EXPLAINING THE LINK BETWEEN STRESS & THE PRIMITIVE MIND

Have you ever noticed how stress seems to creep in even when there’s no obvious reason for it? One moment you’re fine, and the next, your chest tightens, your shoulders tense, and your mind feels like it’s running a marathon it never trained for.

That’s not just “you being stressed.” That’s your primitive mind trying its best to protect you — just in a slightly outdated way.

The Brain’s Overprotective Alarm System

When our ancestors faced danger (think: polar bear, not a dreaded bill), the brain’s alarm system — the amygdala — kicked in to keep them alive. It sent a surge of stress hormones, cortisol & adrenalin, through the body so they could fight, flee, or freeze.

Fast forward a few thousand years, and that same system still runs the show. The problem? These days the “threats” are more likely to be work deadlines, money worries, or a tricky conversation — but your subconscious can’t tell the difference.

It still hits the panic button and it can be almost instantaneous.  The amygdala has an age of a 6 year old and will readily throw the toys out of the pram the moment something goes wrong.

When Logic and Emotion Don’t Get Along

Your intellectual mind — the rational, logical part of you — knows that an email from your boss isn’t life-threatening. But your primitive mind, that emotional powerhouse beneath the surface, reacts as if it is.

That’s why you can know everything’s fine but feel completely on edge and struggle to think otherwise.
It’s like having two parts of your brain playing very different tunes at full volume.

How Solution Focused Hypnotherapy Helps

Here’s where things get exciting. Solution Focused Hypnotherapy works to help you work a way to climb out of the primitive mind, helping it learn new patterns of calm and control.

A major part of a session is the trance, where we guide the brain into a relaxed, trance-like state — a bit like daydreaming — where the subconscious becomes more open to positive suggestions. This helps to quiet that overprotective alarm system and strengthen the calm, logical part of the mind (the prefrontal cortex & main cortex).

Over time, the brain begins to rebalance. Stress levels drop, sleep improves, and you start to feel more you again.

A Calmer Mind Is a More Creative Mind

When stress levels fall, your brain can finally do what it’s meant to: think clearly, solve problems, and focus on the good stuff. You begin to notice small wins, build momentum, and create change without forcing it.

That’s the power of the subconscious when it’s working with you, not against you.

Final Thought

Your primitive  mind isn’t your enemy — it’s simply a loyal guard dog that’s forgotten the difference between a threat and a passing shadow. With the right approach, you can teach it to relax again… and when it does, life feels lighter, calmer, and far more enjoyable.

If stress has been running the show lately, Solution Focused Hypnotherapy can help you take back the remote.
Why not reach out for a chat and see how I can help you find your calm again?