The mind and our emotions play a significant role in both our state of stress and our capacity to process it. This is especially important to appreciate, as we learned in the previous article that the physiological process of stress occurs when an event is happening or being thought of. Learning effective tools you can apply at home or in a therapeutic setting is instrumental in treating your own capacity to process a stress and develop the internal skills to better manage it on your own.
In this article, we will build on Hans Selye’s General Adaptation Syndrome model of stress physiology and examine several concepts and tools. First, emotional expression is in fact a biochemical expression that bridges neurological function to endocrine and immune function. Secondly, emotions are physical, given their biochemical nature, and are stored in the body. Lastly, you can learn to process “stuck” emotions and memories on your own using Neuro Emotional Technique’s (NET) FAST method as well as Somatic Experiencing. The steps are outlined at the end of the article.
The mindbody as a scientific concept
The field of “mind-body” medicine became a focus of legitimate scientific research in the 1980s. Dr. Candace Pert (1946-2013), the internationally renowned neuroscientist and pharmacologist, was one of its major contributors. Today, thanks to Dr. Pert’s life work and over 250 published research articles, we can discuss the neurophysiology of stress, the biochemical expression of emotions… We can discuss emotions, the body and mind as a continuous field- scientifically, not just philosophically.
My argument is that the three classic areas of neuroscience, endocrinology, and immunology, with their various organs – the brain (which is the key organ that the neuroscientists study), the glands, and the immune system (consisting of the spleen, the bone marrow, the lymph nodes, and of course the cells circulating throughout the body) – that these three areas are actually joined to each other in a bidirectional network of communication and that the information “carriers” are the neuropeptides.1
Dr, Candace Pert
The nervous system, endocrine and immune system – a unified field
A simplified scientific explanation goes as follows:
Brain function is modulated by numerous chemicals in addition to the classically recognized neurotransmitters. These chemicals, or Informational Substances are neuropeptides which have historically been discussed as gut peptides, hormones, growth factors etc. There are more than 50 and the majority of which alter behavior and mood states. The informational substances (IS) have binding receptors throughout the brain, (circulating) immune cells, endocrine organs and more. Mood modifying drugs like valium, morphine and phencyclidine (angel dust) mimic the neuropeptide interactions at the same receptor sites. Interactions have been demonstrated in the brain, spinal cord, pancreas, pituitary, testis, lymph nodes and white blood cells. This gives an indication of the emotional, mood altering roles that informational substances play- and throughout the body.
It is now understood that the neuropeptides play a physiological role in mood, emotional states and behavior. They form a biochemical network that joins communication between the brain, immune system and endocrine system (thyroid, adrenals, pancreas, reproductive organs and other glands).2
Emotions are physical
Because these Informational Substances alter mood and behavior, they are seen to form the biochemical substrate of emotion within a single system, the mindbody. Dr. Pert believed that the receptor sites in essence store emotion and that the emotions stored could have biochemical bias – a tendency towards various emotional states.
Emotions are stored and released
Since emotions run every system in the body, don’t underestimate their power to treat and heal.
Dr. Candace Pert
Often, stressors trigger the mindbody to behave according to past emotional imprints. We aren’t able to act in the present moment because our body reacts as if something from the past is going on right now. Learn more about Dr. Candace Pert here.
Unprocessed emotional states or memories are stored in the mindbody. Traditional Chinese Medicine TCM relates various emotional patterns to the organ meridians. For example, the liver and anger, the gallbladder and resentment, the kidneys and fear, the lungs and grief. The use of acupuncture, herbal formulas, tai chi, qi gong and body work treats the mindbody relationship as an indivisible entity.
Neuro Emotional Technique and treating the neurophysiology of stress
Neuro Emotional Technique expands that concept and connects the “organ meridian storage sites” together with the conscious and subconscious mind. NET refers to this connection as the Neuro Emotional Complex or NEC and treats its physically, mental-emotionally and biochemically.
NET research studies published in the Journal of Cancer Survivorship have substantiated brain function changes with NET therapy in two different PTSD groups. Findings included, when the participants were exposed to the stimuli specific to their traumatic event, lower [stress response activation and reactivation] in the parahippocampus, brainstem, anterior cingulate and insula brain regions. This in short demonstrates the brain’s ability to process a previously unprocessed traumatic event and not be triggered by it afterwards.3,4
The basis of NET, in similarity to Brainspotting is to experience your feelings. This is central to the healing process. On that note, our friend Dr. Edith Eger has something to add:
“But as long as you’re avoiding your feelings, you’re denying reality. And if you try to shut something out and say, “I don’t want to think about it,” I guarantee that you’re going to think about it. So invite the feeling in, sit down with it, keep it company. And then decide how long you’re going to hold on to it. Because you’re not a fragile little somebody. It’s good to face every reality. To stop fighting and hiding. To remember that a feeling is just a feeling—it’s not your identity.”
Edith Eger, The Gift: 12 Lessons to Save Your Life
You can do a form of NET on yourself
This is called the First Aid Stress Tool or FAST for short. Please click on the pdf linked below for the step by step. This can be done as often as you want. It can be helpful especially before going to sleep to help clear the mind from stressful events earlier that day- or in anticipation of tomorrow’s events etc. By sitting down and making time to experience and process, you are literally releasing the informational substances Dr. Candace Pert researched. Being present with, attending to, giving voice to the emotions changes your biochemical environment. The more often you do it, the more neural pathways you create for healing and restoration.
You can do Somatic Experiencing on yourself
Somatic Experiencing is a body focused method to release stress storage and trauma in the body. Here are 5 simple steps to follow to perform it on your own.
- Sit upright, in a comfortable position and close your eyes.
- Breath easily and comfortably.
- Bring your awareness to the stressful item of focus.
- As you focus your awareness several possibilities begin to occur – (1) Your mind starts to move along memory lane; (2) Images / feelings begin to unfold- visual memory, auditory memories, etc; (3) Body sensations – awareness of tension, tightness, sweating, cold, shivers, goosebumps, knotting, nausea, emptiness etc.
- Whichever possibility begins to occur, attune to it. Allow it to happen, it may shift, wax and wane. It may become painful, cause you to feel numb or move you to tears. Give your mindbody permission to experience and process the sensations which until this point were insufficiently processed.
- Perform for 15-20 minutes.
Start using NET’s FAST or Somatic Experiencing today with an issue that been on your mind. It may take several times as you focus on the issue from different feelings or angles. How did you go? Was it challenging, did you encounter any obstacles? Feel free to share your experience through the contact form. Process well!
