An Amygdala Hijack (term coined by Daniel Goleman in his book Emotional Intelligence) occurs during the fight, flight or freeze stress response.
An Amygdala Hijack is an immediate and overwhelming emotional response out of proportion to the stimulus because it has triggered a more significant emotional threat.
The amygdala is the part of our brain that handles emotions. During an Amygdala Hijack, the amygdala “hijacks” or shuts down the neo-cortex. Our neo-cortex is responsible for logical, rational thinking, conscious thought and sensory perception.
Yep, our emotions ramp up and logic is shut off. Not cute. And so not you.