How Stress Hijacks Learning
- 3 days ago
- 8 min read
Kirsty Marie Denny specialises in trauma, neurodivergence, and sensitivity, empowering her clients to transform their lives through energetic kinesiology. Her focus is on each individual’s unique gifts and challenges and the root causes of distressing symptoms.
Do you ever feel like your brain simply abandons you and goes ‘offline’ in certain situations? Or perhaps you ask your child a question they should be able to answer, but they stare at you blankly or start to melt down?
Our brains are capable of incredibly complex processes and rational thought. However, the more ‘primitive’ parts of our brains will always prioritize our survival over being cool, calm, and collected, often categorizing emotional stressors as if they are life-threatening.
A learning stress scenario
I wonder if you’ve ever experienced something like this (perhaps cast your mind back to school days)? You’re 9 years old, and your teacher calls on you to answer a question about fractions. It’s not so difficult, but you feel everyone watching you, and you panic a little. You blurt out an answer, which is wrong, the teacher asks you to try again, wrong again! They’re giving you clues, but now you really can’t think at all! You know you must be stupid, everyone is laughing, and you feel like you’re on fire with the embarrassment and frustration as you try to hold back tears.
Next time you’re working on math, your stress levels spike automatically, and you think, ‘I can’t do this.’ You don’t want to ask for help and feel like an idiot again. On your next test, your mark is terrible, so now you have more evidence that you’re bad at math. Now you prefer to avoid it altogether, so you don’t even try anymore, saying things like ‘math is stupid’ or ‘why would I need to know this,’ getting defensive if anyone tries to help you with it. Now you have cemented the belief that you are bad at math in general, and especially fractions.
Depending on the sensitivity of a child and any number of variables in their learning environment, this type of thing can occur even when educators are supportive and have the best of intentions. I bet you can think of a few scenarios in your own life too, where, despite knowing you are intelligent and capable, you seem to lose access to specific skills or abilities under pressure. We can refer to this reduced functionality under stress as a loss of brain integration.
What is going on in the brain?
Many of us are familiar with the idea of our left and right brain hemispheres having different specializations. The left brain is thought to be more geared towards logical processing and analysis, whereas the right is more ‘gestalt,’ meaning big picture or creative (this is usually reversed in left-handed people). Although this can be a useful model, in some ways, it is a massive oversimplification. The left and right brain hemispheres, at the cortical (thinking) level, are where we initiate tasks. We consciously decide what we want to achieve, which then activates a widely distributed system of brain areas and the pathways between them in order to get the job done.
In simple terms, the structure and function of the brain are incredibly complex, and therefore, performing any task effectively requires efficient communication between many regions of the brain and body, with precise timing and synchronization.
What causes loss of brain integration?
The short answer (surprise, surprise) is stress! Any stimulus perceived as ‘threatening’ will activate the survival centers in our brains, controlling the fight or flight response. Survival centers like the amygdala connect to the higher brain regions needed for clear thinking and so can directly contribute to a loss of brain integration under stress. This has often been referred to as ‘amygdala hijack.’[1]
The things we perceive as stressful are very individual. They depend on our past experiences and the emotional memories laid down at the subconscious, as well as conscious, levels. Stress is actually a necessary factor in motivating us to take action, and to a certain level, the emotional triggering of the amygdala assists us in learning and memory. We are emotional beings, and the emotional ‘charge’ associated with something gives it relevance, hence, information related in a story may be easier to recall than a dry list of facts. However, beyond a certain level or threshold of stress, and when stress becomes chronic, the amygdala (or other survival areas of the brain) can inhibit effective learning and memory as instinctive survival responses take over.[2]
Back to the classroom
Returning to the child in the stressful classroom situation, we can see that maths has become associated with emotional danger, so the stress threshold for loss of brain integration has been lowered for this child in this particular situation. Once we become stressed and lose brain integration, we can easily become stuck in a self-reinforcing ‘stress loop.’ In this case, the temporary loss of the ability to perform maths results in anxiety, failure, and shame, which leads to avoidance behavior. This then leads to more shame and the potential for punishment or criticism, which, in turn, leads to more stress and frustration, causing even greater loss of brain integration, and around we go!
It’s easy to see how, in a classroom context, certain children become ‘problem children’, the ones who act out to avoid feeling vulnerable, and those who check out altogether, often unnecessarily so, simply due to high stress levels.
Naturally, these types of scenarios are relevant not only to children but to all of us. Think about applicable situations in your own life, possibly public speaking, being put on the spot to perform a calculation, remembering verbal directions, or any number of possibilities.
Additionally, in the case of chronic stress or significant trauma, the loss of brain integration may become more generalized, resulting in brain fog and more global learning difficulties.
Neurodivergence in the mix
When we’re talking about the accumulation of stressful factors that tip us over into a loss of brain integration, it’s clear that neurodivergent kids may experience more inputs as stressful and/or have a lower threshold for dysregulation.
In the case of an ADHD child, for example, they generally have a reduced capacity for rational control of their emotional responses, leading to impulsive or disruptive behavior. They are then likely to receive negative feedback on their behavior, impacting their self-esteem.[3] Additionally, they may have atypical dopamine levels or utilization, with dopamine being involved in our motivation levels[4] and perhaps even the ability to bounce back from failure.
When it comes to autistic children, one of the stressors that can come into play is sensory over-responsivity or information overload due to, for example, thalamic hyperconnectivity[5] or reduced synaptic pruning. If the child needs extra time to process and integrate all this information, or quickly becomes overwhelmed, it’s easy to see how this could impact their learning and sense of self.
These are just a few examples of the effect of neurodivergence on brain integration. Naturally, each individual has their own unique neurology and stressors.
Reducing the impact of stress
So, if getting caught in a ‘stress loop’ is impacting learning, how do we reduce the stress? Reducing the pressure to perform and focusing on creating safety and connection can help decompress the nervous system and encourage a more organic approach to learning. However, this is a balancing act! While stress can reduce brain integration, as previously mentioned, a certain amount of stimulation is required for learning and growth. Therefore, simply avoiding all potential ‘triggers’ can easily lead to a very limited experience of life over time and actually increase anxiety!
A detour into natural learning
Natural learning (or ‘unschooling’) is a self-directed approach that allows children to tap into their innate curiosity and desire to learn, thus reducing the stress imposed by external pressure and expectations. The work of John Holt is a useful reference if you’re interested in exploring this concept. Check out this short video or the Growing without Schooling Website.
Of course, this type of approach to education requires significant resources to implement. The child must have access to a school that applies these principles (rare and often pricey), or a parent or other caregiver must be available (emotionally and financially resourced) to home-educate in this way, providing support, connection, and opportunities.
For many, this is not practical or desirable at this stage, and additionally, home-educated children are certainly not exempt from stress-related learning problems, especially if they’re sensitive or neurodivergent. So, how do we do the best we can within current societal constraints and conditions?
Help kids escape the stress loop
Prioritize connection
Feeling safe and understood in relationships with others is a primary human need. When we feel held in this way, it feels much safer to step out into the world and explore, or to attempt difficult tasks, knowing that our success or failure in any given moment doesn’t define our self-worth. An emotionally safe environment allows children to risk feeling vulnerable or ‘getting it wrong’ without fear of judgment.
Notice behavior as communication
Talk to your children, but also notice their subtle cues, facial expressions, scenarios in which they seem to shut down or become defensive, and topics that light them up. Often, it’s difficult to communicate our needs and stressors with clarity, even as adults. With this in mind, it can be helpful to remember that kids are likely to lack these advanced communication skills, so their needs may be expressed through challenging or even baffling behavior! You may find it useful to refer to my previous article on intuitive parenting.
Reduce pressure as appropriate
As previously mentioned, this is very individual to the child in terms of reducing the loss of brain integration, but it should not set up a pattern of avoidance that actually reinforces anxiety. For a child who has become very stressed about learning, it may take a significant amount of time for them to ‘decompress’ and re-engage with curiosity. If your child is very resistant to any suggestions you make, you might like to read my article on pathological demand avoidance (which contains useful information, even if the demand avoidance is a short-term stress response).
Neuroplasticity for the win
Finding the balance when it comes to optimal learning can certainly be assisted by addressing the stressors that lead to loss of brain integration. The brain is incredibly malleable (neuroplastic), and often, addressing that stress is enough to bring the higher cognitive abilities back online. Every day, self-care tools such as mindfulness, breathing techniques, journaling, or movement practices can assist with self-awareness and letting our body and brain know that we are safe.
Sometimes, we may have forgotten the incident that initiated a primitive stress response that is hijacking the brain, or it occurred very early in life. However, our body remembers and stores this stress. This is where I come in. In addition to accessing and clearing stress from the subconscious, I use energetic processes to assist you with re-establishing connectivity and synchronicity between the various parts of the brain that need to work together for learning and creativity.
If you’d like some support for your child or yourself to get out of survival mode and access your true potential, get in touch. I’d love to hear from you. Kinesiology sessions are available online or in Auckland, New Zealand, by appointment.
Kirsty Marie Denny, Kinesiologist and Neurodivergence Specialist
Kirsty Marie is an energetic kinesiologist who believes in each human’s capacity to thrive as their unique and authentic self.
Kirsty navigated chronic health challenges in her 20s and an intensely stressful early parenthood experience. Having transformed her own life as well as her children’s, she is on a mission to empower others.
She specialises in supporting those who are highly sensitive, neurodivergent, or who have experienced trauma. Her approach is truly holistic, incorporating practical lifestyle coaching as well as energetic processes for balancing the brain and body and transmuting emotional stress.
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