Raised to React: How Early Emotional Lessons Become Muscle Memory

A brief history of your emotional reactions, from how they were formed to how you can change the ones you no longer want. The ways we cope with difficult emotions as adults can begin in childhood, depending on which emotions got attention, were ignored or were punished. If anger got you in trouble, sadness was ignored, or silence after a fight became the way you showed you were upset, you learned what was safe to express and what was better kept to yourself. Years later, the same learning can affect how you respond to rejection, conflict or loneliness. You may shut down when you want to speak, or look for something that eases the discomfort in the short term, like scrolling, drinking or drugs. Because quick relief activates the brain’s reward system, these behaviours can become easier to repeat even when they create problems later. This lecture takes a scientific look at how these responses develop, what happens in the brain and body under emotional stress, and the difference between regulating an emotion and getting temporary relief from it. We will also look at how these responses can be changed. Denis Lim is a PhD candidate in Policy Studies at Toronto Metropolitan University and teaches in the Addictions and Mental Health programs at Humber Polytechnic. He has worked in frontline social services in Toronto for over a decade, with a focus on addiction, homelessness and harm reduction. His research looks at Canadian drug policy, harm reduction and the experiences of frontline workers in the non-profit sector. Agenda 6:00 PM doors open. Guests are welcome to arrive early, order drinks, and have dinner before the lecture begins. 7:00 PM lecture begins, followed by Q&A. 8:15 PM wrap up. Guests are welcome to stay for conversation and another drink.