Category: Conditions

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emotional dysregulation & inflammation

Elevated inflammation is a risk factor for many psychiatric (e.g., depression) and somatic conditions (e.g., rheumatoid arthritis). Inflammation is influenced by psychosocial processes such as emotion regulation. Characterization of which emotion regulation characteristics impact inflammation could help refine psychosocial interventions aimed at normalizing health-harming inflammatory activity for individuals with psychiatric and somatic illnesses. We systematically reviewed the …

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vagus physiology: answers to critical questions you didn’t know you had – part III

In part III of our article on vagus physiology, we look at the treatment for these, until recently, little-known but critically important and widespread conditions of the vagus nerve which are the root cause of many illnesses for millions of people worldwide. In parts I and II of this article, we have laid a basic …

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the next great awakening: convergence of science & religion

Students of human history are very aware of patterns and cycles that define our intergenerational experiences. The hope is that by discovering the systemic causes of failures in the past we can prevent or reduce the consequences of failures in the current age. Karl Marx hypothesized that the important cycles of history were the ones …

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holotropic breathwork in a psychiatric hospital setting 

Holotropic Breathwork is a powerful, spiritually oriented approach to self-exploration and healing that integrates insights from modern consciousness research, anthropology, depth psychologies, transpersonal psychology, Eastern spiritual practices, and many mystical traditions. Holotropic Breathwork offers many opportunities that may enhance treatment, including entering non-ordinary […] A Clinical Report on Holotropic Breathwork in 11,000 Psychiatric Inpatients in a …

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software of life: bioelectric controls in a unique reprogrammable medium

How does the developing embryo know where to put the features of the face, the limbs, fingers, organs, bones and all those other amazing facets of our physiology? It has to do with the body’s innate bioelectrical system, says Professor Michael Levin from Tufts University in the US. In a fascinating experiment, Levin showed that …

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ADHD and the brain: no one size fits all

If you live with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), your brain, not your willpower, may play a role in your symptoms. Living with ADHD can be frustrating. You may want to concentrate more, follow conversations better, or be more organized. But if you live with ADHD, doing these things can be challenging. People around you …

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vagus physiology: answers to critical questions you didn’t know you had – part II

Can different pathophysiological mechanisms and risk factors leading to various diseases be linked with altered nerve transmission via one common pathway? The authors of a 2012 scientific article published in the journal, Clinical Science, (3) hypothesized that adequate vagal nerve activity reduces the risk of major diseases through common basic mechanisms.. There are 3 basic mechanisms that …

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managing emotions better could prevent pathological aging

Negative emotions, anxiety and depression are thought to promote the onset of neurodegenerative diseases and dementia. But what is their impact on the brain and can their deleterious effects be limited? Neuroscientists at the University of Geneva (UNIGE) observed the activation of the brains of young and older adults when confronted with the psychological suffering of others. …

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vagus physiology: answers to critical questions you didn’t know you had – part I

The vagus nerves are the nerves of life. They keep us alive by their innervation of the internal organs of the body and their interactions with the brain, spinal cord, cranial nerves, upper cervical spinal nerves, and sympathetic nervous system. Sensory functions of the vagus nerve are critical for conscious perception and for monitoring visceral …

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the science of flow: heart brain coherence

Many contemporary scientists believe it is the underlying state of our physiological processes that determines the quality and stability of the feelings and emotions we experience. The feelings we label as positive actually reflect body states that are coherent, meaning "the regulation of life processes becomes efficient, or even optimal, free-flowing and easy,"[160] and the feelings …

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