That's beautiful Hedjwitch I am glad your rituals brought you some calm.
Rituals speak to our subconscious mind in a very powerful way, which I think goes some way to explaining magical theory.
I have known for a long time that we have different aspects to our mind and the way it functions- and still on a quest to gain more understanding in an effort to tame my own dragons.
The amygdala is part of our limbic system, an older part of our brain in evolutionary terms, often referred to as our reptilian brain and serves to alert us to danger, fuels our emotions, functions behind the scenes, resides in ur subconscious, holds long term memory and set off our sympathetic nervous response in response to danger. Absolutely essential to our safety and low level functioning, also is where our "inner child" resides. Despite holding our long term memories the limbic has no awareness of time.
I am not a psychotherapist nor have any expert knowledge in any of this, and I know the subject is vast- and is debated by professionals- who often disagree.
I have found it very useful to learn about some of this to inform my own healing.
Our "thinking brain" or higher executive function is the day to day, and is in contact with our limbic system, but many of us have some degree of connective dysfunction between the two parts.
Our limbic system doesn't respond to words, and we can't think our way out of emotional discomfort, so learning the language of the limbic is useful to know.
If we learn the language of the limbic then we have greater ability to bring calm., ease discomfort, anxiety, have control over triggers.
Our subconscious/limbic understands touch, scent, music, physical touch, music, song, warmth, light levels, hugs from others, massage, EFT, looking at beauty, watching flames, connecting with others,, rmovement of our bodies, comfort, repetition of a mantra, visualisation, meditation, ceremony and ritual- and I believe also the seat of magic- at least within our own bodies. The catholic church understands this to great effect.
Our limbic system is very powerful- and can bring about great changes, but it has a child like understanding of the world, will respond to fears and stress even if they are in the past but we are dwelling on an event,, it will flood our system with adrenalin and cortisol, even if a threat isn't actually happening in that moment.Our limbic system also houses our creativity, playfulness, home of the muse and all versions of our past selves, including our inner child.
Many psychotherapy modalities will support clients towards so called "integration" as a healing goal bringing forth all that is good and helpful from our inner child, but with safety that our adult mind will take care of and protect our vulnerable aspects.
Our bodies are also tied up in this too, it can hold stress and anxiety- but that is a whole other worm hole!! Spirituality is also a huge impact on my life too- but again another worm hole.
As I said earlier I am not an expert in any of this, just parts of my own story and healing journey.
It has been helpful to know a little about how my mind works because I now have a good tool box, I have learned to manage and protect my feelings, and deal with things before they escalate,
I would love to hear anyone's thoughts on how you steer and navigate!
I am just about to start my own morning rituals which are pleasant, but also nourish my inner self by my actions, creating feelings of safety, comfort, reassurance and familiarity. My inner child will respond by settling in to her cozy spot, she will point out the bird song, remind me that it is good to play, and life is not all about the practical adult stuff.