In the left hemisphere of the brain the information is perceived through a cognitive style of logical and linear thinking, fact, and historical information. In the right hemisphere the same event is understood through a more personal and creative cognitive style of thinking. This is where our sense of identity lives, as well as our sense of safety. How we actually respond to a situation will generally be somewhere between the two perceptions, since the left and right hemispheres of the brain communicate information back and forth through a network of fibers in the brain called the corpus callosum. Information stored in the brain from previous experiences will also have an important influence on our response to an event.
Stress can often be the result of feeling out of control.
Sometimes we get so emotionally involved that we are over stimulated by the emotional right hemisphere. By having conscious access to the more linear left hemisphere, we are able to create a useful balance integrating the specialties of each hemisphere to deal with a challenge situation as our most resourceful self. Since the most primary and vital functions of the brain involve survival and personal safety issues, the brain automatically responds to and evaluates events that might threaten a person's immediate safety. In most people, the right hemisphere of the brain stores emotionally charged memories, while at the same time, the left hemisphere records a relatively unemotional sequence of events. There are two separate and unique pictorial representations for each event in our lives for which an external visual stimulus has been imprinted.