“Except for a mumbled word or two, our 14-year-old son Jon hasn’t really talked to us for three weeks,” said the woman, tearfully.

“And he failed his maths test last Friday,” said the man. “Not like him at all.”

The brain-function counsellor regarded the middle-aged couple sitting across the table.

“Did Jon used to talk with you?” the counsellor asked. Both parents nodded.

“Do you know what may have triggered the change?” asked the counsellor. “Alterations in behaviour rarely arise out of a vacuum.”

It turned out that the father had been fired after 25 years on the job, resulting in a fair bit of arguing between the parents. After listening to at least one argument, Jon had become non-communicative.

“Jon’s brain may have downshifted,” the counsellor said. “Downshifting is a label for a natural brain phenomenon that kicks in automatically when the brain feels unsafe.

Metaphorically, compare the three functional layers of the brain with gears in a vehicle’s automatic transmission. In the face of anger or fear—including worry and anxiety—the brain directs its energy and attention to lower brain layers, searching for functions to help it feel safer.

How far the brain downshifts (either to 2nd gear or 1st gear), plus when and if it upshifts, depends on the degree of threat that the brain perceives.

Downshifting interferes with easy access to 3rd layer conscious cognitive functions—such as meaningful communication.

“Although both boys and girls can develop anxiety when parents argue or divorce, studies suggest that a boy’s brain may be at higher risk for downshifting.

This can derail communication and learning both at home and at school. In some cases it can take several years before the boy’s brain returns to learning readiness.”

Next, the mother asks

“How do we get his brain to upshift?”

“How do we get his brain to upshift?” said his mother, tears now sliding silently down her cheeks.

“Therein lies the rub,” the counsellor said. “While your arguing may have triggered the downshifting in Jon’s brain, there is nothing you can do to force it to upshift. But here’s the good news! Since downshifting occurs in response to anger, fear, trauma or perceived threat— something that makes the brain feel frightened or helpless—you can set up a safer environment.

Under conditions of perceived safety, the brain may upshift on its own. I recommend you talk honestly with your son.

Apologise for allowing the stress and anxiety of job loss to express themselves through negative behaviours.

Be honest about how difficult unemployment can be for the male brain and the steps that you— his father—are taking to become re-employed.

Reaffirm how much you both love him and each other. Then share your hope for a positive future.”

“share your hope for a positive future.”

First Brain Layer

Registers awareness of the present, past and future
• Contains the potential for almost limitless translation abilities related to input from the outside and thought processes from the inside
• Carries the superego-like perception, being able to implement good self-care and also to think about the good of others
• Contributes executive aspects of thought through the pre- frontal cortex (e.g. planning, goals-setting)

FUNCTIONS:

• Maintains a balance between the neocortex and the reptilian brain, keeping the 1st layer from dominating the 3rd layer
• Provides the foundation for all relationships with its tools of emotion
• Generates emotional impulses and plays a role in the processing and monitoring of emotion
• Appears to be involved with managing associations, the building blocks of memory, helping transfer information from short-term to long-term memory
• Triages sensory stimuli via the thalamus and routes them to appropriate decoding centres in the neocortex; processes the sense of smell directly, one synapse away from the nose
• Searches the brain to collect pieces of information required for recalling a memory

Second Brain Layer

Registers awareness of the present as well as the past
• Carries the “ego-like” perception that “I am here” but “you are here, too, so my actions could impact you”
• Is lightning fast, processing information an estimated 80,000 times faster than the neocortex
• Believed to be involved with all addictive behaviours via the dopamine pathways

FUNCTIONS:

• Maintains a balance between the neocortex and the reptilian brain, keeping the 1st layer from dominating the 3rd layer
• Provides the foundation for all relationships with its tools of emotion
• Generates emotional impulses and plays a role in the processing and monitoring of emotion
• Appears to be involved with managing associations, the building blocks of memory, helping transfer information from short-term to long-term memory
• Triages sensory stimuli via the thalamus and routes them to appropriate decoding centres in the neocortex; processes the sense of smell directly, one synapse away from the nose
• Searches the brain to collect pieces of information required for recalling a memory
• Controls the immune system

Third Brain Layer

• Registers awareness of the present, past and future
• Contains the potential for almost limitless translation abilities related to input from the outside and thought processes from the inside
• Carries the superego-like perception, being able to implement good self-care and also to think about the good of others
• Contributes executive aspects of thought through the pre- frontal cortex (e.g. planning, goals-setting)

FUNCTIONS:

• Generates conscious, cognitive thought processes
• Able to engage in very complex analysis
• Able to engage in abstract thinking,
• Creates active mental picturing
• Anticipates and plans for the future
• Houses the mental faculty of humour
• Decodes sensory data (excluding the sense of smell), being able to evaluate, monitor, moderate, and redirect sensory reports
• Tries to make sense of information provided by molecules of emotion,
the resulting conclusions becoming one’s feelings
• Processes and stores information related to data— names, dates, numbers, labels