Public speaking anxiety involves the amygdala (threat detection) identifying social evaluation as danger, activating the full stress response—rapid heart rate, sweating, trembling, dry mouth, and cognitive interference. Your social brain (anterior cingulate cortex, medial prefrontal cortex) monitors for social threats, and public speaking triggers fears of judgment, rejection, or humiliation. The "organism as team" perspective helps: your protection team is responding to perceived social threat as if it were physical danger. Evolutionary psychology explains this—our ancestors' survival depended on group belonging, so social rejection was genuinely life-threatening. Your amygdala hasn't updated to modern contexts where a poor presentation won't kill you. Your stress response team floods your system with adrenaline (causing physical symptoms), your threat-focused attention narrows (making it hard to think clearly), and your working memory capacity shrinks (causing blank mind or losing your place). Your teams are trying to protect you but are overreacting. Managing this involves retraining your threat detection team: gradual exposure teaches your amygdala that public speaking is safe, cognitive restructuring helps your evaluation systems reframe audience reactions, breathing techniques activate your calming parasympathetic team, and preparation gives your cognitive team confidence. Beta-blockers can temporarily reduce physical symptoms, helping break the fear-symptom-fear cycle. Your brain can learn to reclassify public speaking as challenge rather than threat. ⚕️ This protocol does not replace professional consultation.