Last Thursday’s live focused on desire, and the psychological makeup and source of our desires.
We learnt that the following parts of the brain are responsible for the accumulation of our desires.
- Amygdala: The central hub in the limbic system which plays a critical role in processing emotional responses, such as fear, anxiety, and pleasure.
- Ventral Tegmental Area (VTA) and Nucleus Accumbens: are key components of the brain’s reward system, releasing dopamine to drive motivation, pleasure, and desire (specifically “wanting” or “incentive salience”).
- Prefrontal Cortex (PFC): is responsible for rational thought and executive function. During intense emotions like romantic love, the PFC can exhibit decreased activity, contributing to the, “love is blind” effect.
- Insular Cortex: constantly monitors the body’s internal emotional state (interoception), bridging visceral sensations with cognitive, “feelings”.
- Hypothalamus: often linked to basic desires like hunger and sexual drive.
I went further to teach on the neurochemistry of our emotions of desire and what chemical reactions are responsible for our various emotions;
- Dopamine: The primary neurotransmitter associated with desire, motivation, and pleasure.
- Serotonin: Regulates mood stability, with lower levels often associated with the obsessive thinking seen in early romantic love.
- Oxytocin: Known as the, “bonding hormone,” it fosters trust and attachment.
- Norepinephrine: Contributes to the euphoric and giddy sensations of romantic love.
This shows that there is an interrelation between your emotion and desire overlapping with the various parts of the brain. Research shows that thoughts are transmitted via neurotransmitters which triggers and changes feelings.
Thoughts > Emotions > Behaviours
Your feelings are the conscious, subjective experience of bodily sensations processed by the brain. The highlight of last week’s live for me was this piece of research I read where the thought feeling cycle generally only lasts for 90 seconds in the brain before the surge dissipates. I asked the question, how many people are making life changing, permanent decisions because of a 90 second feeling.
There are three phases and four elements that contribute to the thought feeling emotion desire cycle;
Phase 1: The Spark (Emotions & Desire)
Everything usually begins with a stimulus (external or internal). Your amygdala scans for threats or rewards. If it sees something it wants, it triggers Desire via the release of dopamine. This is a physiological “itch” that demands action.
Phase 2: The Interpretation (Feelings)
As your body reacts (increased heart rate, butterflies in the stomach), your Insular Cortex notices these physical changes. This is where an emotion (biological) becomes a feeling (mental). You label the sensation as “excitement,” “anxiety,” or “longing.”
Phase 3: The Narrative (Thoughts)
Your Prefrontal Cortex then tries to make sense of the feeling. It generates Thoughts to justify the desire: “I really need that coffee because I didn’t sleep well.” These thoughts can then loop back and amplify the original emotion, making the desire even stronger.
I can almost hear you say I appreciate all of this research but how do I manage my desires? – now that I know that my feelings and desire is not demonic, it is what I do with it that makes it a sin. Below I will share a few techniques coupled with scripture in how to regulate your desires with the help of the Holy Spirit.
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) teaches us that by changing the thought, you can actually dampen the emotion and eventually reduce the desire. This is known as top-down thinking or cognitive regulation. This is the process where the pre-frontal cortex exerts control over lower level, impulsive emotional centres like the amygdala. Top-down strategies allow you to consciously reshape your internal experience.
I focused on one out of the four strategies- cognitive reappraisal. This is the most well studied and used top-down strategy. It involves deliberately changing the interpretation of a situation to alter its emotional impact. With this strategy, you identify the automatic thought that is fuelling your emotions and replace it with a more positive one. The impact on the brain is that this activates the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex which sends inhibitory signals to the amygdala which physically dampening the alarm.
In scripture, Philippians 4v8 (KJV) instructs us to think on “whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest. Whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things”. Romans 12:2 (KJV) says “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable , and perfect, will of God”.
So I challenge you, it is time to reconstruct some of those thoughts that has been impacting desires, especially the desires that have become unbridled and idolatrous leading to behaviours that don’t please God.
The second strategy I delved into was cognitive distancing- this technique is where in order to regulate a strong desire, one is encouraged to use distancing to view the situation from a detached perspective. Instead of saying “I want this” you say I am noticing the sensation of wanting”. You also start to imagine the long-term costs of giving rather than the short-term reward. James 1:14-15 outlines the consequence of sin after desire is conceived.
Prayer: Father in the name of Jesus Christ, Lord I thank You for this word and breakdown of how desire is formed in me. Father I commit my desires and my heart in your hand. Father God, regulate my heart to desire only what You have in store for me. Lord bridle my desires in You in the name of Jesus Christ. Father I pray help me to surrender my will, desires and emotions to you. As it is my thoughts that fuel my feelings, Lord I submit my thoughts to you and any thought or imaginations that is exalting itself against You oh Lord I cast it down in the name of Jesus Christ according to 2 Corinthians 10:5. Father, align my thoughts, feelings and desires with your word and I submit my flesh to You in the name of Jesus. Father I thank You that You have heard me in Jesus Christ Name I pray amen.
To watch the full teaching on Desire- Part 2 , click here https://bit.ly/4aOnUck
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