Dr Stephen Sideroff | How to Raise Heart Rate Variability by Becoming More Resilient & Practicing Gratitude KKP: 697

Nov 25, 2023

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Today, I am blessed to have here with me Dr. Stephen Sideroff. Dr. Stephen Sideroff is an internationally recognized expert in resilience, optimal performance, addiction, neurofeedback, and alternative approaches to stress and mental health.

He is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry & Biobehavioral Sciences, with a joint appointment in the Department of Rheumatology at UCLA’s School of Medicine, as well as the Director of the Raoul Wallenberg Institute of Ethics.

For over 40 years, Dr. Sideroff has been passionate about studying and understanding resilience and optimal performance. He has developed and established innovative models of behavior and treatment approaches for restoring physical, emotional, and mental balance and effectiveness in North America, Europe, and Asia.

In this episode, Dr. Sideroff talks about why we decided to dedicate his life to resilience. Unfortunately, many people have great resistance to managing their stress. That’s why Dr. Sideroff discusses the importance of keeping your nervous system in a good place, how your childhood environment plays a role in your resilience, and unpacking the unconscious to face difficult feelings. Tune in as we dive into Dr. Sideroff’s Resilience Assessment Booklet and how to measure a critical aspect of your physiology.

This episode originally aired in 2022.

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[00:35] Why Dr. Sideroff Decided To Dedicate His Life To Resilience

Dr. Sideroff has always been interested in studying the brain mechanisms of learning and memory.
He was interested in finding the brain's connections, so he started a career as a brain researcher.
Eventually, he started doing stress management workshops for organizations and corporations.
After the workshops, people felt inspired to make changes in their lives. A few months later, very few people actually followed through with those changes.
Down the road, Dr. Sideroff began to identify why we have great resistance to managing our stress.

[05:45] Keeping The Nervous System In A Good Place Through Resilience

When we think about resilience, we think about the ability to bounce back and recover after a stressful event.
If you view the world as dangerous, you expect a problem to arise.
When you anticipate danger, your body mobilizes for that danger.
If you're continually activating your nervous system in preparation for danger, you're not allowing your body to recover fully.
The ability to bounce back is part of resilience.

[09:40] How The Environment of Our Childhood Will Affect Our Resilience

Primitive Gestalt patterns are how our brain develops throughout childhood based on the lessons of our childhood environment.
Our brain literally forms its circuitry based on those childhood lessons.
We adapt to our childhood environment. Then our adaptation gets locked in.
If our childhood was dangerous, we as adults continue to think the world is just as dangerous.
Resilience is about being able to think outside the box and adapt to our current environment.
Many of the consequences of our childhood are not something that we're always conscious about.

[14:50] Unpacking The Unconscious To Live A Happier Life

The first step in unpacking the unconscious is a willingness to face complicated feelings, emotions, and issues.
Next, you have to be accepting of whatever emotions you have.
You can love your mother and father yet still be angry at them.
Living a happier and healthier life is about a willingness to grow up.

[20:50] The First Three Pillars From The Path: Mastering the Nine Pillars of Resilience and Success

What is the most crucial relationship that you have? It’s the relationship with yourself.
Consider these questions:
- Are you critical and judgmental of yourself?
- Do you put yourself down?
- Are you loving, accepting, and compassionate toward yourself?
The first pillar is all about how you treat yourself and then comparing that to the healthy or ideal way of treating yourself.
You can do this by becoming consciously aware of your thoughts.
The second pillar is your relationship with others. Are you able to tell the difference between healthy and toxic relationships?
The third pillar is a relationship with something more significant; this extends to the community at large.

[33:40] Autonomic Dysregulation Syndrome and The Process of Aging

Dr. Sideroff has proposed an actual diagnostic code which he calls autonomic dysregulation syndrome.
70 to 80% of visits to the doctor's office result from this autonomic dysregulation syndrome.
It underlies whether you have headaches, high blood pressure, or autoimmune disease.
We now have direct evidence that stress speeds up the aging process.
All illness is simply an expression of the aging process.
Luckily, resilience is one way of slowing down the aging process.

[38:45] Get The Resilience Assessment Booklet From Dr. Stephen Sideroff

Here’s a link to The Resilience Assessment Booklet: https://drstephensideroff.com/resilience-assessment-booklet-395/
Dr. Sideroff has created a comprehensive model for living in balance and health.
His assessment booklet identifies the nine components of his model and gives a brief and readily understood description of these nine elements of a foundation for resilience.
It then presents a 40 item questionnaire and self-scoring profile that allows you to gauge your areas of strength along with those areas needing more significant development.

[43:45] The Connection Between Heart Rate Variability and Gratitude

Your heart rate is never on a constant level.
If it is constant, that’s a sign that you are unhealthy.
You want to have a heart rate change in a very systematic way.
Heart rate variability links your cardiovascular system, nervous system, respiratory system, and emotions.
As you breathe in, your heart rate speeds up because you're activating the sympathetic branch of your nervous system.
One of the things that facilitate optimal heart rate variability is gratitude.

AND MUCH MORE!

Resources from this episode:

Check out Dr. Stephen Sideroff’s Website: https://drstephensideroff.com/
Follow Dr. Stephen Sideroff
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stephen.sideroff.1
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/DrSideroff
The Path: Mastering the Nine Pillars of Resilience and Success: https://drstephensideroff.com/products/#thepath
Recovering the Soul: A Scientific and Spiritual Approach: https://www.amazon.com/Recovering-Soul-Scientific-Spiritual-Approach/dp/055334790X/benazadi-20
The Resilience Assessment Booklet: https://drstephensideroff.com/resilience-assessment-booklet-395/
Join the Keto Kamp Academy: https://ketokampacademy.com/7-day-trial-a
Watch Keto Kamp on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUh_MOM621MvpW_HLtfkLyQ

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PureForm Omega Plant Based Oils (Best Alternative to Fish Oil): http://www.purelifescience.com Use ben4 for $4.00 off.

Good Idea Functional Sparkling Water Drinks. Visit http://www.goodidea.us and use the coupon code BEN at checkout.

*some links are affiliate links*

Text me the words "Podcast" +1 (786) 364-5002 to be added to my contacts list.

*Some Links Are Affiliates*

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Disclaimer: This podcast is for information purposes only. Statements and views expressed on this podcast are not medical advice. This podcast including Ben Azadi disclaim responsibility from any possible adverse effects from the use of information contained herein. Opinions of guests are their own, and this podcast does not accept responsibility of statements made by guests. This podcast does not make any representations or warranties about guests qualifications or credibility. Individuals on this podcast may have a direct or non-direct interest in products or services referred to herein. If you think you have a medical problem, consult a licensed physician.