Leslie's Writings

Exploring our Fight or Flight Response

The world has been a dangerous place from prehistoric times through the present. Our emotional reactions evolved to help us be internally aware of how we are responding to our external surroundings. For example, you are walking down a path in the woods and notice a long, thin object several feet away. Is it a snake? Your nervous system registers alert! The message is then quickly relayed to your brain and, when danger is perceived, your body begins to prepare. Stress hormones, such as adrenaline and cortisol, are released. These hormones increase your blood pressure and quicken your pulse, making fight or flight possible. Then, a minute later, you recognize that the object is only a stick. Immediately, your nervous system relaxes and restabilizes.

However, for those who have experienced trauma, their system may remain in a prolonged alert mode. For example, Pam had been bullied a lot in high school. Her parents divorced when she was a freshman. The following term, she and her mother moved from their small town in California to a large city in the Northeast. The students in her new high school made fun of Pam for dressing and talking differently. She began dreading going to school. Her defense was to avoid (flee from) peers and keep mostly to herself. Years later as a young professional, Pam was now in an avoidance mode with her co-workers. She even stayed later at work so that she would not have to be in the elevator at the designated leaving time.

Therapy provided a safe place for the patient to talk about her feelings. She began to gain insight and establish some distance from her emotional reactions. We were then able to work on Pam improving her self-esteem as well as correcting some of her inaccurate thoughts on how people viewed her. Slowly, Pam was able to take baby steps toward being more social. Small steps added up to Pam feeling more confident and comfortable in social situations.

Therefore, while the world can be stressful, we do not have to always view it defensively as a fight or a flight situation.

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On Depression

Depression is either anger turned against yourself or sadness due to a loss. Some commons symptons are: difficulty concentrating, lack of interest in daily activities, sleep disturbances, weight loss or gain, and difficulty with short-term memory. When depressed, there is much negative internal chatter that is hard to focus. Psychotherapy is a very successful method of treating depression.

One of the many benefits of psychotherapy is that it provides an opportunity to explore your feelings in a supportive and objective environment. For example, Mr. X came to therapy becaue he lost interest in all activities. Initially, he enjoyed his job and dating Ms. Y. Now, however, he just felt ennui. As we talked, it became clear that Mr. X had conflictual angry feelings towards his job and towards Ms. Y. Over the past few months, work projects had been more mundane and Ms. Y had been demanding that he spend every available free moment with her.

We discussed and explored these issues in therapy and decided on a plan of action. Then, after talking to his boss, the patient was able to negotiate being assigned to some of the new creative projects. Ms. Y was not able to compromise, and their relationship ended. However, Mr. X has resumed enjoying socializing with family and friends. Having successfully resolved his anger conflicts, Mr. X's depression lifted.

With our hectic lives, we may not always be aware of our feelings or their sources. If not acknowledged, feelings do not go away. Instead, they leak out and become symptoms. Internalized anger or a sense of loss may become depression. It affects both your body and your mind. Psychotherapy frees you up to explore current conflicts. Then better options are discovered!

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Catastrophizing

Catastrophizing is a negative mindset in which you exaggerate how bad a situation is, was or will be. It is essentially "making a mountain out of a molehill."

Thousands of years ago, there was a survival advantage to catastrophizing. By being on guard for trouble, it was less likely that you would be eaten by a lion or a bear. Today, acute dangers are less prevalent. Catastrophizing now often puts us at a disadvantage.

Being in a chronic state of acute anxiety is physically harmful and draining. FMRI studies show that by simply imagining a negative situation, the same parts of your brain are stimulated as if it was actually occuring. When stressed, your hormone production of cortisol and adrenaline increases. These hormones enable our "fight or flight" response. When our bodies are producing extra amounts of stress hormones, there is less production of hormones, such as seratonin or oxycotin, that can provide a sense of well-being. The resulting prolonged stress results in high blood pressure, digestive problems, sleep disorders and more.

There are several reasons for catastrophizing. Some people hold a "magical thinking" superstitious belief that by picturing the worst it won't happen. For example, before getting on an airplane, Sue would become terrified that it might crash. She believed that by imagining the worst, she could prevent it from occuring. Another factor in catastrophizing is when you view things as "all or nothing." With such rigid expectations, anything not being totally on your terms gets viewed as a disaster. A third factor is that by presenting a situation in a negative light, the catastrophizer is hoping to get sympathy and attention.

The fitst step in decreasing catastrophizing is recognizing that you are doing it. Simply having the awareness of behaving this way is a good step toward gaining distance and objectivity. Eric Erikson, the noted psychologist, wrote about the psychologically mature adult as having "Ego integrity." Having "Ego integrity is the ability to be honest and realistic about situations. Catastrophizing leads to feeling overwhelmed rather than finding solutions. Ego integrity leads to a more balanced view, more confidence and the ability to handle difficulties.

Psychotherapy provides the opportunity for you to explore, understand and resolve your feelings.