The Neuroscience of Anxiety & My Dog Winnie
At my practice, I am blessed to be able to bring my dog, Winnie, with me each and every day to work. I often joke with my clients that Winnie is the best and worst therapy dog because Winnie herself struggles with anxiety. New patients are often very excited when they see Winnie in the waiting room, asking right away if they can pet her. Unfortunately, Winnie’s anxiety makes her very timid and shy around new patients. She will often stand near me or hide underneath my chair when she is nervous. In these moments, I love to use Winnie, and her anxious brain, to talk to my clients about the neuroscience of anxiety.
The Prefrontal Cortex
Our prefrontal cortex is our thinking brain and is located at the front of our brain near our forehead. I refer to the prefrontal cortex as our “Wise Owl” because the prefrontal cortex helps us problem solve, think critically, connect, and play. Our prefrontal cortex takes time to develop and does not fully develop until age 25.
The Amygdala
Our amygdala is located in our midbrain. I refer to our amygdala as our “Guard Dog” because the amygdala’s main function is to keep us safe. Similar to a guard dog, when our amygdala detects a threat, it sends a signal to our brain that we are not safe, activating our limbic system. Like children with anxiety, Winnie has a very active amygdala, she perceives many threats when she is actually safe.
The Limbic System
The limbic system is the oldest part of the brain which is why I call it our “Lizard Brain.” Our limbic system is solely focused on survival. When our limbic system is activated we enter the fight, flight, freeze, and fawn response.
Similar to my dog Winnie, Children with anxiety often have an overactive amygdala, meaning they often perceive threats when they are safe. This is similar when Winnie thinks the kind mailman is a threat, causing her to bark and growl (fight), run under the bed (flee), play dead (freeze), or try to appease the mailman (fawn).
Our limbic system hijacks the brain, taking over our prefrontal cortex, meaning we can no longer access the part of the brain that helps us think critically and problem-solve. As parents, we can help our children move from their limbic system back to their prefrontal cortex using coregulation and calming techniques.
How You Can Help
When it comes to children and anxiety, it is important to remember that our brains are designed to help us survive, and when we perceive a threat our limbic system takes over. By understanding how the brain works, we can help our children move from the limbic system back to the prefrontal cortex, allowing them to think more clearly and problem-solve. Just like my dog Winnie, children with anxiety often have an overactive amygdala, perceiving threats when there may be none. With the help of coregulation and calming techniques, we can help our children gain the skills they need to move out of the limbic system and back to their wise owl prefrontal cortex.
