The short and long route in information processing
In sessions, I talk about the two siblings or, more normally, your two brothers or the two sisters “you didn’t know you had”!. However, the reality is rather intimidating. The picture here lists just some of the actual ‘parts’ that make up the human brain.
However, in practice, it is just as helpful to keep it simple. One key point to bear in mind is that when information is taken in through any of our senses it will follow two rather different routes. The short route goes directly to not so smart older sibling. This ensures that any danger is recognised without delay. Your body will react ‘without thinking’ to take care of yourself. The long route subjects the information to close scrutiny and double checks what is going on. If a potential ‘snake’ is recognised to be a ‘twig’ within our prefrontal cortex, a key part of smarter, but younger sibling, then messages will be sent to cool the whole system down.
However, there are times when that confirming information is not processed fully and the ‘cool it’ message does not arise. In that situation, a human will react as though there is a threat when that threat is not apparent to other onlookers.
This creates stress and distress because the individual feels the threat and is frustrated by their apparent inability to sort out one ‘bit’ of information from another.
Fortunately, many of these reactions can be treated within ‘Box 1′.