Your survivor’s brain chemistry is especially sensitive. Help him be kind to himself. Help him to refrain from polluting himself internally and to avoid polluting himself externally with toxic people, places, and things. To help you understand the inner workings of the brain and how to help him, let’s begin with the mental part — rewiring.

Brain 101: Structure and Wiring

What is the structure of the brain?

The three main sections of the brain are

• The cerebrum, “the seat of consciousness,” the center for higher mental faculties, such as thinking and feeling, and all voluntary muscular activities.

• The cerebellum, located at the base of the skull, responsible for coordination of voluntary muscular movements.

• The brain stem, located deep in the brain, connects the left and right sides of the cerebrum with the spinal cord, responsible for basic functions of consciousness and life maintenance, such as breathing and heart rate.

What are the parts of the cerebrum and what activities do they control?

Divided into an outer layer called the cerebral cortex and an inner layer called the subcortex, the cerebrum can also be divided into right and left sides called cerebral hemispheres.

The outer layer cerebral cortex as a whole controls our perceptions and actions, our spoken and written language, and our abilities to think, reason, plan, and act.

The inner layer subcortex includes the limbic system, which regulates emotional experience and expression; the thalamus, which is an important sensory relay station; and the hypothalamus, which regulates such basic functions as sleep, sex drive, hunger, thirst, and emotional response. The hypothalamus also controls the pituitary gland, the body’s master gland that regulates the endocrine hormone system.