Part Three: Training the Mind/Brain (series: amygdala/prefrontal cortex)

[Notice: The series are a personal effort in understanding the brain/mind and how it will apply to my life and practice of the fighting/marital arts. Any errors or omissions are mine alone and do not reflect on the sources from which I draw my thoughts and understanding. If you find any please allow me the human condition of making errors and provide me the information I need to learn, grow, and prosper.]

Yang and Yin again. In training our mind/brain and understanding the fundamentals of its workings especially for the flight-or-fight response we need to have a basic understanding of the processes of both the amygdala and the PFC or prefrontal cortex. I use Yang for the amygdala as its effects and purpose are more instant in nature while the PFC is yin as it takes a few moments before it kicks in, etc.

The amygdala and PFC work together, i.e. a balancing act of yang-yin, that provide us the protection against all those outside influences be they docile or dangerous. When we are confronted by situations the amygdala is the device that will initially send signals to the body and mind to instantly react until the PFC can process the information and tell you from the files in your mind whether it is something you must run from or you can relax with, etc.

The amygdala sees something that your mind perceives as dangerous it instantly uses the bodies natural instincts to react which in normal circumstances could mean you jump back from the possible danger. This is good yet in today's self defense we may want to "act" differently to achieve self protection. This is where things get a bit muddy.

In the process of training when someone makes a sudden lunging action toward you your first instinct, the amygdala signals the body, is to jump back away from the danger. In the training process, over time, you can actually reprogram your brain so that if someone sudden lunges at you the result could be a sudden movement to the side in lieu of jumping back, etc. This is a simplification to stress how important it is to train the brain/mind especially for self defense.

The military use the drilling process for training simply because it along with other training reprograms your brain and mind so you react accordingly when encountering a set of situations in combat. It is effective and has been used by military forces though out history.

If your reaction were to step to the side taking you out of the direct approach of someone lunging at you in lieu of jumping back then the PFC has that moment to "see" if it is just someone joking around to see if they could make you flinch or if it is actually an attack where the PFC pulls the response from the appropriate file and you "act appropriately."

This is also the conundrum of self defense for to train appropriately for violent behavior can not always be accomplished so some try to teach/train realistically so regardless of the level of threat you body "acts" instantly even if that training is a signal to act aggressively to protect yourself. This is a difficult and complex issue in self defense and is hugely different from "fighting."

Bibliography:
Hanson, Rick and Mendius, Richard. The Practical Neuroscience of Buddha's Brain: Happiness, Love & Wisdom. Oakland: New Harbinger Publications, Inc. 2009.