REWIRING PROCESS

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Our brains send signals throughout our system that we are often unaware of because they are innate; inherited; automatic. When we learn to synchronize the heart brain communication and inner wisdom with awareness and empowerment, we can rewire our brains. We respond rather than react or feel controlled. We are free to think and act from our hearts. 

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Highly Sensitive Personality Trait (HSP)

HSP's have brains that hyper react to sensory information from the environment. Sufficient periods of processing (often through time alone) support HSP's to emotionally regulate heightened sensory input.  

 

Anxiety

Signals from the emotional brain to the cognitive brain make us believe irrational fears are true. Challenging such irrational thoughts can help decrease anxious feelings. 

 

Depression

Parts of the brain can shrink during depression which affects our reaction time and memory. Such effects, since linked to the dendrites and not brain cells, may be reversible depending on the severity and duration.

 

Eating Disorders

Eating disorders may appear to be merely behavioral, but with each type of disordered eating there are brain circuits that are not functioning properly. For example, some restriction types have faulty reward coding and decreased hunger signals from the orbitofrontal cortex.  Moreover individuals with disordered eating have been shown to have neurological vulnerabilities; share specific temperaments; and have a genetic predisposition to such. 

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Trauma/PTSD

Brains that experience trauma have an overactive amygdala that may lead to PTSD. In turn, this leads to an underactive prefontal cortex. This is much like the brain pressing on the accelerator (amygdala) while trying to step on brakes that don't work (prefrontal cortex). As well for PTSD, the brain does not code memories from the hippocampus properly.

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Relationship issues

We are wired for connection. When we feel genuine sensations of connection and love it produces oxytocin, the "cuddle hormone". If our brains lack such experience it can lead to depression. We may also be in relationships that lead to empathetic distress. For example, when we have to take care of our own mental wellness in addition to (a) family member(s). Additionally, if we are in stressful or abusive relationships our brains produce cortisol and adrenaline that decrease immunity function. Individuals in such relationships were found in studies to have a greater risk of heart problems. 

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How do such effects on the system influence your unique human personhood and experience?

 

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References

 

Highly Sensitive Persons (HSP)

• Brain Behav. 2014 Jul; 4(4): 580–594

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Anxiety

• Oyarce, D. E., et al. (2020). Volumetric brain differences in clinical depression in association with anxiety: a systematic review with meta-analysis, Journal of Psychiatry and Neuroscience, DOI: 10.1503/jpn.190156

 

Depression

• Li, Z., Ruan, M., Chen, J. et al. Major Depressive Disorder: Advances in Neuroscience Research and Translational Applications. Neurosci. Bull. 37, 863–880 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12264-021-00638-3

 

Disordered Eating

• Foerde, K., Steinglass, J. E., Shohamy, D., & Walsh, B. T. (2015). Neural mechanisms supporting maladaptive food choices in anorexia nervosa. Nature Neuroscience, 18, 1571–1573.

• Frank, G. K. W. (2015). Advances from neuroimaging studies in eating disorders. CNS Spectrums, 20, 391–400. doi:10.1017/S1092852915000012

• Kaye, W. H., Wierenga, C. E., Bailer, U. F., Simmons, A. N., & Bischoff-Grethe, A. (2013). Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels: The neurobiology of anorexia nervosa. Trends in Neuroscience, 36(2), 110–120. doi:10.1016/j.tins.2013.01.003

• Kaye, W. H., Wierenga, C. E., Knatz, S., Liang, J., Boutelle, K., Hill, L., & Eisler, I. (2014). Temperament-based treatment for anorexia nervosa. European Eating Disorders Review. doi: 10.1002/erv.2330

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Trauma

• How PTSD affects brain “circuitry”. USU | CHAMP, Human Performance Resource Center, 30 May 2017

 

Relationship Issues

• De Vogli R, Chandola T, Marmot MG. Negative Aspects of Close Relationships and Heart Disease. Arch Intern Med. 2007;167(18):1951–1957. doi:10.1001/archinte.167.18.1951

• Powell ND, Sloan EK, Bailey MT, et al. Social stress up-regulates inflammatory gene expression in the leukocyte transcriptome via β-adrenergic induction of myelopoiesis. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2013;110(41):16574-16579. doi:10.1073/pnas.1310655110

• Slavich GM, Irwin MR. From stress to inflammation and major depressive disorder: a social signal transduction theory of depression. Psychol Bull. 2014;140(3):774-815. doi:10.1037/a0035302

• Social relationships and physiological functioning

  Yang Claire Yang, Courtney Boen, Karen Gerken, Ting Li, Kristen Schorpp, Kathleen Mullan Harris Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Jan 2016, 113 (3) 578-583; DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1511085112

• Klimecki O, Singer T. Empathic distress fatigue rather than compassion fatigue? Integrating findings from empathy research in psychology and social neuroscience. In: Oakley B, Knafo A, Madhavan G, et al., editors. Pathological Altruism. New York, New York: Oxford University Press; 2011. pp. 1–23. [Google Scholar]

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