On Being with Krista Tippett Christine Runyan — On Healing Our Distressed Nervous Systems
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May 30, 2024 Christine Runyan, a clinical psychologist and UMass Chan Medical School professor, discusses the ongoing emotional impact of the pandemic. She emphasizes the need for self-compassion and offers strategies for finding peace amidst collective trauma. The conversation explores how past experiences of stress affect our responses to current events, the healing power of connection, and the mind-body relationship. Runyan also highlights the role of imagination in shaping our physical sensations and the importance of mindfulness for mental well-being, especially in healthcare.
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Nervous System Response to Threat
- The autonomic nervous system, including the sympathetic (fight-flight-freeze) and parasympathetic (rest-digest), governs automatic responses to perceived threats.
- Threat detection occurs first in the nervous system, triggering physiological changes to prepare for action, before conscious awareness.
Freeze Response
- Freeze is a nervous system response characterized by apathy, detachment, dissociation, and numbing.
- It's a state of physiological high arousal, but the body has adopted a protective stance.
Tend-and-Befriend Response
- The 'tend-and-befriend' response, mediated by oxytocin, is an affiliative stress response.
- This response, often seen in women, involves tending to offspring and befriending others for mutual protection.