As far as test anxiety goes, you're right on in terms of noticing that your limbic system getting keyed up feels a bit like a stimulant use. As I understand it (remember, I'm a therapist, not a biologist) your limbic system is that part of your old brain which controls your fight or flight mechanism. If you're exposed to a situation that replicates a previously experienced traumatic event your amigdala gets pumping and releases a bunch of adrenalin into your system and you will feel like you just had 2-3 cups of coffee. The difficulty with that is that when that happens to us, some of our ability to reason logically gets impaired as well. But it's normal.
A quick word to everyone on test anxiety: Relax! ;-) Obviously it's important that you learn a lot from your experience in graduate school, but don't get too stressed out. The fact is that being a therapist is like being an electrician: Education is provided mostly to lay a foundation that prevents you from hurting yourself or someone else. The real learning of the art of psych-therapy takes place on the job.
This is for everyone (not just you Brittany) - I think that a lot of us have some unresolved school trauma and perhaps some severely shaming experiences related to success, or lack thereof, academically. If you're feeling strong discomfort about papers, tests, and the like, it may be a sign that you have some perfectionism tendencies to look at clinically. If this is an issue, consider addressing it with a therapist.
For all of you, please, please, please get your own therapy before, during and after the process of becoming a therapist -what you don't see in yourself you won't see in someone else! This is particularly important if (like me) you come from a family system with addiction - there's usually a lot to undo there. Therapists without insight are not just unhelpful; some are just plain dangerous because they reinforce (rather than challenge) distorted belief systems in their clients.
Greg
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