“Head - Gut” Equilibrium
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When we find ourselves in ‘normal’ conditions, that is, calm and not stressed, our behaviours are guided in a balanced way, both by reason (“Guided by the head”) and by feelings, sounds and unconscious drives (“Guided by the gut”).
In times of conflict, as well as in all situations where we feel very tense (stress, fatigue), very sharp and powerful emotions can emerge.
The more these negative emotions expand, the less space for reason.
In the worst cases, it could happen that a person manifest a behaviour as irrational as to be absolutely incomprehensible from the outside world.
The more these negative emotions expand, the less space for reason.
In the worst cases, it could happen that a person manifest a behaviour as irrational as to be absolutely incomprehensible from the outside world.
It is proven that our body reacts to stress in the same way in which our ancestors used to react, millions of years ago. We talk about ‘emotional trigger’ when we want to identify situations which may bring to an emotional interpretation, because they are related to needs, motivations or situations that have already been experienced by the person involved.
If someone or something pushes our «emotional trigger», if we feel we are in danger, our sense of vision sends signals directly to the amygdala, which is a small gland into our limbic system.
The amygdala is the centre of our emotions and the ‘command centre’ of our rapid-actions answers. The body activates in order to be immediately ready to action, releasing adrenaline, which increases the blood pressure, accelerates breathe, keeps muscles in tension. On the contrary, some other body functions are blocked, for example our ability to think in a logic-rational way.
It is interesting, for our ability to manage conflicts, that amygdala receives messages not only by senses, but also by emotions. Messages may be induced by external stimuli, but also by our thoughts; it is as if we could create a danger that exists only in our mind.
If someone or something pushes our «emotional trigger», if we feel we are in danger, our sense of vision sends signals directly to the amygdala, which is a small gland into our limbic system.
The amygdala is the centre of our emotions and the ‘command centre’ of our rapid-actions answers. The body activates in order to be immediately ready to action, releasing adrenaline, which increases the blood pressure, accelerates breathe, keeps muscles in tension. On the contrary, some other body functions are blocked, for example our ability to think in a logic-rational way.
It is interesting, for our ability to manage conflicts, that amygdala receives messages not only by senses, but also by emotions. Messages may be induced by external stimuli, but also by our thoughts; it is as if we could create a danger that exists only in our mind.