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Emotional Hijacking

We’ve all heard of hijacking. It’s a hostile takeover of something that is not rightfully yours. And for those taken hostage, it can be a rather nerve-wracking experience—no pun intended—but this is exactly where the takeover begins, on the nerve cells. Traveling at speeds faster than the blink of an eye, leaping over billions of live wires are electrical chemical impulses. These impulses transmit an infinite amount of information regarding the status of the brain and body, one of which is our emotional state. Our thoughts are housed on the nerve cells. It is our thoughts that produce emotions and our emotions generate our actions, which lead to behaviors. In this chapter we will look at factors that can lead to emotional hijackings.

Emotions and Behavior: Anatomy of a Hijacking

Most of us are able to keep our emotions in check. Take anger, for instance. We all get angry from time to time; however, for the most part we have learned to suppress the desire to act out what we are feeling. As a general rule we are in control, but under the right conditions we all will lose it. Let me tell you about something that I witnessed. I would not have believed it had I not seen with my own two eyes. What I saw is a classic example of an emotional hijacking.

This incident happened, of all places, in the church. It was during the 11 o’clock service, and the choir had just sung a beautiful song by Andre Crouch, titled “Take Me Back.” The entire congregation appeared moved. Tears were flowing and spirits were very high. The pastor stood up to preach and he piggybacked on that song. With a deep, emphatic voice he roared: “Take me back, take me back, oh Lord. Renew my faith, restore my joy, and wipe my weeping eyes!” Suddenly the swinging doors of the church went flying open, and a lady came in shouting, “Where is he? Where is he?” I thought to myself, “Is she looking for Jesus?” But no she wasn’t, because she was angry! Who would come to church, in their right mind, mad at Jesus?

Her emotions betrayed her feelings. As we know, there are seven basic emotions: happiness, sadness, contempt, surprise, fear, anger, and disgust. From these seven we have hundreds of variations with varying intensities. For instance, you can be a little happy or deliriously happy. You can be a little angry or enraged. Well, on a scale of 0-10, this lady hit the nail on the head; she was a full-blown 10, enraged!

She repeated, “Where is he?” Then she spotted who she was looking for! She ran down the aisle, jumped over the pew, and there was war in the church! This sister (an occasional member of the church) saw her ex-boyfriend sitting with his new friend, and I’m a witness: she was not a happy camper. Remember the amygdala? it’s located in the limbic system and is one of the sites of emotions, including fear and aggressive behaviors (Society for Neuroscience, 2007). This lady had no fear; it was all aggression, and she began fighting like a champ. She was pumped with adrenaline as she pounded on her ex-friend with forceful blows. The guy was in shock, stunned, just like the congregation. It was not a pretty picture. This is what an out-of-control amygdala can do. It will cause you to do things you will later regret. But at the same time, we need our amygdala. It is a wonderful structure to have and can be our best friend in the face of danger—running from a burning building, a ferocious dog, a hungry lion, or a scorned lover. In these types of situations, it propels us to get out of danger.

But there must be a balance; we cannot allow ourselves to get to the point of no return. This lady’s behavior was obviously unacceptable, but at that point she in all probability could not help herself. Remember our thoughts produce emotions, and thoughts and emotions combined produce an action which leads to a behavior. From the start she had “stinking thinking.” Her emotions led to the behavior that caused her to start swinging, and it took several deacons to restrain her.

Her frontal lobe (the site of executive control), which should have suppressed inappropriate impulses, failed to put the brakes on the amygdala. Her frontal lobe, as far as thinking rationally was concerned, had shut down; this lady had experienced an emotional hijacking.

Addictive Behaviors

On February 19, 2010, millions of Americans paused from their usual round of activities and for fourteen minutes gave ear to the televised speech of Tiger Woods. This was his first public appearance since his fall from grace. Tiger, one of the greatest athletes in the history of golf and the youngest man ever to win the Masters Tournament, broke his silence after three months of seclusion. I was among the millions that watched and heard Tiger’s confession of indiscretions. His words: “I’m deeply sorry for my irresponsible and the selfish behavior that I engaged in. I know people want to find out how I can be so selfish and so foolish. People want to know how I could do these things to my wife Elin and my children.” He went on to say, “I was unfaithful. I had affairs. I cheated. What I did was not acceptable” (“Tiger Woods’ Full Apology,” 2010; Inman, 2010). This story was covered by all the major networks and has been a topic of discussion on many talk shows, in cover stories, and of people talking in their offices and homes. Many are asking, “Is there such a thing as sexual addictions or is this a convenient excuse for a hedonistic thrill?”

Studies show that one in 20 Americans has sexual addictions (“Sexual Addiction,” 2010; Lemonick, 2009). It is a phenomenon in which thoughts and emotions drive individuals to engage in compulsive sexual acts. It is not the act itself that brings pleasure, but the activation of the brain’s reward center. This activation is what serves to reinforce the behavior. This addiction is no different than the use of crack cocaine or other illicit drugs, alcohol, nicotine, gambling, pornography, and obsessions with video games.

What is the driving force behind these addictions and are they real? Yes, addictions are real. In fact we all have addictions; if this were not the case the human race would become extinct. We must ever keep in mind that we are fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14). Our Creator God has made every provision possible to ensure the survival of the human race. The brain has been hardwired to seek out behaviors that propagate His design. This involves healthy addictions such as water, food, and sex, without which we cannot survive. (Actually, when it comes to sex, it is not needed to survive, but it was needed to get you here, and in the right context—marriage—it is healthy and normal). God designed sex to be a pleasurable interaction between couples not only for procreation, but to bond the relationship. This original design, however, has become perverted and a hostile takeover has occurred, another case of emotional hijacking.

Physiological Underpinnings of Addictions

The brain and the body strive to maintain balance, a process called homeostasis. When all systems are functioning correctly, the natural cravings for water, food, and sex will be regulated on an as-needed basis. Three structures in the brain—the nucleus accumbens, prefrontal lobe, and ventral tegmental area (VTA)—in concert with the neurotransmitter dopamine (a naturally occurring chemical) are involved with the pleasure center of the brain. This reward center is activated when dopamine is released into nerve cells and the pathways project directly into these structures (Norden, 2007b). The feelings associated with the rush of dopamine serve as a motivation to repeat the behavior. Just think about the last time you were really hungry or thirsty. More than likely you were highly motivated to satisfy your desire and quench these cravings. This is the normal ebb and flow occurring in the body. However, in addictions the release of dopamine to the pleasure center is so intense that individuals are driven to repeat the behavior, because of this powerful rush.

The most compelling studies that support this phenomenon began back in 1954 with James Olds and Peter Milner, two brain researchers who inadvertently discovered the pleasure center. They were experimenting with laboratory rats in which they implanted electrodes into the rats’ brains to give them brief electrical shocks. They wanted to see if these rats would learn to avoid certain areas in their cages when an electrical shock was administered. To their surprise, the shocks did not produce a negative response; in fact they reinforced the behavior. The rats were drawn to the shock. Up to this point the researchers had administered the shocks, but they then placed levers in the cage and the rats learned that they could press the levers and receive the same shock. To the researchers’ surprise, the rats began pressing the levers at high rates to obtain a brief stimulation to the brain.

Michael Bozarth, a professor of psychology, comments on this behavior in his article “Pleasure Systems in the Brain”:

Laboratory animals will lever press at high rates (> 6,000 times per hour) to obtain brief stimulation pulses to certain brain regions. The reinforcement from direct electrical activation of this reward substrate is more potent than other rewards, such as food or water. The potency of this electrical stimulation is most dramatically illustrated in a classic experiment where the subjects suffered self-imposed starvation when forced to make a choice between obtaining food and water or electrical brain stimulation (Routtenberg & Lindy, 1965). (Bozarth, 1994; “Pleasure Center,” 2010)

Olds and Milner had discovered the brain’s reward center. The electrodes had been placed in the regions of the brain that cause pleasure, and with this stimulus a rush of dopamine supplied intense feelings of ecstasy. This is why drug addicts will lie, steal, and even sell their children to get that next high. It’s why the obsessive gambler will chance losing everything—home, savings, and family. It’s why the sex-addicted personality will throw caution to the wind and live with the possible consequences of a sexually transmitted disease, destroyed marriage and career, even financial ruin.

Subtle Forms of Hijacking

Emotional hijackings come in a variety of forms. Not all are the wham! bam! addictive dopamine-generated releasing rushes. Some take the long circuitous route; however, the results are the same: you’ve been hijacked. To the unsuspecting consumer these routes appear to be innocuous and come in the insidious forms of entertainment or food. When it comes to the making of a food addict, the calorie-dense, nutrient-deficient foods are the drawing cards.

They are the “Have It Your Way,” “Super Size Me,” “Mickey D’s,” and the like, fast food chains. These high-fat, sweet, fructose-laden, refined foods alter brain chemistry and keep us coming back for more. A few other foods to add to the list may surprise you: caffeine, tea, milk, cheese, and chocolate. These foods have an overpowering drug-like effect on the body. They stimulate the release of naturally occurring chemicals called opioids (Spurlock, 2004; Gislason, n.d.).

Opioids or opiates are neurotransmitters produced by the brain in response to pain and behave similarly to the drugs morphine, codeine, and heroin; and like an addict you are hooked (Pert, 1997). If you don’t believe me, try it; try giving up the most widely self-administered mind-altering drug in the world—coffee. Go on a little experience of abstinence for a day or two. I’m sure you will soon become a believer.

The article “Is Junk Food Addictive?” examined studies done by Bart G. Hoebel, a neuroscientist at Princeton University, in which he studied rats with induced sugar addictions. He observed the following:

Rats were used and were gradually fed a diet with increasing amounts of sugar. The more sugar given, the quicker the rats ate it and when it was suddenly withdrawn from their food, they experienced “addiction-type” reactions, such as chattering teeth, anxiety and shaking. (Newcombe, 2003)

Similar studies were done by Ann Kelly, a neuroscientist at the University of Wisconsin; however, she fed her rats a high-fat diet. She was able to identify changes in brain chemistry using PET Scans. These rats also exhibited behaviors similar to humans using heroin and nicotine (Newcombe, 2003).

Addictions: What Drives the Engine?

What are the driving forces behind addictions? What are the root causes? We have looked at the biochemistry and physical structures involved and have seen the intense psychosocial pull, but why do we allow ourselves to be hijacked? I say we, because I, like millions of Americans, have also been hijacked. My addiction, not by choice but by what I believe is a genetic predisposition, is compulsive overeating (a subject discussed in detail in chapter nine). Compulsive overeating is a disorder that affects an estimated eight million Americans (Hudson, Hiripi, Pope, & Kessler, 2007; Howard, 2006).

In my case it was not about eating, but what was eating me, and so it is with most addicts. Addictions do not come out of a vacuum; they are the result of the interaction between genes and environment. Scripture reminds us that the sins of the fathers are passed down to their children. Because of sin our DNA has mutations. The study of genetics, our biological inheritance, bears out that genes are passed down from parent to child. however, many genes are silent and will remain this way unless they are given the right environment to find expression (Numbers 14:18, NIV; Sadava, 2008). Therefore, the root causes of many addictions are driven by negative experiences—experiences that are carried on the nerve cells. They are thoughts and emotions from previous memories.

For many individuals, stored memories contain deep emotional pain. This pain comes in many forms, and we need not look far to see and feel the wounds. Emotional pain comes from early childhood trauma such as bullying, sexual abuse, witnessing domestic violence, alcoholic parents, abandonment issues, harsh critical parenting, and the list goes on. Remember, our thoughts produce emotions and our emotions drive behavior. In the presence of these adverse experiences, addictions serve as a form of self-preservation. By nature we are drawn to pleasure and away from pain, regardless of the consequences. Maladaptive behaviors (such as those seen in Tiger Woods, my compulsive eating disorder, and the many other forms of addiction) provide a numbing effect for emotional wounds. however, this temporary pleasure soon wears off and often leaves a sense of guilt and shame, which once again reinforces the behavior.

So how do we get out of this loop? In chapter 12, “Battle for the Mind,” I address the internal battle that wages within the mind. (The chapter focuses on how to be Spirit-led and provides tools essential to tearing down strongholds that have their origin in the mind.) In addition, throughout this book, you will find many health principles relating to the mind and body. When the mind and body are in sync, correct passions will follow, and the body will become servant to the mind and not the mind to the body.

But What Can We Do Right Now?

First and foremost, we must come to grips with the fact that we have addictions. There is something inherently freeing in coming face to face with the truth; it begins the process of freedom.

Secondly, we must truly desire change and realize that even though we have been hijacked, we are still responsible for our behavior. Responsibility involves seeking treatment and requires the same level of commitment as individuals suffering from any disease. This same approach is needed for victims of emotional hijacking. For many, these emotional wounds have been held in for decades and are so deep that, like a volcano, they are causing mini-eruptions. However, when the crust of the volcano is finally removed, the fury and rage are released and healing can take place. This process cannot be done alone. If you are willing, God will hold your hand and step-by-step put in place counselors, support groups, and friends to help you along the way. In my food addiction, I attended a 12-step recovery program (Overeaters Anonymous) and an intense in-patient recovery program. Today there are programs for all types of addiction (from A-Z). They allow you to work along with individuals who are nonjudgmental and know firsthand the challenges with which you struggle.

Thirdly, we must come to know the “truth.” John 8:32 states: “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” The word “truth” has two connotations: “truth,” as in having knowledge, and “The Truth,” as in a relationship with God. The Truth (as in knowing Him) involves the process of building a relationship that allows Him to work in and transform our lives. Isaiah 61:1 makes this statement regarding “The Truth”: “The Spirit of the LORD God is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound.”

The truth (as in knowledge) gets to the underlying reason for the addictive behaviors; it identifies the root causes of emotional captivity. Jesus has been anointed by His Father to set the captives free. He not only shows us the underlying cause but also leads us into a relationship that provides emotional healing. Are you imprisoned, being held captive to addictions, and longing to be free? Has your life been a rollercoaster of highs and lows in which you see no end? There is a way out! Jesus says of Himself in John 18:37: “To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world.” You need no longer be a victim of emotional hijacking; a way of escape has already been made. Just for the asking, and with commitment and dedication, He (our Creator God) has promised to set the captives free.

Take the Challenge

Jesus invites you to take the challenge; come to know “The Truth,” and the truth shall set you free.