Brain Frenzy

This chapter provides a crash course on the brain, focusing on key areas involved in anxiety, namely the amygdala and its pivotal role in the ‘fight or flight’ response. It examines well-known cases demonstrating the impact of a damaged or absent amygdala in both humans and animals, offering insight into how this small brain structure plays a powerful role in threat perception. This chapter also explores how differences in hormones and brain chemistry contribute to differences in anxiety levels between males and females. A real-life story features SM, a woman who damaged her amygdala and became a real-life fear-free superhero! This compelling example highlights just how vital the amygdala is to our experience of fear.