Content Warning: This section refers to mental health conditions, trauma, violence, and emotional distress.

Goleman introduces the concept of neural hijacking as a consequence of traumatic experiences, particularly in the context of PTSD. Neural hijacking refers to the brain’s altered state where the amygdala, a key emotional processing center, becomes hyperactive and excessively responsive to perceived threats. During moments of intense trauma, the amygdala establishes a heightened setpoint, which makes the individual more prone to perceiving danger even in non-threatening situations. This heightened readiness for a fight-or-flight response, adaptive in emergencies, becomes a lasting problem when it persists beyond the traumatic event. Neural hijacking interferes with normal learning processes and impedes the brain’s ability to relearn appropriate responses to stimuli associated with the traumatic experience. In short, neural hijacking signifies a state where the brain remains stuck in an exaggerated alert mode, interpreting various situations as potential emergencies, which hinders the recovery from trauma-induced fear and has the potential to cause dangerous responses to everyday situations.

Goleman introduces the term “affective blindness” in the context of the amygdala, a crucial emotional processing center in the brain. Affective blindness refers to a condition that arises when the amygdala is disconnected or severed from the rest of the brain.