Domains of Resilience -- Physiological Awareness and Modulation -- The Three Part Brain

The second part of Physiological Awareness and Modulation is the ability to modulate internal physiological states on a conscious level.  This is not a particularly easy thing to do because of the way the brain is wired.  Though we can control our breathing, we can't do the same thing with our heart rate, our digestive system or our skin temperature with the same ease.  This is due, in part, to the way the brain has been built-- in three partially connected layers. This post will be more theoretical than practical, but I want to touch on the theory briefly and direct you to more in depth resources if you're interested.

Simply put, the "Three Part Brain" hypothesis argues that as we have evolved as a species, we have needed to develop a more complicated brain to deal with our environment.  This appears to have occurred in three distinct stages, corresponding to discreet brain regions and relating to specific physiological and social capacities:

Name	What structures	Physiological Functions	Social Functions
Reptilian Brain	Brain-stem, Thalamus, Hypothalamus	Autonomic system (breathing, heart rate, etc.), Endocrine functions, Homeostasis	Territoriality, Sexual competition, "Fight or Flight"
Mammalian Brain	"Limbic system:" Amygdala, Hippocampus, Cingulate cortex	Implicit and explicit memory, emotional production and regulation, Allostasis	Maternal nurturing behaviors, Group cohesion and exclusion, Social hierarchy, Attachment, "Tend and Befriend"
Primate Brain	Pre-frontal cortex (PFC) (Ventromedial, Orbito-frontal), Mirror Neuron System	Working memory, Logic, "Somatic Marker"	Mentalization, Empathy, Problem solving, "Theory of Mind"

These three brain regions don't communicate seamlessly with one another, and in fact, operate somewhat independently from one another.  This arrangement is abundantly obvious to us as it is part of the cause of many human problems.  You have experienced this break down if you've ever found yourself unable to identify what you're feeling when you know you're feeling something, found yourself making poor decisions when you're angry or sad, or discovered that your body feels out of control -- heart racing and palms sweating -- in a socially difficult situation (giving a speech or meeting an attractive person).  

There is hope!  There are connections between and among these three brains region that, if encouraged to grow, give a person the ability to feel more in control of themselves, and (as is my point in including them in this blog) support the development of resilience.  The next blog will cover three specific techniques for encouraging this inter-connectivity -- Exercise, Progressive Muscle Relaxation and Biofeedback. 

 Here are some pictures and videos to illustrate the concepts above a little better:

Reptilian Brain:

Mammalian Brain:

Primate Brain:

For more information, please refer to:
http://people.eku.edu/ritchisong/301notes2b.html
http://bungelab.berkeley.edu/kidscorner/kidscorner/glossary.html

Interesting book

I picked up a neat book today on the topic of resilience:

Tapping Your Inner Strength: How to Find the Resilience to Deal with Anything, by Edith Henderson Grotberg.  So far, it looks pretty cool.  The model she uses relates to Erik Erikson's stages of psychosocial development and focuses, primarily, on the Cognitive Affective Control(CAC)/Self Connectedness(SC) domain.  It also touches on the Interpersonal Relationship Quality (IRQ) or Interpersonal Connectedness (IC) domain as well, specifically as it relates to particularly trying circumstances such as illness, the workplace and aging.   

I'll read it and comment on things as I learn them.  In the meantime, if any readers of this blog are interested in getting the book and letting me know what you think, you can do it here or on Twitter: @ResilienceMH

On Twitter!

If you'd like, you can follow me at @resilienceMH on twitter!

Domains of Resilience -- Physiological Awareness and Modulation -- part 1

I defined the domain of Physiological Awareness and Modulation (PAM) or Self Awareness (SA) in the last post as the ability of the individual to be aware of internal physiological states including basal physiological awareness, levels of autonomic arousal, muscle tension and pain and having the capacity to consciously modulate these states.

This domain actually two separate "sub-domains" --  1) awareness and 2) modulation, though as you'll, these are the same things in many techniques.  Taking awareness first, this is something that, I think, should be taught to every person from infancy onward.  To be able to be conscious of how fast you're breathing, how hard your heart is breathing, how much discomfort you're in, and so on before things get out of control provides us with a built in guidebook to self care.  For many people, these sensations get out of control before they're recognized.  For example, panic attacks happen (according to the CBT model) when a person becomes aware of terror inducing internal physical sensations at the exact moment they become uncontrollable.  Trying to take deep breaths when you feel suffocated, or trying to relax when you're ready to explode is challenging at best.  Imagine, on the other hand, having an awareness of the physical sensations in your body well before you reach the point of no return.  Doing things intentionally like slowing your breathing, going for a walk, and getting a cold drink of water could change your course from full blown panic to garden variety anxiety. 
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There are a bunch of basic techniques to jump start this process.  My three favorite in the "awareness only" (in no order) category are:

1) Breath work.  I've already covered this in Resilience: Enough theory already!!!! so check that blog post out if you're interested.  This is really the foundation of any awareness/mindfulness practice.

2) Eating a raisin VERY slowly.  How long does it take us to eat a raisin normally?  Ooop... Done!  How long can we draw it out?  One minute?  10 minutes?  Longer?  Here's one way to slow things down and become more mindful.  Spend a few minutes turning it over in your hands. look at its texture, color, feel its weight, find its nooks and look at them deeply.  Is it sticky?  How does it squish?  Next, bring it close to your nose.  Smell it deeply.  Smell it with short snorts.  Smell it in both nostrils.  Does it smell different?  How does the smell change.  Next put it in your mouth, but don't chew.  Feel its texture in your mouth.  Taste it, feel its weight on your tongue.  Next, bite it slowly.  Feel how it squishes in your mouth, taste it ... is it different?  Let that taste wash over your tongue.  Does it taste different in different parts of your mouth?  Does the taste linger or pass?  Take another bite and be mindful of the taste again.  Is it different than the first time?  Does it remind you of the smell?  Swallow it when you're done chewing and feel it going down the back of your throat.  This is an elegant and fun way to get into sensations that we normally speed right through.


3) Body Scan -- This is another interesting technique that is frequently used in conjunction with breath work.  I generally picture a film as thin as a bubble passing down my body from the peak of my head to my toes.  As this "bubble" touches different parts of my body, I become aware of whatever stress, muscle tension, pain, or comfort resides in that area.  I find that if I have a hard time moving the bubble down, that there's something that needs my attention where it gets stuck.  I try to check in with my organs (a funny sensation at first, but it becomes really relaxing if you practice it) -- my brain, lungs, heart, liver, stomach, kidneys, intestines ...etc.  I spend time where I feel things hurt or are tight and I breath into them. 

Try them out.  I'd love to hear if any of the blog's readers have had experience with these techniques or if they know of any others.  I'll pick up with the modulation side in a blog or two.  In the meantime, enjoy!

Domains of Resilience

We're back!

I apologize for my long delay in an update on this blog.  As I was writing my last entry, I felt as though I needed to spend a little more time thinking about and working with the ideas that I'd been writing about; I wanted to come up with my own formulation that could be immediately useful and clinically practical.  I don't think I'm entirely there yet, but I think I've got a good start.  In the next series of blog posts, I will outline this model, provide as much evidence as I can regarding the value of its components, outline a course of therapy using this model (both for prevention in healthy individuals and for treatment in individuals with deficits) and discuss potential opportunities for research.

Here goes:

There are 4 basic domains within a resilience model

1) Physiological Awareness and Modulation (PAM) or Self Awareness (SA) -- the ability of the individual to be aware of internal physiological states including basal physiological awareness, levels of autonomic arousal, muscle tension and pain and having the capacity to consciously modulate these states.

2) Cognitive Affective Control (CAC) or Self Connectedness (SC) -- the ability of the individual to be aware of cognitive and affective states including imaginative states,emotional states and spontaneous thoughts (automatic thoughts) and having the capacity to consciously modulate these states.

3) Interpersonal Relationship Quality (IRQ) or Interpersonal Connectedness (IC) -- the ability of the individual to be aware of interpersonal dynamics within the spheres of significant other, friend and family, conscious awareness of implicit protective mechanisms during times of stress, and the capacity to maintain healthy and supportive interpersonal connections over extended periods of time.

and

4) Capacity for Creative of Ecstatic Connection (CCEC) or Self Transcendence (ST) -- the ability of the individual to be aware of their own connection to societal moral, philosophical, religious, spiritual and other group beliefs and to develop a means of personal connection to these meta-individual concepts in a meaningful, powerful and creative way.

I've drawn these four categories from a variety of sources including, Maslow's Hierarchy or Needs, the spheres of identity model (James Griffith) and the work of Nathaniel Laor.  I've also tried to bring together a number of different psychological schools including psychodynamic psychotherapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, biofeedback, mindfulness meditation (Jon Kabat-Zinn) and mental imagery.

 Again, I will spend future blog entries discussing each of the domains .. etc.


Yay!