do we have a brain? As a reader you might think, “That’s a silly question. We have a brain to think, talk, walk, and do what a brain does.” Yes this is true, but I believe that there is a higher calling, a higher level that transcends this. We were created in the image of God, made in His likeness; “For in Him we live, and move, and have our entire being” (Acts 17:28). When we look around, no other mammal has been given this incredible gift that God has given to man, the human brain.
It is only with the human brain that we are capable of experiencing an array of emotions, acquiring knowledge, and expressing and exchanging ideas. It is with the brain that our most precious memories have been vaulted and can be summoned at command. This is what we do in the mental realm, but we are also spiritual beings and have a higher calling which is spiritual in nature. The human brain was given so that we could connect and communicate with our Creator God. It is with the human brain that our humanity meets with Divinity, and when surrendered to Him, He writes His thoughts upon the nerve cells of our mind. What an exalted privilege.
Take the Challenge
Allow Him, the Creator God, to transcribe His thoughts, emotions, and character on the pathways of your nerve cells. “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 2:5).
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Emotional Hijacking
We’ve all heard of hijacking. It’s a hostile takeover of something that is not rightfully yours. And for those taken hostage, it can be a rather nerve-wracking experience—no pun intended—but this is exactly where the takeover begins, on the nerve cells. Traveling at speeds faster than the blink of an eye, leaping over billions of live wires are electrical chemical impulses. These impulses transmit an infinite amount of information regarding the status of the brain and body, one of which is our emotional state. Our thoughts are housed on the nerve cells. It is our thoughts that produce emotions and our emotions generate our actions, which lead to behaviors. In this chapter we will look at factors that can lead to emotional hijackings.
Emotions and Behavior: Anatomy of a Hijacking
Most of us are able to keep our emotions in check. Take anger, for instance. We all get angry from time to time; however, for the most part we have learned to suppress the desire to act out what we are feeling. As a general rule we are in control, but under the right conditions we all will lose it. Let me tell you about something that I witnessed. I would not have believed it had I not seen with my own two eyes. What I saw is a classic example of an emotional hijacking.
This incident happened, of all places, in the church. It was during the 11 o’clock service, and the choir had just sung a beautiful song by Andre Crouch, titled “Take Me Back.” The entire congregation appeared moved. Tears were flowing and spirits were very high. The pastor stood up to preach and he piggybacked on that song. With a deep, emphatic voice he roared: “Take me back, take me back, oh Lord. Renew my faith, restore my joy, and wipe my weeping eyes!” Suddenly the swinging doors of the church went flying open, and a lady came in shouting, “Where is he? Where is he?” I thought to myself, “Is she looking for Jesus?” But no she wasn’t, because she was angry! Who would come to church, in their right mind, mad at Jesus?
Her emotions betrayed her feelings. As we know, there are seven basic emotions: happiness, sadness, contempt, surprise, fear, anger, and disgust. From these seven we have hundreds of variations with varying intensities. For instance, you can be a little happy or deliriously happy. You can be a little angry or enraged. Well, on a scale of 0-10, this lady hit the nail on the head; she was a full-blown 10, enraged!
She repeated, “Where is he?” Then she spotted who she was looking for! She ran down the aisle, jumped over the pew, and there was war in the church! This sister (an occasional member of the church) saw her ex-boyfriend sitting with his new friend, and I’m a witness: she was not a happy camper. Remember the amygdala? it’s located in the limbic system and is one of the sites of emotions, including fear and aggressive behaviors (Society for Neuroscience, 2007). This lady had no fear; it was all aggression, and she began fighting like a champ. She was pumped with adrenaline as she pounded on her ex-friend with forceful blows. The guy was in shock, stunned, just like the congregation. It was not a pretty picture. This is what an out-of-control amygdala can do. It will cause you to do things you will later regret. But at the same time, we need our amygdala. It is a wonderful structure to have and can be our best friend in the face of danger—running from a burning building, a ferocious dog, a hungry lion, or a scorned lover. In these types of situations, it propels us to get out of danger.
But there must be a balance; we cannot allow ourselves to get to the point of no return. This lady’s behavior was obviously unacceptable, but at that point she in all probability could not help herself. Remember our thoughts produce emotions, and thoughts and emotions combined produce an action which leads to a behavior. From the start she had “stinking thinking.” Her emotions led to the behavior that caused her to start swinging, and it took several deacons to restrain her.
Her frontal lobe (the site of executive control), which should have suppressed inappropriate impulses, failed to put the brakes on the amygdala. Her frontal lobe, as far as thinking rationally was concerned, had shut down; this lady had experienced an emotional hijacking.
Addictive Behaviors
On February 19, 2010, millions of Americans paused from their usual round of activities and for fourteen minutes gave ear to the televised speech of Tiger Woods. This was his first public appearance since his fall from grace. Tiger, one of the greatest athletes in the history of golf and the youngest man ever to win the Masters Tournament, broke his silence after three months of seclusion. I was among the millions that watched and heard Tiger’s confession of indiscretions. His words: “I’m deeply sorry for my irresponsible and the selfish behavior that I engaged in. I know people want to find out how I can be so selfish and so foolish. People want to know how I could do these things to my wife Elin and my children.” He went on to say, “I was unfaithful. I had affairs. I cheated. What I did was not acceptable” (“Tiger Woods’ Full Apology,” 2010; Inman, 2010). This story was covered by all the major networks and has been a topic of discussion on many talk shows, in cover stories, and of people talking in their offices and homes. Many are asking, “Is there such a thing as sexual addictions or is this a convenient excuse for a hedonistic thrill?”
Studies show that one in 20 Americans has sexual addictions (“Sexual Addiction,” 2010; Lemonick, 2009). It is a phenomenon in which thoughts and emotions drive individuals to engage in compulsive sexual acts. It is not the act itself that brings pleasure, but the activation of the brain’s reward center. This activation is what serves to reinforce the behavior. This addiction is no different than the use of crack cocaine or other illicit drugs, alcohol, nicotine, gambling, pornography, and obsessions with video games.
What is the driving force behind these addictions and are they real? Yes, addictions are real. In fact we all have addictions; if this were not the case the human race would become extinct. We must ever keep in mind that we are fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14). Our Creator God has made every provision possible to ensure the survival of the human race. The brain has been hardwired to seek out behaviors that propagate His design. This involves healthy addictions such as water, food, and sex, without which we cannot survive. (Actually, when it comes to sex, it is not needed to survive, but it was needed to get you here, and in the right context—marriage—it is healthy and normal). God designed sex to be a pleasurable interaction between couples not only for procreation, but to bond the relationship. This original design, however, has become perverted and a hostile takeover has occurred, another case of emotional hijacking.
Physiological Underpinnings of Addictions
The brain and the body strive to maintain balance, a process called homeostasis. When all systems are functioning correctly,
