The Emotional Immune System

Emotions have a big influence in our lives, sometimes it seems as though that it runs the "life show"... I know, you might be thinking "Kayla, what does this have anything to do with our immune system?"

Well... for one, emotions interact with the release and/or blockage of certain hormones and neurotransmitters (NT), that play a role in the way our body protects itself or gets stronger. The catch here is that by the time emotions have THAT much influence in whether your body fights off stuff or creates an environment of doom, your already knee deep : z...

Peoples ability to cope with stress and trauma across life is based upon our quality of our earliest relationships, that of the attachment of patient zero, which, for the most part is our mother. Research has shown us repeatedly that healthy relationships can single-handedly make certain that resiliency is exuberant to human beings facing stressful and potentially traumatic circumstances. Let's be real here, stress is good, stress is actually important for growth of self and of resiliency, but TOXIC stress is no good, toxic stress can create unhealthy coping strategies, injuries, and life long dysfunctions ( Check out the ACE study for the dets.).

So secure attachments/healthy relationships where adults in our lives are consistent, warm, attuned, and responsive to our needs, manifests this extraordinary gift of resilience to our developing nervous systems as kids. Even kids who grow up in the extremes of poverty, abuse, and neglect, the ones who amazingly get back up and beat the odds, those kids are the ones with at least one person in their life who cares for them and is consistent in their nurturing. Human beings, like other mammals and birds alike, are designed to thrive when they are nurtured through responsive and attuned relationships. 

If some people have had problems in those particular early relationships, then they will most likely be avoidant, ambivalent, and disorganized. Some may also experience, as the ACE study suggests; chronic illnesses and diseases.

GOOD news is, even if you recognize a lot of these things in yourself and that you can attest to not having such a great start in life, your brain can still adapt to becoming resilient, our brains can learn, adapt, and change based on experiences. The same way that your brain has learned, adapted, and changed based on your unhealthy experiences, it can do so for healthy ones. This is what we call epigenetic, in which nurture ( what we learn and experience) can change nature ( how our system reacts, expression of our genes,etc...). The other good news is that positive, nurturing and compassionate adult relationships can help create resiliency and a healthy system overall, PLUS, it doesn't take a lot of people to achieve this, just one or two close committed and ongoing interpersonal relationships can make a huge difference to your emotional and physical health... Therapy can also help get a kick start on things!

So look after yourself, reflect on the types of relationships you have and don't be so quick to think that your health is only related to physical situations, much of our health issues can be connected to our experiences and how that data is transported within our body, both through hormones, and NT's. Look after your friends, especially the good ones, the ones that listen and take time to hear how you are REALLY doing and support you when you need it most. 
Always remember... We're just human... #wereonlyhuman #acestudy #emotionaleimmunesystem #thewoketherapist