Amygdala Hijack

We are being forced into a ‘breakdown loop’, of burnout and ‘compassion fatigue’, by powers seeking to exploit the self-interest and ‘othering’ that such states provoke. “Fight-flight-freeze is ground zero for the toxic state of our politics, and it’s very much an equal opportunity affliction. None of us is immune. Everyone everywhere is freaking out. And so it is that something that starts in our private thoughts ripples out into the world, and helps to create the chaotic reality that we’re all inhabiting.” Evans asks “whether it’s possible to reverse the polarity of the cycle — so that a vicious circle becomes a virtuous spiral, and a breakdown loop becomes a breakthrough loop” which reorients us towards a positive, cooperative, hopeful ‘tend-and-befriend’ state. Evans encourages us to join in the “absolutely crucial step” of figuring this out, by learning to “untrigger”, “hold fast” and “let go”.