I Hate Anxiety Podcast

In this episode of the podcast Larry Quicksall answers a question from Beth: "How come I can know something can't hurt me, but I feel all scared in my body. I tell myself it's OK, but my body always wins the argument."  Larry answers this question by explaining the relationship between two structures in the brain: the Prefrontal Cortex (PFC) and the Amygdala.  The PFC is where we use logic to rationally look at a situation to determine if it is dangerous or not.  The Amygdala uses experiential learning to remember what is dangerous and then launches the Sympathetic Nervous System (our fight or flight response) to give us the abilities to survive a life threatening situation.  Larry explains how these two structures can work in harmony and against each other.