TLDR (too long, didn't read): This is Your Brain on Stress, By Karen Johnson
State-Dependent Brain Functioning: Neurosequential Network on Stress and Trauma Series, Dr. Bruce Perry
During this time of COVID-19, one of my go-to resources is Dr. Bruce Perry, a physician and neuroscientist who researches how our brain and body are impacted by stress, distress and trauma. Dr. Perry is generously sharing his model through weekly office hours, and 20-minute recorded webinars, which are all on his NN COVID-19 Stress, Distress & Trauma Series website.
In this blog I summarize a recent Dr. Perry recording: Understanding State-dependent Functioning
Dr. Perry notes: “The brain mediates our thoughts, feelings, actions and connections to others and the world.” If we can understand the most basic concepts of how the brain works, we can better understand ourselves and each other.
Our brain functioning shifts as our internal state shifts, from calm, to alert, to alarm, to fear and to terror. Our internal state shifts dramatically in response to threat and prolonged distress.
The image above shows the brain organized in a hierarchical fashion, from the bottom up. As you go from the lower part of the brain, or brainstem, to highest part of the brain, the cortex, you go from simple to more complex functions. The cortex is the crowning achievement of being human. It oversees our ability for speech and language, to be reflective, inventive, and creative.
Our brain and body get input from networks that originate in the lower brain. These networks tell us if we are safe, if we have enough food and water, if there is no significant unmet need. When we get the message that we are safe, we can access our frontal cortex.
However, when we are threatened, we start to change the way we think, feel and behave. The more threatened we are, the more we shut down the thinking part of our brain, and default to our brainstem, or our survival brain.
When we are under constant distress, or in a state of alarm or fear, we hang out in our lower brain and we remain vigilant, which is exhausting and draining. This explains why in our current circumstances we are often emotionally and physically exhausted. We can’t do as much as we used to do, we are tired when we wake up in the morning, and everything is harder.
When we experience prolonged, unpredictable stress, and remain in a state of alarm or fear, we become increasingly activated and less rational. We overreact, can’t focus, and struggle to identify productive solutions. In this pandemic, we have seen irrational behaviors – hoarding toilet paper, angry outbursts related to wearing masks, less empathy for people who are more at risk – to name just a few.
So, what can we do to stay calm, alert and out of our lower brains? I share the following recommendations, some which are in this video.
Be gentle with yourself and others. Remember, you are doing the best you can.
Try to proactively decrease your own workload in anticipation of exhaustion.
Exercise regularly.
Find ways to regulate your brain and body, so you can stay out of your lower brain. Some regulating activities include Focused breathing, Pausing between a stimulus and action, Mindfulness, Grounding techniques
Take short, five-minute breaks, five or more times throughout the day, to stretch, breath, walk, sing, pray or do whatever works for you.
Participate in online worship. It turns out that worship is full of regulating activities that calm our brain. Next time you worship at home, be sure to stand up and sit down as you would in church, sing and pray out loud, do communion, and share the peace. All these activities connect us to each other and God and help our neural networks remain calm.
And practice Dr. Perry’s mantra for this time: Stay physically distant but emotionally connected. Relationships are incredibly important for maintaining an internal state of calm.
If you have time, check out Dr. Perry’s teachings. They are relevant for us all and go hand in hand with our efforts to increase our connection to God and each other during these most challenging times. And please share regulating activities that work for you. We can all learn from each other.
Blessings to you all. Stay safe and well.
Karen Johnson