Understanding Dr. Dan Siegel’s Hand Model of the Brain: A Simple Guide to Emotional Regulation
- gareyclark
- Jul 14
- 2 min read
🧠
Have you ever felt like your emotions took over and you “flipped your lid”? Dr. Dan Siegel, a clinical professor of psychiatry at UCLA and a pioneer in the field of interpersonal neurobiology, created a powerful and easy-to-understand model to explain what happens in our brains when we lose emotional control. It’s called the Hand Model of the Brain, and it’s a game-changer for adults in relationship with a significant other, parents, educators, therapists, and anyone interested in emotional intelligence.
✋ The Hand as a Brain
Dr. Siegel’s model uses your hand to represent the structure and function of the brain. Here’s how it works:
Make a fist with your thumb tucked inside your fingers.
This fist is your brain.
Let’s break it down:
Wrist and palm: Represent the brainstem, the most primitive part of the brain responsible for basic survival functions like breathing, heart rate, and fight-or-flight responses.
Thumb (tucked in): Represents the limbic system, especially the amygdala, which is the emotional center of the brain. It processes fear, anger, and other strong emotions.
Fingers (folded over the thumb): Represent the prefrontal cortex, the part of the brain responsible for reasoning, decision-making, empathy, and self-regulation.
🔄 What Happens When You “Flip Your Lid”?
Now, imagine opening your fist and lifting your fingers straight up. This is what Dr. Siegel calls “flipping your lid.”
When you’re calm and regulated, your prefrontal cortex (fingers) is “covering” your limbic system (thumb), helping you think clearly and respond thoughtfully.
But when you’re overwhelmed—angry, scared, anxious—your prefrontal cortex goes offline. You “flip your lid,” and your emotional brain takes over.
This is why kids (and adults!) might yell, cry, or shut down when they’re upset. Their thinking brain is no longer in charge.
🧘♀️ Why This Model Matters
The beauty of the hand model is its simplicity. It helps people of all ages understand:
Why we lose control during emotional moments
How to recognize when we’re dysregulated
What we can do to calm down and re-engage the thinking brain
It’s especially useful for teaching children about their emotions. When a child learns to say, “I flipped my lid,” they’re beginning to build self-awareness and emotional literacy.
🛠️ Tools for Reconnecting the Brain
When the lid is flipped, the goal is to reconnect the prefrontal cortex. Strategies include:
Deep breathing
Mindfulness
Taking a break
Talking to a trusted person
Physical movement
These tools help bring the brain back into balance so we can respond rather than react.
🌱 Final Thoughts
Dr. Dan Siegel’s Hand Model of the Brain is more than a metaphor—it’s a practical tool for understanding ourselves and others. By recognizing when we’ve flipped our lids and learning how to calm our brains, we can build stronger relationships, improve mental health, and foster emotional resilience.
Go to YouTube to see Dr Dan explain his model: Bing Videos
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