The old-school way of thinking was that things were psychological or biological. But with emerging neuroscience, that is no longer accepted. This is why: a stimulus comes into your brain and triggers stress wires that cause the hypothalamus to activate the stress response.
Imagine our entire being taking notice, stress chemicals flowing to every cell. That response is met by an activation of emotions. The more stress, the more our emotions stray from homeostatic, balanced feelings, like sadness or happiness. Instead, the amygdala unleashes allostatic emotions like depression, hostility, panic, worry, shame, numbness, and false highs.
There you have it. If you are not a card-carrying EBTer with the robust tools to take on any and all stress-driven emotions, then you'll end up with psychological problems, behavioral issues, and a few physiological symptoms, whether they are stomachaches, immune system problems, belly fat, or an increased risk for the three big killers of adults – cancer, diabetes, and heart disease.
Once we really "get" that the psychological is biological, our thinking about our health and well-being changes. See the difference!
Overheard at a lunch bar with organic, gluten-free plasticized meals in San Francisco's South of Market Street, pre-BBH:
"I have these abandonment issues. I don't want to go to a therapist, but I know I should. I'm pretty messed up and I have so much baggage."
And here's someone who crossed over to the side of BBH, and nailed down psychological issues as biological problems – problems ("circuits") that you could shut off or rewire:
"I have an abandonment circuit. I hate that wire. I'm going to activate it and let it spew stress chemicals through my body, but just for an instant. Then I'm going to break that wire and clear it away!"
Pretty different, right? Consider joining The Brain Based Health Movement and seeing life through the lens of neuroscience. Enjoy the new powers that this science brings us to take charge of the quality of our daily lives!