The primitive mind vs the intellectual mind

The role of the prefrontal cortex in decision-making

The intellectual mind is the part of the mind responsible for logical decision-making. It is linked to the prefrontal cortex and represents our intellectual resource. When a person is mostly prevalent in this part of the mind, they are able to cope with challenges. They tend to feel happy, motivated, and can make the best decisions based on logic.

Planning, working memory, impulse control, personality expression, goal-directed behaviour and regulating emotional responses are all part of the pre-frontal cortex. To strengthen the PFC, exercise, learning new skills, mindfulness, and meditation can be beneficial.

The primitive brain and our survival response

Within the primitive system, there are three key structures that work closely together.

The amygdala acts like an alarm system. It constantly scans the environment for potential threats and is responsible for triggering the fight, flight or freeze response when danger is detected. The hypothalamus helps regulate the body’s chemical and hormonal responses, activating systems such as adrenaline and cortisol that prepare the body to deal with perceived threats. The hippocampus plays an important role in memory, helping us store experiences and learned behaviours, including habits that can sometimes become automatic or difficult to change.

To understand why this part of the brain is so powerful, it helps to look back at our ancestors. Thousands of years ago, survival depended heavily on being alert to danger. Early humans needed to hunt for food, protect their families, find shelter and defend themselves from predators or rival groups. Their primitive brain was constantly active, scanning for threats and preparing them to react quickly.

In those environments, this survival system was incredibly useful. The brain needed to assume the worst in order to protect life. If there was a rustle in the bushes, it was safer to assume it might be a predator rather than the wind. This negative bias helped humans survive.

Although our modern lives are very different, our brains have not evolved at the same speed as our environments. We rarely face predators or physical threats in everyday life, yet the primitive brain still reacts to modern stressors in a similar way. Work pressures, financial worries, relationship challenges, health concerns or constant exposure to worrying news can all activate the same survival system.

For some people, the brain can become stuck in this heightened survival mode, where the fight, flight or freeze response is activated more frequently than necessary. When this happens, the body and mind can struggle to switch off from stress. Research suggests this is a common experience in modern society. Recent research from Mental Health UK found that 91% of adults experienced stress in the past year, with over a third reporting high or extreme levels. 

Sleep can also be affected when the brain remains in a state of survival alert. Stress hormones such as cortisol can keep the mind active and make it difficult for the nervous system to settle. In the UK, almost one in five adults report not getting enough sleep, and sleep problems can be linked to stress and anxiety.

When the primitive brain dominates for long periods of time, it can influence how we think, feel and behave. People may experience symptoms such as:

• irritability or anger
• persistent worry or overthinking
• low mood or depression
• feeling constantly on edge
• difficulty concentrating
• poor sleep or fatigue

This happens because the primitive brain is naturally negatively biased. Its job is not to make us happy – its job is to keep us alive. It constantly scans for potential threats and tends to focus on what could go wrong rather than what is going well. 

From an evolutionary perspective, this makes perfect sense. Assuming the worst possible outcome helped our ancestors survive another day. However, in modern life, this protective system can sometimes become overactive, interpreting everyday challenges as threats even when we are safe. Understanding how this part of the brain works can be incredibly empowering, because it helps explain why anxiety, stress and overthinking can feel so automatic.

The good news is that the brain is also capable of change. Through approaches that help calm the nervous system and engage the more rational parts of the mind, it is possible to move out of constant survival mode and into a state where people can think more clearly, feel calmer and respond to life’s challenges more effectively.

When the primitive mind takes over: Bob's story

Let's imagine a scene now from someone living in the primitive mind in the present day. For written purposes, I am going to call him Bob.

Bob has to attend a very important meeting, a meeting that is going to either make or break his business that he has worked so hard for. If Bob doesn't get the funding for his business, it could crash, and he knows that he is under pressure.

In the weeks leading up to Bob's meeting, he feels very anxious and overwhelmed. He can't sleep, waking up during the night and struggles to get back to rest. He constantly imagines that his meeting is going to go terribly. He goes over and over it in his mind of all the things that could go horribly wrong; in actual fact, Bob, isn't that the 50th time now that you have thought about that imaginary argument at the meeting?

The day of the meeting arrives, and Bob hasn't slept a wink. He drags himself out of bed and feels that knot in his stomach that he hasn't felt for a very long time. He has hot flushes, a headache, a churning stomach and sweaty palms. But the meeting starts in a way that is welcoming.

Bob finds some encouragement from this, and all of a sudden, he relaxes. The actual meeting goes quite well, you'll be pleased to hear, he receives enough funding to continue to grow his business, and best of all, the symptoms he had earlier have all but disappeared as quickly as they had arrived. Bob realises then that he has actually attended 51 meetings, 50 were disasters, and the 1 actual meeting was a success.

Can you see that the primitive mind was in full action at this point? The prefrontal cortex and intellectual resource could not get a look in. Here's how the PFC part of the mind would have worked for Bob: It would show reasoning.

Bob would have realised that he can't control this meeting that was coming up, and what will be, will be. He knows that there are always other options available to him; logic tells him this. He makes a proper assessment of the situation and feels a sense of comfort. He would have practised some breathwork, slowing down his cortisol stress levels, and even completed some slightly challenging exercises, which would have produced dopamine, the 'good feel' chemical. He would have spent time away from overthinking about this business, and played with his children, who give him so much pleasure, producing lots of endorphins and oxytocin.

On the day of the meeting, he would feel relaxed; his stomach and all of the other symptoms he experienced in a primitive mind state would be inconsequential, and after the meeting, he would feel invigorated and motivated.

How solution-focused hypnotherapy can help

I see many clients in Bob's situation. They feel 'stuck' in their primitive mind, unable to see a way out. Unfortunately, this state of mind can build up over time, without any realisation, until, well, it has really taken hold. Luckily, though, there is a solution.

In solution-focused hypnotherapy, we can help by focusing on strengths, achievements, and goals. We focus on positive actions, positive interactions and positive thinking. We focus on what is already good in their life and what is already going well.

The brain has neuroplasticity, meaning it can change and adapt over time. The brain can respond to imagined scenarios in ways that feel very real. Being 'stuck' is just an illusion, but it feels very real to the person experiencing such stress and anxiety. The primitive brain that keeps people in protection mode is doing its job very well, if it's needed for that moment.

By helping people gently move out of the primitive brain, the PFC can come back online and make an assessment of any given situation. Once it's back online, people may feel more able to cope with challenges. Motivation, joy, and happiness can once again be prominent in someone's life. New ideas and goals can spring into action, and level-thinking can once again reign, and if a quick, primitive reaction is needed, then the PFC will make that assessment, put the primitive brain into action and sort out what is required, then come nicely back online again.

If this resonates with you, you might find it helpful to explore support from a qualified hypnotherapist, who can work with you to better understand your stress responses and develop practical ways to feel calmer, more in control, and better able to cope with everyday challenges.