Being more Barry: The Amygdala - a tiny processing centre for big feelings
What is the Amygdala?
In the human brain, the amygdala is a tiny section with a huge job: this almond shaped structure is responsible for regulating emotions. Its a part of the brain which, in our caveman days, would have kept us safe from predators; it is responsible for the essential fight/flight/freeze response which has kept humans alive (and safe from sabre toothed tigers) for centuries. Part of the limbic system and located within the temporal lobe, the amygdala is part of the management system for a range of feelings including:
aggression
memory
social communication
emotions which relate to parenting and caregiving
emotions connected to memories
It can be affected by a variety of conditions such as anxiety, mood and panic disorders, PTSD, ASC, epilepsy and stroke. In usual circumstances the amygdala is kept safe by the cortex, which is responsible for planning and reasoning amongst other things but, on occasion, the cortex can’t keep the amygdala under control which is when we can have dramatic outbursts of feeling.
Don’t flip your lid!
Dan Siegel’s amygdala theory asks us to imagine the brain as a closed fist, thumb under fingers. The thumb represents the amygdala whilst the folded fingers are the cortex, hiding the amygdala away safely. When circumstances become stressful and life does what it does (imagine your alarm not going off, toast getting burned, major traffic jams and so on), the cortex can come away, exposing the amygdala and that fight/flight/freeze response to the elements. When that happens, our reasoning skills lose the battle and we can lose our temper- usually over something which seems trivial or without an obvious trigger. Seigel calls it ‘flipping the lid’ and this is a powerful image for students and educators when exploring how to manage those out of control big feelings.
Introducing Barry!
Barry is a hand from Planet Handy who has a tough day, causing him to flip his lid. With help from his teacher, Barry thinks of ways to regulate and get his lid back on. This story came about when talking to a number of students about how they experience big feelings and how they can help themselves to regain calm and perspective. I am a huge believer in supporting students to find their own way so that they aren’t forever reliant upon others to “manage” their big feelings. So I needed a relatable character and simple story that would start a conversation. And so Barry was born! I have used his story in a number of classes with a range of students and he has hit the mark every time - children see themselves in him and want to think of their own ways to get the lid back on, the book has been printed and sent home to share with parents and I now have the joy of hearing “what would Barry do?” and “Miss Mel, I nearly flipped my lid but I did x, y and z and got it back on before it flipped”. And that my friends is the biggest mark of success I can think of!
M x