I remembered those angry, red-faced students telling me that they didn’t use their conflict resolution skills when they were heated because they just couldn’t think. And now I knew why! Their amygdalas had hijacked their brains in order to protect them and had turned off all memory of my lessons.
– Linda Ryden, from her article, “I’m a Peace Teacher. Here’s How Brain Science Helps My Kids Handle Conflict“

When children are in conflict – with each other or with adults – that is not the time to try to rationally discuss their behavior. In her article, “The Unteachable Moment,” which forms the basis for the Out of the Box Training, Brain-Based Approach to Behavior, Kirsten Haugen describes how brains react to conflict.

“These perceived threats are processed in the same way as physical threats, and[…]