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The mind

Amygdala hijacking gives us huge muscles and no logic, in a quarter of a second

Ambiorn Happy
Fridag in Aarhus

You are facing something that is dangerous. Something very dangerous. The amygdala, a small gland in the middle of the brain, sends within a split-second signal to your adrenal glands to pump hormones into your blood.

Now things are happening. And it goes fast. The amygdala has responded to the dangerous thing within 100-150 milliseconds. Cortisol, adrenaline and noradrenaline flows into your body.

Your heart beats fast. The blood vessels tighten as the blood is pumped out to your muscles. Blood pressure rises to give you maximum power. Your pupils dilate so you can see as much as possible. Your lungs draw in oxygen in large quantities. You are ready for fight, or to run fast.

Do you want to flee or do you want to fight?

Life is about survival. When we are faced with something dangerous, we just want to survive. You can flee or you can fight back. It's all right, as long as you survive.

I was born with a large amygdala. I get scared of anything. That's the way it is. But then again. Due to traumatic experiences, my amygdala overreacted...
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