Simple Overview of the Brain
The Triune Brain Model is a simplistic way of understanding the basics of how our brain responds to events in our environment.
The brain is an extremely complex organ, and so to simplify it Janina Fisher looks at the Triune Brain Model that was first used by Paul MacLean in 1967. The model is outdated in understanding the complexities of the brain, but it is simplistic enough to help get a basic understanding of how trauma affects the brain.
In the Triune Brain Model, the brain is divided into three main areas: Neocortex (thinking brain), Mammalian Brain (limbic system), and the brainstem (reptilian brain).
The prefrontal cortex as the alternative name states allows you to think rationally and logically. It’s the center for reasoning, problem solving, verbal expression, and stores/uses memories from events and facts.
The mammalian brain is the emotional part of the brain. It’s the part of the brain the evolved in humans that allow us to experience emotions and relational experiences. This is where traumatic memories get stored.
The reptilian brain is the oldest part of the brain and is responsible for survival including heart rate, breathing, and instincts such as fight, flight, and freeze that keep us alive.
We now know the brain is more complex than three parts however, each of these three simplified parts hold individual brain structures that allow these parts of the brain to function the way outlined in the Triune Brain Model.
