased libido and many people who become celibate in religious vocations do so for the wrong reasons or without fully healing this area in their life. He talks about repressed desires for sexual functioning and certain behaviors that may result.
Some problems in the DLS are clinical depression, mood disorders, negativity, decreased motivations, decreased sexual responses, the tendency to self-isolate, and crippling anxiety and fear.
Once again Bryan uses the symbolism of dog-behaviors rooted in barking as characteristic ways of understanding these issues.
Some of the anatomy of the DLS includes the Hypothalamus and the Basal Ganglia. Barking dogs such as heightened fear, anxiety, and lack of attention span are the results of an over-activity in the Basal Ganglia. Under activity in this area can affect pleasure control “loops” says Dr. Amen.
Bryan says that we cannot ignore the role that brain and body states play in our thinking. He speaks about addictive love patterns and how it relates to the Basal Ganglia. Heightened Basal Ganglia activity as shown in Amen’s SPECT imaging can cause panic and anxiety loops. Bryan calls this the descent into a living hell.
Bryan goes through one of Dr. Amen’s Basal Ganglia checklists to allow the listener to self-score (not as a replacement for medical attention, but merely for self-awareness) how prone they are to having challenges with this part of the Deep Limbic System.
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