The myth of the Amygdala Hijack: dopamine, emotional overwhelm and the Habenula

Is Your Habenula Impacting Your ADHD?

In this episode of ADHD Powerful Possibilities, ADHD Coach Katherine explores the lesser-known habenula and its significant role in managing emotional regulation, dopamine, and the stress response in ADHD brains.

By examining how the habenula influences our behaviour, Katherine shares unique insights and practical strategies for emotional control.

Whether you’re feeling frustrated with task avoidance, emotional overwhelm, or looking for new ways to understand your brain’s inner workings, this episode sheds light on what's happening neurologically and offers tools to support your journey.

Episode Highlights:

• Understanding the Habenula: How this brain region plays a role in dopamine regulation and decision-making.

• Link Between the Habenula and ADHD: Exploring how sensitivity in the habenula can contribute to avoidance behavior and emotional sensitivity.

• Practical Tools for Emotional Regulation: Katherine shares reframing techniques, mindfulness practices, and positive reinforcement strategies to help manage emotional overload.

Key Questions:

1. What is the habenula, and how does it affect emotional regulation in the ADHD brain?

2. Why is dopamine so important for decision-making and motivation, especially in ADHD?

3. What are some actionable strategies to build emotional resilience and reduce avoidance?

4. How can a better understanding of our brain's response help in managing stress?

Related Resources:

📘 The CLEAR ADHD Procrastination Cure Ebook – For more on ADHD-friendly strategies.

🎓  Function Junction Course – Transform your approach to creating habits and routines with powerful brain-based methods.

✉️ Subscribe to Katherine’s ADHD Emails – Get actionable advice and tools directly to your inbox.

💡 Schedule a Coaching Session with Katherine - a one-hour meeting to help you untangle your noodles and make progress on what matters.

📈 Discover your ADHD Growth Archetype Quiz - personal growth looks different when we have ADHD. Discover your best plan forward with my free quiz.

Episode Chapters:

• 00:00 – Introduction to the Habenula

• 02:30 – What is the Habenula and its Role in ADHD

• 05:10 – How the Habenula Influences Task Avoidance

• 07:45 – Reframing Techniques for Emotional Regulation

• 10:00 – Mindfulness Practices to Calm the Habenula

• 12:15 – Positive Reinforcement Strategies for ADHD

• 15:30 – Embracing Self-Compassion

• 17:00 – Function Junction Course and Further Resources

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Transcript

[00:00:00] Hey, my friend. Welcome back to ADHD, powerful possibilities. It's Katherine here. And this week we are going to be doing a bit of myth busting.

[00:00:09] I know that in the past, I have used the term amygdala hijack when I'm talking to kids. Clients, even myself.

[00:00:18] And it's a really popular phrase that lots of people discuss in psychology. It's become quite common to think about this amygdala taking over your brain.

[00:00:28] But what if I told you that's not the real story about how our brains and our bodies. Process emotion and stress.

[00:00:36] In today's episode, we're going to have a look at why this idea of an amygdala hijack is not really right.

[00:00:43] And introduce you to another less famous part of the brain called the habenula

[00:00:48] When we understand the real players and our brain, when it comes to emotional regulation and stress.

[00:00:54] We then have the information that allows us to decide how we manage ADHD more effectively.

[00:01:01] And it means we're better able to resist those old unhelpful stories. We tell ourselves about not being very effective, not being very well organized.

[00:01:12] All these old stories that we carry with us. Are easier to reject when we understand what's happening in our brain.

[00:01:20] So, if you're ready to reframe how you think about your brain. Your emotions.

[00:01:25] And you want to learn something new. Stick with me.

[00:01:28] The idea of the amygdala hijack was popularized by Goldman and his incredible book, emotional intelligence.

[00:01:37] I have so much time for that book. And it really is important that we understand how our emotions are. the root of all the problems we have in ADHD really.

[00:01:50] The amygdala hijack was a great way to explain a concept that made sense to so many of us, a bit like rejection, sensitivity, dysphoria.

[00:02:00] It gave us a reason why we just lost it and our emotions seem to take over. And it helped us to respond more kindly to young people when they were going through the same thing.

[00:02:12] The idea is that in moments of perceived stress, when we think, we see a bear or the boss that we've been avoiding, or the person we had an argument with. The amygdala.

[00:02:24] Which is the part of our brain. We were told as responsible for the fight or flight response takes over. And it literally flips your brain so that the prefrontal cortex or the logical planning organizing part of your brain is. No longer in charge and you can run away or you can fight back or you can hide and freeze.

[00:02:46] It's a really compelling metaphor.

[00:02:48] Right. But it's also over simplified so much. That we're missing something really important.

[00:02:55] There's a whole network of areas of the brain that are involved when we perceive stress and deal with something that triggers our emotions.

[00:03:02] One of the key players is a really tiny part of your brain. Just underneath the limbic system. Called the Habenula

[00:03:09] and it plays a huge role in how we process information and respond emotionally. It's really connected to dopamine production.

[00:03:18] And a study in 2014 by Proux

[00:03:21] the habenula is particularly involved when it comes to aversive stimuli. That means when we anticipate something being hard or painful or difficult, we will avoid it.

[00:03:32] And it influences whether we withdraw or stay in a situation.

[00:03:37] . And our habenula, the lateral part of it. Is also involved in reward processing. So we already know from Dr. Nora Volkow studies that our dopamine processing is differentour reward, anticipation, the value of things. It's very different with ADHD. But now we're seeing that the habenula is also strongly connected to this. And this is true, whether we are feeling AOK or whether we are actually clinically depressed. and remember

[00:04:07] People with ADHD are at three times the risk of serious clinical depression.

[00:04:12] and, one of the reasons why I wanted to change the narrative about the amygdala hijack is when I first heard about it. To begin with. I thought, oh, this is great. This explains so much. And then I felt like there was a bit of my brain that was out of control. That I was being taken over that I had no autonomy. And I don't know about you, but I have a fair bit of demand avoidance, and I really like to be in charge of my own brain and body. And I was not comfortable with this idea that I had no way to control that response.

[00:04:47] It's again, a bit like rejection, sensitivity, dysphoria. Yes, it exists, but I don't want to feel like I'm a victim of this in the same way as I don't want to be a victim of my amygdala. And I imagine it like.

[00:05:02] That wild puppet in the Muppets who would bang the drums.

[00:05:06] When we understand the role of the habenula, and what's actually happening to the amygdala in that moment and how it's all part of our executive functions. And it's a hot circuit, but it's not cutting off any other parts of our brain. We can feel more in control and we can use strategies scaffolding from my favorite word. To help manage this.

[00:05:30] So, what is the Habana? And why should you care about it?

[00:05:33] It's so tiny. It's really, really small, even for the brain.

[00:05:38] It's job is to process negative outcomes.

[00:05:41] And regulate how we respond to them.

[00:05:44] It's think of it, like kind of valuator it's constantly checking.

[00:05:48] Whether something is rewarding or if it's too punishing. And then it guides our future behavior. Accordingly.

[00:05:56] There are several studies showing that. Overactive or hyperactive is linked to this negative and avoidance sensitivity.

[00:06:05] And there are studies that show a, hypersensitive, habenula. , which is what many people with ADHD. I have is linked.

[00:06:13] To a heightened sensitivity to negative experiences. Everybody would have the same experience, but if you have ADHD or you have a hypersensitive, habenula. You are much more likely to avoid that in future. And I know lots of us have children or work with young people. You will recognize is that. Incredible determination not to do something that was negative.

[00:06:40] And so it's strongly connected with the avoidance behavior that we see in ADHD.

[00:06:44] Aand, I would suspect an autism. I have not studied. The research in the autistic, habenula connection.

[00:06:52] In 2010 Hikosaka pointed out how essential there habenula is for stress response.

[00:06:58] And in value based decision-making.

[00:07:01] Can you see how this is really important information for those of us who somehow feel that we're broken, that we are not quite right. That actually, it's just a part of our brain.

[00:07:12] For people with ADHD, what does this mean? It means we are more likely to interpret a negative experience in an exaggerated way. other people might say, ah, that was half bad. We're like, no, that was at least a hundred.

[00:07:27] We see everyday stress as a significant threat, and then we avoid it.

[00:07:32] Even when it's only remotely negative, we will delay, we will procrastinate. We will do all of this. And it's an emotional reaction. Determined by your habenula will. which is a bit on the sensitive side.

[00:07:44] And that's why things like a single email feels like a threat. Logically, we know there is no danger from this email or this report or this person. But our brain doesn't.

[00:07:55] So in ADHD the habenula can play a really important role in that negative spiral, we sometimes find ourselves going into.

[00:08:04] If you're struggling to break out of a bad mood. It could be that the habenula is still on high alert.

[00:08:10] It's why small mistakes feels so big. and important..

[00:08:15] It's literally biology. Rather than you as a person and who you are.

[00:08:21] Let's think about that in practical terms.

[00:08:24] imagine you've been putting off a task.

[00:08:27] It's quite difficult. the habenula is involved in deciding when we do the task, how we feel about the task and how difficult or dangerous that task is, how negative it is.

[00:08:39] It keeps sending a signal. This task is negative. It's hard. And that is why over time. These things become an automatic negative response. It's not that you're having to do this from first principles every time, but your brain loves habits. Your brain loves predictability. Yes, we love a bit of novelty. But for the habenula no, we did this before.

[00:09:04] I remember six months ago. This was really hard. I'm not doing it again.

[00:09:08] And then it's not just that one task you're avoiding anything that is similar enough for your brain to put it in the same bucket. You're going to avoid that too.

[00:09:18] For example. I. Really strongly dislike making phone calls almost to a ridiculous degree. And I will put it off for weeks and months. And I owe so many people, a callback. It's not that I don't want to, but

[00:09:32] in the past, the discomfort felt like it was just way out of proportion to what the task was.

[00:09:38] And then when I began to understand my brain, my ADHD. I recognized this was an emotional reaction and it was the habenula just trying to keep me safe.

[00:09:49] And when I understood that I was able to begin changing my behavior. And changing how I thought and talked about it, which I want to come back to.

[00:09:59] For example. now we understand what the habenula. Is doing. One of the most powerful things we can do is how we reframe. That information.

[00:10:08] No CBT has a very bad rap among the ADHD community. And there are some people who should not be doing ADHD, CBT. However it does have good evidence when it is done well. And when it's designed with enough autonomy and support and with the ADHD, lens.

[00:10:28] For example. And this has kind of CBT, but it's not really, cause I don't do CBT. But when my brain immediately says I can't do that, it's hard. A CBT type of technique of reframing would be. Okay. This feels hard. It's not really. So what other, way can be used to view this. This is new. This is something I haven't done before. This was something that was challenging in the past.

[00:10:56] But I did it before. And I can do it again. It's not a quick fix by any means, but we can start to do that for ourselves. That reframe, that changes viewpoint. Is really powerful when we practice it, because over time, your habenula is going to get used to not reacting in this enormously exaggerated way.

[00:11:19] Another thing we can try is to, if you like switch off the negative part of the habenula by creating lots of positive reinforcement.

[00:11:28] No. I'm not a fan of the word positive, but in this case, yes, we want to go for positive reinforcement. It doesn't need to be food-based I'm obviously thinking about treating my dogs. But it does help because it starts to change what you associate that task with instead of the email being connected with shame and guilt and that negative emotion. If you have a thing set up where you can send an email and then you have an automatic confetti button that goes, and I do have that on my computer. You think, oh, I got some confetti or I know there are programs for an animal darts across the screen, when you tick off a task. Those are silly, but my goodness. they work.

[00:12:13] Other times you might want to say, I'm going to do is a laundry putting away, and then I'm going to have. 10 minutes in the garden, or I'm going to have a really lovely cup of tea, whatever floats your boat. It needs to be something. You perceive as enjoyable and you need to connect it immediately to the task that you see as a negative.

[00:12:33] If there's any delay. It's going to be really challenging for you to make that connection. And it's going to take the longer. So immediate small rewards connected to perceived negative tasks. Is going to change that response over time. Remember your brain always changes is neuroplastic forever. Just maybe not quite so.

[00:12:56] Amazingly as when we were young.

[00:12:58] My old favorite mindfulness and meditation. Of course it affects your habenula

[00:13:03] and 2016 that meta analysis by V Hoff showed that meditation and mindfulness significantly affect ADHD brain function.

[00:13:12] Specifically the areas associated with stress.

[00:13:16] These present moment. Practices.

[00:13:19] Allow you to step out of those negative loops. Those negative spirals and reconnect with what's actually happening right now.

[00:13:28] Finally, some people have tried exposure or desensitization practices. I'm not a psychologist. And I feel like that's a psychology type of practice. What I would offer though, is that if you want to try any kind of exposure. Or desensitization. The person doing it must be in charge of how much, how long and how far they are exposed, because otherwise all you're doing is reinforcing this.

[00:13:57] Something really negative is associated with this stimulus. So if you are somebody who is very scared of traveling. And this is a tricky one, but there are special courses at airports. No. You don't. I get over that by going on a plane. It's not advisable. But going and looking at the airport is fine. If you feel absolutely fine. Go home and then come back again. And maybe go into the Concourse and see people with their bags and taking it step by step at your pace. When you are in charge. That to me is a particularly important way to think about. Turning down that negative stress response from the amygdala and the habenula..

[00:14:39] Sowhile the

[00:14:39] amygdala hijack makes a really compelling visual story. And. Some of you may have seen my three-part brain. Amygdala pop off video a long time ago. The real picture is really complex. Of course. It's your brain. But I think when we understand what the habenula's doing and what its role is. We can be much more compassionate to ourselves and to our brains.

[00:15:04] All of the strategies that I discussed here. with the exception of CBT. The exposure. Or ones that you can practice yourself.

[00:15:13] And we can begin straight away so that we start to free. Our brain. And ourselves from these constrictive fixed ways of thinking.

[00:15:24] If you've enjoyed today's episode and you would like to know more about things like executive functions. You can join my executive function junction course.

[00:15:33] Thank you so much for joining me today while we explored the wacky world of the habenula

[00:15:39] remember when we understand our brain. It's a first step to be able to accept it. And work with it in a really constructive, accepting kind of way.

[00:15:50] If this was helpful, I would be so grateful for a review, or if you want to share it with somebody. Subscribe please so that you don't miss any future episodes.

[00:15:59] And until next time. Stay curious. stay powerful. And take care of yourself.

[00:16:05]