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What happens when your emotions feel bigger than your thoughts? Why does stress affect your body so intensely? And why can a memory, smell, or song instantly transport you back to another moment in time?

In this powerful episode of The Neuro Collective Podcast, Dr. Michael and May Bagnell,IHP continue the Inside the Brain Series by exploring one of the most emotionally influential systems in the brain — the Limbic System.

Often called the brain’s “emotional center,” the limbic system plays a major role in stress responses, emotional regulation, memory formation, survival instincts, attachment, and nervous system activation. Together, they break down complex neuroscience into practical, relatable insight that helps you better understand why you feel the way you do.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• How the amygdala acts like the brain’s internal alarm system
• Why stress and trauma can become deeply wired into the nervous system
• The connection between the hippocampus, memory, and emotional experiences
• How chronic stress impacts sleep, digestion, focus, hormones, and immune function
• Why some people feel emotions more deeply as Highly Sensitive People (HSPs)
• How the frontal lobe and limbic system work together for emotional regulation
• Practical ways to support your brain through nervous system regulation, sleep, movement, and emotional safety

Dr. Michael also shares fascinating insight into how the limbic system influences the endocrine and autonomic nervous systems, while May opens up about her own experience as a highly sensitive person and the importance of learning how to regulate an overwhelmed nervous system.

This episode is filled with compassionate education, real-life examples, and empowering reminders that:

You are not your anxiety.
You are not your overwhelm.
You are not your stress response.

These are nervous system states — and states can change.

If you’ve ever struggled with emotional overwhelm, chronic stress, anxiety, burnout, trauma responses, or feeling “too sensitive,” this conversation will help you understand the deeper neurological “why” behind what you’re experiencing.

Tune in as we continue uncovering the incredible connections between the brain, body, emotions, and healing.

And remember:

You can heal. And we can help.