OBSERVING BIOREACTIONS

 INTRODUCTION

Bioreactions (i.e., fight, flight, freeze, or appease) include quick responses to stimuli or threats that are dangerous and fearful experiences, many of which are caused by social interactions. Bioreactions help the brain reinforce certain pathways. This is one way to learn. Some pathways then associate that past reaction with similar events. The fear response may then become associated with other non-fearful events. Because the brain is so good at making these associations, we are not even aware of the miscue.

Bioreactions are automatic responses that happen within 11–14 milliseconds. In most cases, they are not under your control. However, you can learn to become aware of when you are experiencing a bioreaction by paying attention to what is going on in your body.

To become aware of your bioreactions, it may be helpful to ask yourself the following questions:

• What event/experience led to the bioreaction? 


• What emotions did you feel? 


• How did your body react? 


• What, if anything, did you do differently when you noticed you were having a bioreaction? 


• Why is it important for you to be aware of your bioreactions?

REQUIREMENTS

Your submission must be your original work. No more than a combined total of 30% of the submission and no more than a 10% match to any one individual source can be directly quoted or closely paraphrased from sources, even if cited correctly. An originality report is provided when you submit your task that can be used as a guide.

You must use the rubric to direct the creation of your submission because it provides detailed criteria that will be used to evaluate your work. Each requirement below may be evaluated by more than one rubric aspect. The rubric aspect titles may contain hyperlinks to relevant portions of the course.

Note: Complete the Learning Brains and bioreaction material found in module 1 in your course of study before completing this task.

A.  Describe a time when you were in a social situation that triggered a bioreaction(s) by doing the following:

1.  Describe the environment around you before and during the bioreaction(s).

2.  Describe the stimulus (which the amygdala interprets as a threat) that triggered the bioreaction.

3.  Describe the bioreaction(s) (i.e., fight, flight, freeze, and appease) you experienced.

4.  Describe the physical sensations (e.g., sweaty palms, tight muscles) you experienced in your body when you became aware of the bioreaction(s).

5.  Describe the feeling(s) you experienced in the social situation before, during, and after the bioreaction(s).

6.  Describe what you would do differently to successfully navigate this type of reaction the next time you experience a similar social situation.

a.  Reflect on why it is important to react differently when you experience this bioreaction.