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Untangling the Mind: Why We Behave the Way We Do – The Neuroscience of Emotional Control, Depression, and Addiction
Don't let emotions—your own, or someone else's—control your life! Feeling extreme emotion is part of being human. We may feel overwhelming joy at the birth of a child, crippling terror at the sight of an intruder in our home, or unbearable sadness upon the death of a loved one. While we may be surprised at the force of our feelings, they are normal and are not a cause for concern. What's concerning is when strong emotions cause us to spin out of control and make us behave in ways we later wish we hadn't. In Untangling the Mind , Dr. George explains how Dr. George, a psychiatrist, has accessed the most cutting-edge technology, such as fMRI, facial analysis, PET scans, and chemical infusions. With this technology, he is able to provide a deep understanding of the inner workings of the brain that can portray a clear picture of what happens—chemically and physically—when we get depressed, act out, or fall into an addiction. Once we understand what happens, we can start to live a calmer, more harmonious life.
288 pages, Paperback
First published May 7, 2013
36 people are currently reading
398 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
May 17, 2020
In his practice, David Theodore George encounters people who exhibit destructive behaviors. What drives them to commit acts of violence, to drink, or to engage in self-harm? In Untangling the Mind, George relies on neuroscience to show that people's bodies are set up to react to the environment in certain ways. It's natural and healthy to experience fear, but if your amygdala is too sensitive, for example, you also will likely be too sensitive to threat. The book explores panic, shutting down, predation, and trauma. (I understood panic as anxiety and shutting down as depression.) He also explores addiction, and I noted that alcohol seemed to exacerbate almost every other problem explored in the book. Although I prefer reading more focused psychology works like Susan Cain's Quiet: The Power of Introverts and Jon Haidt's The Happiness Hypothesis, I still learned a lot from Untangling the Mind. And if you're thinking about therapy but find the idea intimidating, I recommend Lisa Gottlieb's Maybe You Should Talk to Someone.
May 30, 2013
In "Untangling the Mind: Why We Behave the Way We Do," D. Theodore George, M.D., a psychiatrist and neuroscientist at the National Institutes of Health, describes a new model for understanding America's surge in emotional and behavioral disorders. Earlier this year, a report by the National Research Council and Institute of Medicine of the National Academies found that comparing a peer group of 17 wealthy countries, Americans under 50 now have the lowest life expectancy and fall at the bottom (i.e. were the worst) of nearly every morbidity category from deaths by substance abuse, sexual-related diseases, infant mortality, violence and sedentary lifestyles that contribute to diabetes and cardiovascular problems. The report points out that in the years following World War II, America was near or at the top of the peer group. It rightly concludes that something clearly is wrong but, unfortunately, fails to provide a satisfactory explanation. The problem has become so acute that last week the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released figures that show suicide rates haven sharply increased so that more Americans now die from suicide than from motor vehicle accidents.
Fortunately, Dr. George's book helps us understand what's going wrong. In his view, traumas experienced by 75 percent of the population result in faulty brain wiring that makes people vulnerable to the stressors, threats and fears we experience in modern life. The faulty wiring misinterprets threats and fears by blowing them way out of proportion. This results in emotional and behavioral disorders including anger that triggers the fight response, fear that triggers the flight response, depression that triggers shutdown and an absence of emotional anger that triggers predatory behavior. When people don't feel well emotionally - i.e. they are angry, anxious, withdrawn, depressed, etc. - they frequently cope in ways that result in addiction (e.g. substance abuse, promiscuity, porn addiction, eating disorders, cutting). Although these addictive behaviors provide temporary relief, they hijack the brain's reward system and eventually kick in the anti-reward system so that people need a fix of the coping behavior to feel better from the unpleasant sensations of withdrawal.
In the last part of the book, Dr. George describes how he helps his patients. He uses "talk therapy" to connect with them and teach them so they understand what's going wrong, he coaches them to help develop a plan that features neutral or healthy habits that replace unhealthy ones, and he encourages them to persevere until new healthy habits are formed. There are many useful parts of the book including Dr. George's model (focusing on the periaqueductal gray or "PAG" part of the brain), a list of threats and fears which trigger emotional and behavioral disorders, and descriptions of healthy behaviors that can be used to replace unhealthy ones.
My summary doesn't do the book justice so I highly recommend that anyone who is struggling with emotional or behavioral disorders, and for those who care about them, get this book and read it. "Untangling the Mind" is a valuable new resource that provides insight and practical advice to help the many Americans today who are struggling with emotional and behavioral disorders.
Note: In the spirit of full disclosure you should know that I write, speak and teach about reducing stress in the workplace so when I heard about this book I contacted the publisher, HarperOne, and requested, and was sent, a free review copy to consider writing about it.
Fortunately, Dr. George's book helps us understand what's going wrong. In his view, traumas experienced by 75 percent of the population result in faulty brain wiring that makes people vulnerable to the stressors, threats and fears we experience in modern life. The faulty wiring misinterprets threats and fears by blowing them way out of proportion. This results in emotional and behavioral disorders including anger that triggers the fight response, fear that triggers the flight response, depression that triggers shutdown and an absence of emotional anger that triggers predatory behavior. When people don't feel well emotionally - i.e. they are angry, anxious, withdrawn, depressed, etc. - they frequently cope in ways that result in addiction (e.g. substance abuse, promiscuity, porn addiction, eating disorders, cutting). Although these addictive behaviors provide temporary relief, they hijack the brain's reward system and eventually kick in the anti-reward system so that people need a fix of the coping behavior to feel better from the unpleasant sensations of withdrawal.
In the last part of the book, Dr. George describes how he helps his patients. He uses "talk therapy" to connect with them and teach them so they understand what's going wrong, he coaches them to help develop a plan that features neutral or healthy habits that replace unhealthy ones, and he encourages them to persevere until new healthy habits are formed. There are many useful parts of the book including Dr. George's model (focusing on the periaqueductal gray or "PAG" part of the brain), a list of threats and fears which trigger emotional and behavioral disorders, and descriptions of healthy behaviors that can be used to replace unhealthy ones.
My summary doesn't do the book justice so I highly recommend that anyone who is struggling with emotional or behavioral disorders, and for those who care about them, get this book and read it. "Untangling the Mind" is a valuable new resource that provides insight and practical advice to help the many Americans today who are struggling with emotional and behavioral disorders.
Note: In the spirit of full disclosure you should know that I write, speak and teach about reducing stress in the workplace so when I heard about this book I contacted the publisher, HarperOne, and requested, and was sent, a free review copy to consider writing about it.
August 11, 2013
Ever wondered why some people are more impulsive? why some people fear to do the some of the most common activities ? Well this is the book which would answer all such questions and also give you an insight as to why some people are emotionally driven to the extent that they harm people around them either physically or psychology ...
This book has a lot of Brain anatomy discussed but in the simplest of language. This Author has covered the entire plethora of emotionally driven behavior, be it the time when you shouted at your loved one for no specific reason or the time you saw a total stranger getting violent for no specific reason.
The most common notion that people who are impulsive chose to do so and simply need an anger management course is not entirely true as explained with detailed example in this book.
A must read for those who have interest in Human Behavior and seek an answer as to why some people react differently to the same situations ...
This book has a lot of Brain anatomy discussed but in the simplest of language. This Author has covered the entire plethora of emotionally driven behavior, be it the time when you shouted at your loved one for no specific reason or the time you saw a total stranger getting violent for no specific reason.
The most common notion that people who are impulsive chose to do so and simply need an anger management course is not entirely true as explained with detailed example in this book.
A must read for those who have interest in Human Behavior and seek an answer as to why some people react differently to the same situations ...
August 20, 2024
insightful
Wow. Mind opening to understand the whys and how’s. Thanks for enlightening us who struggle and not sure always why.
Wow. Mind opening to understand the whys and how’s. Thanks for enlightening us who struggle and not sure always why.
March 30, 2021
This is the second of a spate of books about emotions I got this out of the library in prepping for a talk. This combines brain science (which--being 8 years old--is maybe outdated? Dunno) from the point of a view of psychiatrist who, interestingly, seems much more interested in talk therapy than drugs. The main part of the book focuses on our reactions to feeling threatened and when that goes out of whack (through excessive anger, unmeasured fear, shutting down o psychopathy). There's also a bit on PTSD and addiction (focused mostly on alcohol).
It is a rather accessible read, given that it does get into a bit of neuroscience. As someone who occasionally finds myself in counseling-like situations, I found a good bit of its content to be helpful reminders. But I also just like brain science and learning about how processes work. The somewhat odd (but also encouraging) thing about the book is that his take most of the time is basically: "this is what we think is happening in your brain... but anyways that's not a big deal, let's talk things out and help you start thinking better."
It is a rather accessible read, given that it does get into a bit of neuroscience. As someone who occasionally finds myself in counseling-like situations, I found a good bit of its content to be helpful reminders. But I also just like brain science and learning about how processes work. The somewhat odd (but also encouraging) thing about the book is that his take most of the time is basically: "this is what we think is happening in your brain... but anyways that's not a big deal, let's talk things out and help you start thinking better."
April 25, 2015
This individual seems to be obsessed with medication as a solution to all the mind's ills, to the point of completely ignoring the underlying problems or traumas which caused the amygdala to engage in the first place. Covering the problem with drugs doesn't eliminate the cause, and more often than not has side effects that at least rival the original condition.
While the light venture into neurology was interesting, leaning so heavily in P.A.G. inhibitors as the cause of neurological disturbances rather than a symptom completely destroyed the best of his credibility. This was basically a waste of time.
While the light venture into neurology was interesting, leaning so heavily in P.A.G. inhibitors as the cause of neurological disturbances rather than a symptom completely destroyed the best of his credibility. This was basically a waste of time.
August 28, 2013
Very helpful in its discussion of brain activity in connection with several problematic behaviors while providing suggestions to treat and/or improve those behaviors. Anyone can benefit from reading it. It's better to nip such things in the bud before they get to be diagnosable disorders. :)
June 23, 2013
good insights into the way we behave.
October 7, 2013
This was a great book. It was very informative and had some things I plan to use in the future.
November 11, 2017
Interesting ideas about how everything leads back to our response to survival. It brings up some interesting points but also may seem very repetitive if you understand that they are basically recalling the surrealistic response to stimuli as the main cause for all of the behaviors.
January 3, 2014
**Getting Emotionally Untangled**
Ever feel like your emotions are out of control?
Believe it or not, these emotional spinouts may have less to do with personality and individual experiences than they do with neurological functioning. _Untangling The Mind_ presents a fascinating neurological model that explains how extreme emotions are actually cases of innate survival responses gone into overdrive. In the words of the author:
“This book looks at emotions and behaviors that are out of proportion to a situation. Emotions are not the same as behavior—they fuel it. By examining the relationship between tumultuous emotions and magnified responses, you get an idea of what sets them off, who’s most vulnerable, why they spin out of control, and what you can do to understand and contain them. My hope is to begin to untangle and answer the vexing questions about the *whys*, *whats*, and *hows* of emotions...My search has helped me construct a neurological model that ties together extreme emotions with behavior, pathways, and clinical characteristics. This explanation centers on the notion that everyone possess a neurological switch deep in the brain that can be flipped at the right time, and the wrong time. I hope to share with you my understanding and insight into how this switch works and what’s going on in people’s brains.” (p. 5)
Divided into three parts, the book first untangles the inner workings of the brain by showing how sensory signals are translated into emotions. Next, it uses personal stories to illustrate the neurological inner (mis)workings underlying specific emotional disorders, such as intermittent explosive disorder (extreme bouts of anger), panic disorder, depression, and psychopathy. The final part of the book uses the PAG* neurological model to offer an explanation for the emotional spinout and to effectively inform and guide treatments.
(*PAG is short for the periaqueductal gray, which is a brain structure central to simulating survival behaviors like defensive rage and escape.)
When the PAG is functioning correctly, it activates survival actions as needed, and appropriately harnesses anger/fear/depression/flat emotion to produce the corresponding behaviors of fight/flight/shutdown/predatory actions. However, in some people, the PAG chronically over-reacts, resulting in emotions and behaviors being in constant survival mode. (In brain-speak, this means that the thalamus continually detects stimuli as extreme threats and alerts the amygdala for a survival reaction instead of the cortex for thoughtful processing.) The PAG model shows the relationship between emotions, behaviors, and clinical pathology:
Emotion ---> Behavior ---> Extreme Behavior
Anger ---> Fight ---> Intermittent Explosive Disorder
Fear ---> Flight ---> Panic Attacks
Depression ---> Shutdown ---> Major depression
No Emotion ---> Predatory ---> Psychopathy
So, how do you override these extreme emotional reactions?
“You need to know how to react when your survival systems sounds the alarm. Even more, you need to know how to modulate survival behavior…A lesson of the [PAG] model is that it is useful to consider whether the threat is truly a survival situation or a false alarm. Remind yourself that your neurological wiring can malfunction. Your brain can misread fear. The brain’s survival system can go haywire, sounding alarms when no threat is imminent...Acquiring insight into how your brain reacts to threats is a way of taking control. With this information, you are better able to grapple with changes for tomorrow. Instead of being bogged down in toxic emotions, you figure out how to override your brain’s imperfect wiring.” (pp. 242, 241)
Whether you want better control of your own emotions, or a better understanding of the out-of-control others around you, _Untangling The Mind_ is well-worth tangling up with.
Ever feel like your emotions are out of control?
Believe it or not, these emotional spinouts may have less to do with personality and individual experiences than they do with neurological functioning. _Untangling The Mind_ presents a fascinating neurological model that explains how extreme emotions are actually cases of innate survival responses gone into overdrive. In the words of the author:
“This book looks at emotions and behaviors that are out of proportion to a situation. Emotions are not the same as behavior—they fuel it. By examining the relationship between tumultuous emotions and magnified responses, you get an idea of what sets them off, who’s most vulnerable, why they spin out of control, and what you can do to understand and contain them. My hope is to begin to untangle and answer the vexing questions about the *whys*, *whats*, and *hows* of emotions...My search has helped me construct a neurological model that ties together extreme emotions with behavior, pathways, and clinical characteristics. This explanation centers on the notion that everyone possess a neurological switch deep in the brain that can be flipped at the right time, and the wrong time. I hope to share with you my understanding and insight into how this switch works and what’s going on in people’s brains.” (p. 5)
Divided into three parts, the book first untangles the inner workings of the brain by showing how sensory signals are translated into emotions. Next, it uses personal stories to illustrate the neurological inner (mis)workings underlying specific emotional disorders, such as intermittent explosive disorder (extreme bouts of anger), panic disorder, depression, and psychopathy. The final part of the book uses the PAG* neurological model to offer an explanation for the emotional spinout and to effectively inform and guide treatments.
(*PAG is short for the periaqueductal gray, which is a brain structure central to simulating survival behaviors like defensive rage and escape.)
When the PAG is functioning correctly, it activates survival actions as needed, and appropriately harnesses anger/fear/depression/flat emotion to produce the corresponding behaviors of fight/flight/shutdown/predatory actions. However, in some people, the PAG chronically over-reacts, resulting in emotions and behaviors being in constant survival mode. (In brain-speak, this means that the thalamus continually detects stimuli as extreme threats and alerts the amygdala for a survival reaction instead of the cortex for thoughtful processing.) The PAG model shows the relationship between emotions, behaviors, and clinical pathology:
Emotion ---> Behavior ---> Extreme Behavior
Anger ---> Fight ---> Intermittent Explosive Disorder
Fear ---> Flight ---> Panic Attacks
Depression ---> Shutdown ---> Major depression
No Emotion ---> Predatory ---> Psychopathy
So, how do you override these extreme emotional reactions?
“You need to know how to react when your survival systems sounds the alarm. Even more, you need to know how to modulate survival behavior…A lesson of the [PAG] model is that it is useful to consider whether the threat is truly a survival situation or a false alarm. Remind yourself that your neurological wiring can malfunction. Your brain can misread fear. The brain’s survival system can go haywire, sounding alarms when no threat is imminent...Acquiring insight into how your brain reacts to threats is a way of taking control. With this information, you are better able to grapple with changes for tomorrow. Instead of being bogged down in toxic emotions, you figure out how to override your brain’s imperfect wiring.” (pp. 242, 241)
Whether you want better control of your own emotions, or a better understanding of the out-of-control others around you, _Untangling The Mind_ is well-worth tangling up with.
abandoned-dnf
September 7, 2017DNF. At 23% mark, I find myself mostly bored. It's as if I've read all this before somewhere.
The author seems to be headed into waters of "we are only our biology and we can give you a pill to fix that" territory. If he is, I'd abandon the book when he got there anyway. I don't buy the "I can't help being a jackass; it's my biology" excuse anymore than I buy the "pop a pill to fix that" response.
If he's not headed there, I'm still bored and 23% is more than enough chance to get to the point.
The author seems to be headed into waters of "we are only our biology and we can give you a pill to fix that" territory. If he is, I'd abandon the book when he got there anyway. I don't buy the "I can't help being a jackass; it's my biology" excuse anymore than I buy the "pop a pill to fix that" response.
If he's not headed there, I'm still bored and 23% is more than enough chance to get to the point.
February 15, 2014
Dr. George really made a complicated subject accessible for the layperson. I enjoyed reading this and I learned a lot about emotional response. People are complicated, and other people's actions affect me, and my actions affect them -- though not always the way we think. Understanding my emotional responses is very helpful.
October 20, 2015
Unquestionably valuable reading for anyone trying to understand human behavior. Author does an excellent job of using examples from his practice to illuminate academically tested concepts, simplifying the complexities of the human mind in a way that helps readers identify practical steps to change to how we approach our own actions and the behaviors of others.
February 9, 2016
Fascinating research on brains and behavior, explaining how and why emotions (especially anger, depression/shutdown, fear, and non-emotion) can get out of control as well as some solutions. (It is a little repetitive at times, but that's understandable because some people probably only read the chapters of interest to them and would need that background information.)
Read
November 18, 2013there is still lots of unknowns about the mind and why we do what we do.... Responsibility for actions is covered. I am still a student of examining motivation for our behaviors.
July 27, 2016
Excellent book on the brain, if you have no knowledge on how the brain works this book explains it well.
Want to read
June 17, 2013.
April 22, 2017
A remarkable insight into the maze of neurons! Actions dictated by our conscious minds are predictable but not those responded by unconscious mind. The author focus on delving into the cause of actions, deciphering by talk counselling. Stories followed by explanation and dissection of the case, captivating and easy to understand.A book you should not miss!
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews