Clear Mind Meditation Techniques

Brain training - activating the amygdala

The amygdala is responsible for connecting and managing several different areas of the brain. It is directly involved with emotional well-being, the flight-or-flight response and fear conditioning.

Learning to turn on the amygdala in a positive way, is essential to learning how to control fear. We can consciously control the direction which the amygdala sends its transmissions along neuropathways. In this article we refer to this action as "clicking". We can choose to "click" the amygdala forward, turning on the reward centers for positive emotions. When the amygdala "clicks" backwards its inducing a fear response.

This response, both positive and negative, is hard wired into us by mother nature. However, because of how clever we humans are, we can consciously control our responses, to become more in charge of our reactions.

This action caused by the amygdala is the key to understanding what level of thinking we are using. When the amygdala clicks backwards it results in a flight-or-flight response, and we use our lower level reptilian brain. When it clicks forward we have access to the higher thinking capabilities of our frontal lobes. Its the frontal lobes which are responsible for creative, imaginative, and intuitive thinking.

With practice we can turn on positive emotions and keep them there so that we are living in a constant state of happiness. This is accomplished by consciously exercising the response of our amygdala. Turning the amygdala on in a positive manner by using creative exercises opens up the pathways to living life from our frontal lobes, the creative highest-functioning area of the brain.

There are many simple exercises we can do to activate this positive response. Any time we engage our imaginative thought processes we are using the frontal lobes. If you have ever read a comic book, and thought about creating your own, then you have already done this. Have you ever sat down and imagined what life would be like if you had super powers? These mental expeditions take us closer towards living a life in which we are fully aware and engaged.

Here I've provided a few images which will show you precisely where the amygdala is located in the brain. Try to picture where it is inside your skull, so that you can attempt the following exercise.

Please take a moment and try this:

• In your minds eye imagine a feather, reaching back in to your amygdala. and...tickle, tickle, tickle.

Hopefully you get a giggle or two out of this exercise, because this will also activate the frontal lobes. You can also try imagining other silly images for a similar effect.

To summarize, any time you engage in creative activity you are activating the frontal lobes. Using your imagination trains the amygdala to reward you for this positive behavior. So, please continue to act on those creative impulses. The pleasure you receive for being creative is mother natures way of saying "Keep going, your headed in the right direction".