Dr. Erica Komisar

What we know is that part of the brain is supposed to remain offline for the first year to three years, which is why mothers wear babies on their bodies. It's why babies stay close to their mothers in the first three years to keep the amygdala quiet. and only incrementally, incrementally expose children to stress and frustration that they can manage.

What we know is that part of the brain is supposed to remain offline for the first year to three years, which is why mothers wear babies on their bodies. It's why babies stay close to their mothers in the first three years to keep the amygdala quiet. and only incrementally, incrementally expose children to stress and frustration that they can manage.

So imagine taking small bites of it so you can digest it, right? And your mother's there to help you digest the stress. What we're doing now by separating mothers and babies, by putting babies into daycare with strangers, is by sleep training babies, all these weird things that we're doing to babies, is we're turning the amygdala on. We're making it active precociously, too early.

So imagine taking small bites of it so you can digest it, right? And your mother's there to help you digest the stress. What we're doing now by separating mothers and babies, by putting babies into daycare with strangers, is by sleep training babies, all these weird things that we're doing to babies, is we're turning the amygdala on. We're making it active precociously, too early.

What happens when the amygdala is activated too early is it becomes very active and very large very quickly. The problem is then it shrivels up and burns out also because it cannot manage that kind of stress so early. When it ceases to be functional, it ceases to be functional for a lifetime. And so it's very important to protect yourself. What's the expression? The family jewels.

What happens when the amygdala is activated too early is it becomes very active and very large very quickly. The problem is then it shrivels up and burns out also because it cannot manage that kind of stress so early. When it ceases to be functional, it ceases to be functional for a lifetime. And so it's very important to protect yourself. What's the expression? The family jewels.

These are the family jewels in the brain of a baby. This is the jewel, the amygdala. You want to keep the stress to an absolute minimum in the first year, which is why sleep training is dangerous. It's why letting babies cry it out. It's why putting babies into daycare.

These are the family jewels in the brain of a baby. This is the jewel, the amygdala. You want to keep the stress to an absolute minimum in the first year, which is why sleep training is dangerous. It's why letting babies cry it out. It's why putting babies into daycare.

It's why leaving babies for hours on end when they're so, so very fragile is so bad for their brains because it gets the cortisol flowing, which is the stress hormone, but it makes this part of the brain very active. So it grows, grows, grows, and then pfft. and ceases to be functional in the future, like a PTSD response.

It's why leaving babies for hours on end when they're so, so very fragile is so bad for their brains because it gets the cortisol flowing, which is the stress hormone, but it makes this part of the brain very active. So it grows, grows, grows, and then pfft. and ceases to be functional in the future, like a PTSD response.

So what we know is that these children are in hypervigilant states of stress.

So what we know is that these children are in hypervigilant states of stress.

ADHD children, hypervigilant states of stress. If you stay in a hypervigilant state of stress long enough, you go into a hypovigilant state of stress, which then causes depression. So what we have now are not disorders. So there was a whole movement to take the D off of ADHD because it's not a disorder. It is a stress response.

ADHD children, hypervigilant states of stress. If you stay in a hypervigilant state of stress long enough, you go into a hypovigilant state of stress, which then causes depression. So what we have now are not disorders. So there was a whole movement to take the D off of ADHD because it's not a disorder. It is a stress response.

And instead of asking the right questions, which are, okay, what's causing the stress? How do we make sure that our children are not exposed to this kind of stress because they're going into fight or flight? So the nervous system, as you said, the brain has an on switch and an off switch. The on switch to stress is the amygdala. The hippocampus is the off switch.

And instead of asking the right questions, which are, okay, what's causing the stress? How do we make sure that our children are not exposed to this kind of stress because they're going into fight or flight? So the nervous system, as you said, the brain has an on switch and an off switch. The on switch to stress is the amygdala. The hippocampus is the off switch.

And you'd say the stress response is in a negative feedback loop. It's actually important. Like in other words, if a sable-toothed tiger is chasing you, very important that you can activate, right? Run or fight. So... The stress response is supposed to be short-term. It's supposed to be acute rather than chronic. So we can kind of manifest it. We can activate it.

And you'd say the stress response is in a negative feedback loop. It's actually important. Like in other words, if a sable-toothed tiger is chasing you, very important that you can activate, right? Run or fight. So... The stress response is supposed to be short-term. It's supposed to be acute rather than chronic. So we can kind of manifest it. We can activate it.

But then it's supposed to be turned off by the turn-off switch, the hippocampus. What we're seeing in children's brains is that the amygdala is growing very precociously large and the hippocampus, which is the off switch, is very small. So we have this problem. As we say, Houston, we have a problem. We have an on switch going full speed, gas, no brakes, and no off switch.

But then it's supposed to be turned off by the turn-off switch, the hippocampus. What we're seeing in children's brains is that the amygdala is growing very precociously large and the hippocampus, which is the off switch, is very small. So we have this problem. As we say, Houston, we have a problem. We have an on switch going full speed, gas, no brakes, and no off switch.