What happens to your brain and body when you’re facing a threat to your life? When you know what to expect, you won’t be as debilitated when you go through the experience.
What Your Brain Does When Fear Sets In
When you first feel frightened or surprised by a assumed threat, a signal shoots to your amygdala, which is the part of our bran that controls emotion.
It flies so fast that it bypasses any chances to think with logic. This is the reason why a dangling Halloween decoration can manage scare you out of your shoes when you really know that it’s nothing to fear.
Your brain initiates its fight or flight response once a threat is perceived. Your body is floods with adrenaline and cortisol, both determined to provide energy to endure the stressful situation.
How Distorted Vision Can Alter Your Perception
Extreme fear and distress can cause significant changes to your vision. During a violent encounter, your brain is struggling to process a flood of information, so some senses can be heightened while others may not seem to be working at all.
When you’re under attack, tunnel vision causes your brain to concentrate on specific details rather than taking in the entire scene. Victims of violent attack often report that their attacker was much closer or farther away than they actually were.
How to Fight Memory Loss After an Attack
The greater the amount of stress in the event, the more difficult it will be to accurately recall the details.The attack can overload your senses and cause memory loss associated with the incident.
A restful night’s sleep and calm outlook can help to restore memories of a violent incident. If you’re a witness or victim to an attack, accurate recall of the event is critical to bringing the attacker to justice and explaining any self-defense actions.
