CHAOSOPHY 2002
"Empathy, Resilience and Consciousness"
PART II: THE TAO OF RESILIENCE
by Peggie Southwick; Iona Miller, Editor
Asklepia Foundation, ©1998/2002
Human Ethology
Ethnology and Mythology --[Brain symbol & Experience; ritual soothing]
*Punctuated Equilibrium
Summary
Dispositional Types
Somatotypes
Genetic Alternations
Summary
Homeostasis an the Autonomic Nervous System
Stress Vulnerability of Infants
Stress Vulnerability in Children and Adults
Summary
PHYSIOLOGICAL RESILIENCE
The ability to reduce everything to simple fundamental laws does not
imply the ability to start from these laws and reconstruct the universe.
(Phillip W. Anderson, 1972)
What at first may appear to be evolving into another reductionistic view
of our human origins is not what it seems. While it is the goal of
this paper to establish a lowest common denominator, so to speak, of what
makes the universe resilient, this is not meant to imply that any actual
human comprehension of such a force, or entity, or set of laws, is possible.
It is meant, rather, to clarify somewhat what it is that we do not know.
That having been said, the second leg of this exploration into the jungle
of resilience theories can now begin--a journey along which many useful
twigs, branches and vines have already been gathered upon which to structure
yet another theory. This next section begins in the jungle with mankind's
earliest ancestors and journeys onward along the evolutionary ladder to
examine the more specific effects that natural selection has had on determining
who among humans would be born resilient, and who would be given the opportunity
to work at becoming that way.
Evolution and Natural Selection
Elaine de Beauport (cited in Andrews, 1977) reminded readers of the primitive,
usually repressed, instincts to which humans are subject:
We have to remember that we carry in us a whole evolutionary zoo.
When we react in a given situation, we are not the sane, rational creature
we would like to be. We are reacting just like turtles, alligators,
and lizards to our physical boundaries, like dogs, rabbits, and horses
to issues of bonding and affection. (p. 42)
Put another way by Dostoevski, "Don't let us forget that the causes
of human actions are usually immeasurably more complex and varied than
our subsequent explanations of them" (from placard; source unknown).
In other words, history doesn't repeat itself; historians repeat each other.
Human Ethology
Structural functionalism. Darwin's theory emphasized that in living
things, as in architecture, form follows function. He claimed that
all of an organism's characteristics have, or at some time had, functional
significance (Carlson, 1994). In light of this, it is interesting
to note that
[r]esearchers now think biological evolution began in layers of clay,
rather than in the primordial sea. Interestingly, clay is... a porous
network of atoms arranged geodesically within octahedral and tetrahedral
forms. But because these octahedra and tetrahedra are not closely
packed, they retain the ability to move and slide relative to one another.
This flexibility apparently allows clay to catalyze many chemical reactions,
including ones that may have produced the first molecular building blocks
of organic life. (Ingber, 1997, p. 57)
The mutually interactive effects of structural flexibility and energy catalyzation,
as this paper will later demonstrate, are critically important aspects
of our evolutionary resilience. Regarding Darwin's process of natural
selection,
mutations are changes in the chromosomes of sperms and eggs that join
together and develop into new organisms...Most mutations are deleterious:
The offspring either fails to survive or survives with some sort of deficit.
However, a small percentage of mutations are beneficial and confer a selective
advantage to the organism that possesses them. (Carlson, 1994, p.8)
In other words, those elements or forms that are the most stable or functional
will be the most likely to continue to exist and pass on their more resilient
traits to future generations. This includes instinctive behavior
patterns as well as physical characteristics. Thus, as form has followed
function in this manner over the generations, clues to original forms and
functions have been passed along also, --but only those of the most resilient
sorts.
Not all patterned behavioral responses are carved in genetic codes, however.
"Many of them are learned through interactions of the organism with its
environment during its lifetime. ...However, the ability to learn
[those] new behaviors...must surely be genetically determined" (Petri,
1991, p. 26). Petri goes on to explain that ethology is involved
in the study of the biological evolution, development and function of behaviors,
some of which are conceptualized as "consummatory" and others which are
seen as more "appetitive."
Well-coordinated and established patterns of stimuli and responses fall
into the former assimilative category, while more flexible and adaptive,
or accommodative, learning behaviors define the latter. It is further
theorized that each learned behavioral response has its own state-dependent
energy-pattern memory called its "action specific energy" which is only
triggered or "released" by the "fixed action pattern" within which it was
originally learned. These automatic behavioral responses can be triggered
by environmental, "key" stimuli, or by their interactive "social releasers."
A renowned ethologist named Tinbergen (Petri, 1991) proposed a somewhat
Freudian-Maslowian (libido-needs) hierarchical model of these instinctive
and learned behavior patterns in which each level of the hierarchy could
be triggered only after enough energy had built up within the structure
preceding it to create an imbalance. This on-going feedback-loop,
or equilibrative process, was portrayed as reversible, so that when the
lower levels had expended their built-up energies, they would no longer
be triggerable and thus would help create a reciprocal build-up of tension
within the higher-ranking structures.
Ethnology and mythology
Ethnology is the anthropological study of the comparative cultures of different
peoples. Mythology is the study of the stories that people of various
cultures have used over time to explain life and proscribe behaviors in
a manner consistent with their beliefs and values. In essence, myths
are living metaphors of meaning for those through whom they are created
and preserved (Campbell, 1988). Cytowic (1993) gives an example of
how this process works:
A metaphor is often defined as experiencing one thing in terms of another...Metaphoric
understanding is the ability to perceive similarity among seemingly dissimilar
objects....{For example] the structure of our spatial concepts emerges
from our direct physical experience {of our physical orientation in space]....By
switching metaphors, we alter how we comprehend something and thus alter
reality. (pp.207, 209)
Thus it can be inferred that as proscribed motivators of human behavior,
mythic metaphors can be said to provide a behavioral learning function
similar to the conditioned social releasers described above. In other
words, one of the primary evolutionary functions of myth must have been
to provide a cultural repertoire of pre-programmed behavioral responses,
or coping skills.
In addressing the more personal implications of individual, as opposed
to collective, mythological experiences, Campbell (1988) says
dreams are manifestations in energy form of the energies of the body
in conflict with one another. That is what myth is. Myth is
a manifestation in symbolic images, in metaphorical images, of the energies
of the body in conflict with each other. This organ wants this, that
organ wants that. The brain is one of the organs. (p. 39)
Thus, he implied that the function of myth followed the form, or patterns,
of the energy from which it arose in the human body. Put another
way, one's personal myth is an outer-world reflection of its inner-world
state. Thus it can be assumed that, according to Tinbergen's model,
whichever levels of one's inner state-of-affairs has the most built-up
tension within it will be the one exerting the greatest influence on its
outer world in the form of dream and images and the behavioral responses
their stimuli might be likely to trigger.
Summary
Thus it can be deduced that human evolution has been greatly facilitated--or,
made more resilient--by the creation and maintenance of individual and
collective myths. By serving as a rather unconscious kind of objective-subjective
self-referencing, or inner dialog of humans with themselves, ideally, myths
enabled them (a) to somewhat unconsciously alter, as needed, their conscious
frame of reference so that increasingly complex levels of new stimuli could
be more easily assimilated and accommodated, and (b) to learn to consciously
accept and honor the "other" in the outer world as they were able to learn
to consciously accept and honor the "other" within themselves.
It is in this sense that mankind has been able to create metaphoric forms
and functions paralleling his own physical form and its function,-- "metaphorms"
(Siler, 1997, p. 8), if you will. From the energy patterns formed
within his body and mind, he has metaphorically re-constructed himself
within the outer world, thus effectively facilitating his own evolution.
Morphogenetic Engineering
So, what kinds of individual mythologies must be evolved in order to help
"metaphorm" a more resilient myth for our current global collective?
If the outer-world symbols from which personal mythologies arise originate
from within the energy dynamics of the body, might therapeutic intervention
at the mind-body level actually be able to reverse this mythology-creating
process? Can we actually consciously facilitate the mind-body
evolution of mankind's resilience, or are we simply the linear by-product
of evolutionary genetics as classical science steadfastly maintains?
Dispositional Types
Chess & Thomas (1986) have done a very thorough job of researching
the temperaments that people are born with, and have concluded that none
of the types are immutable; all are amenable to change over time.
What kinds of dispositional energies, or archetypal characteristics, need
to be formed before they can function to metaphorm culturally into symbols
depicting, for example, the value of harmony and order? The following
"shopping list" provided by Chess & Thomas remind readers that these
dispositional characteristics are not "all or nothing" phenomena, but exist
on mutually interactive continua (p. 116).
Thus, (a) one's innate energy level manifests through his characteristc
activity level when other motivational factors are minimal or absent: (b)
Rhythmicity is correlated with the regularity with which one daily lives,
with one's habituality, or tendency to maintain stable behavioral patterns
over time; (c) Approach/withdrawl is about one's typical response to novel
stimuli such as new events or people; (d) Adaptability speaks for itself,
but (e) threshold level requires more explanation: it is involved with
one's innate sensitivity to arousal, as discussed earlier in this paper;
(f) The intensity of one's reactions is about emotional regulation; (g)
mood quality is self-explanatory; (h) distractibility, as discussed earlier,
has to do with one's ability to selectively attend to incoming stimuli;
and finally, (i) persistence and attention span measure's one's ability
to maintain focused energy over time. (Chess & Thomas, 1986)
So, a flexible, homeostatic balance of each of these innately or purposefully
acquired inner-reality personality states would be needed in order
to provide the archetypal matrix which a harmoniously resilient personality
type
could evolve.
Just as humans inherit various combination of these temperament traits,
they are simultaneously subject to the throw of genetic dice before they
are issued a body. It is because of the strong mind/body connection
to cultural archetypes and myths that research related to body types will
now be examined.
Somatotypes
Over 60 years ago Sheldon (cited in Hall & Lindzey, 1970) wrote about
constitutional psychology, asserting that human behavior is related in
important respects to observable physical aspects of the individual's psychological
make-up. Actually, this school of thought has been around for centuries,
(usually in the for of social prejudices and racial bigotry) and was openly
shared by Hippocrates. In defining his terms, Sheldon explained that
...constitution refers to those aspects of the individual which are
relatively more fixed and unchanging-- morphology, physiology, endocrine
function, etc. --and may be contrasted with those aspects which are relatively
more labile and susceptible to modification by environmental pressures,
i.e., habits, social attitudes, education, etc... (p. 339)
Sheldon's work spanned decades and involved thousands of first-hand observations
of variations and somatotypes, thoroughly documenting and categorizing
each significant correlation between physique and temperament found to
be consistent over time (Hall & Lindzey, 1970).
A brief summary of his findings can best be undertaken by first explaining
some basic morphogenetic facts of life. At about the 16th day after
conception, a fertilized human ovum becomes implanted in the uterine wall
and begins differentiating into its embryonic stage by developing the three
primary "germ" layers from which three kinds of cells evolve in the body
as dictated by its unique genetic codes. From the ectoderm are formed,
among other things, all of the nerve tissues of the body, and all epidermal
tissues such as skin and hair cells; from the mesoderm are formed, among
other things, skeletal, smooth, and cardiac muscle tissues, and cartilage,
bone and other connective endothelial tissue; and from the endoderm is
formed, among other things, the epithelial tissues of most of the body's
organs and glands. (Marieb, 1989)
it was from these three embryonic tissues types that Sheldon derived the
descriptors for his somatotypes. As ectomorph, whose ectodermal development
was predominant, "is linear and fragile...usually thin and lightly muscled...but
the largest brain in proportion to his size". A mesmorph's body,
whose mesodern had become most highly developed "is hard, rectangular,
with a predominance of bone and muscle". An endomorph, whose
endodermal tissues were genetically favored, "is characterized by softness
and a spherical appearance...an underdevelopment of bone and muscle, and
highly developed viscera".
Sheldon described the various components of temperament that he had observed
in relation to somatotypes, including the correlation strengths found among
them. For example, he found viscerotonia most closely correlated
with endomorphy in that is characterized by what he called "a general love
of comfort" (Hall & Lindzey, 1970, p. 359) implying a rather sensuous
person. He went on to describe this type as relaxed, even-tempered,
and sociable.
He most strongly associated somatotonia with mesomorphy because it was
characterized by "love of physical adventure, risk-taking, and a strong
need for muscular and vigorous physical activity" (p. 359). He noted
strong parallels also between cerebrotonia and ectomorphy, describing this
type as having an introverted, often self-consciously withdrawn, inhibited,
"cerebral", -- perhaps more studious or analytical -- nature.
From all of these variables, Sheldon developed elaborate rating scales
for both temperament and somatotypes, taking into consideration, of course,
the many kinds of combinations that occur in any single individual and
the manner in which they are combined. Because of his strong belief
that the connection between one's physical composition and one's temperament
has powerful influences upon character development, he strongly encouraged
psychotherapists to include his findings in their diagnostic procedures.
He suggested that "the success or reward that accompanies a particular
mode of responding is a function not only of the environment in which it
occurs, but also of the kind of person (type of physique) making the response"
(Hall & Lindzey, 1970, p. 364.
Sheldon was apparently somewhat of a radical thinker, in many way ahead
of his time. For example, while "unconscious processes" were becoming
hot topics in his field, he was inclined to matter-of-factly equate those
functions to their underlying biological forms. He hypothesized that
"the unconscious is the body" and that "the reason there is so much
difficulty in verbalizing the unconscious is simply because our language
is not geared to systematically reflecting what goes on in the body.
Thus Sheldon intuited what science is just now beginning to see: that psychophysiological
processes are not merely the random result of genetics, but involve many
complex interactions on all levels of reality, which all seem to metaphorically
reflect one another.
Genetic Alterations
"The answer seems so tricky 'til you catch it in a flash," says Shapiro
(1991, p. 1) of the excitement of unravelling a biochemical mystery with
his students. He then continues:
The secret of human identity now seems equally clear. The general
human plan is stored in a language of four letters. Some modest spelling
variations provide for our individual differences. We each carry
two copies of the plan: One is taken from our mother and one from our father.
When we reproduce, we shuffle and splice our two copies as if we were shuffling
a deck of cards, then we donate half of the mixture to our child. (p.1)
Ideally, each child is born with 23 pairs of chromosomes as a result of
this parental shuffling, splicing, and donating process. Shapiro
(1971) compared these information-hearing entities its a massive 48-volume
encyclopedia set composed of over three billion bits of information.
He joked that if a human's genetic information were indeed published someone
would risk a hernia to try to lift even one of the volumes. That
fact is made all the more impressive, he reminded readers, when it is recalled
that there are only four "letters" in the genetic alphabet.
It is not the intention of this paper to try to explain how genetic mutations
occur; as Rossi (1993) has explained, "It is a very rare evolutionary event
based upon chance errors in copying the information structure of the gene
from one generation to the other" (p. 150). Besides, short of genetic
engineering of our offspring, just knowing which genes makes a person more
resilient is of little practical use. It is sufficient to know that
our destinies are greatly influenced by genetics; the more those influences
are consciously acknowledged, the more efficaciously we can learn to either
change them or cope with them. Instead, here is some more information
about the modulation of the expression of genes, since that is something
quite different. As Rossi continues:
it involves gene transcription, the process of making copies of certain
genes or groups of genes every second of our lives. These copies
act like blueprints which are sent out in the form of messenger ribonucleic
acid (mRNA) to the "protein factories"...of the cell where they serve as
templates for the manufacture or "translation" of the mRNA into new proteins.
Some of these proteins, called "transcription regulators" return back to
modulate the expression of other genes" ...Other proteins serve as enzymes
that facilitate all the major functions of the cell, such as energy production...and
the basic processes of growth, respiration, healing, etc. A third
major group of proteins serve as the building blocks for the continual
remodeling and replacement of the informational network of the cell as
it communicates back with itself...and the rest of the body. (1993, p.
151)
Rossi (1993) explained that there are many inner and outer environmental
factors which can interrupt the smooth transcription of genes in this manner.
Therefore, because of the reciprocal nature of the body's interactional
dynamics, simple events like developmental processes, hormone changes,
stress, and even learning are all potential sources of modification to
the genetic transcription process. On the other hand, Rossi speculated
that about 30,000 of the body's 100,000 or so genes are available for modulation
by mind methods.
Thus, Rossi and others have developed therapeutic hypnosis techniques which
they believe can help individuals "retrain" the transcription of selective
genetic codes by altering the neurochemical events which thoughts and behaviors
are capable of inducing via their influences on the autonomic, endocrine,
immune and neuropeptide system. [The same is true of CRP].
indeed, his book presented some very compelling examples as evidence of
this "mind-becoming-matter" phenomenon's potential for healing at any--and
ultimately all--human levels of being. [Again applies to CRP].
A fascinating example of how easily genetic transcription can be altered
was provided by Shapiro (1991).
One effective way to destroy the meaning of a gene is simply to remove
a letter. Genes are read in protein-coding areas in units of three.
If one letter is taken out, all triplets to the right suffer "frame-shifting"
and lose their original meaning. This comes clear with an illustration.
Take the following English three-letter word sentence
THE BIG CAT ATE THE FAT RAT
Remove the B of BIG, and shift every other letter to the left, keeping
the three-letter word structure, and you get
THE IGC ATA TET HEF ATR AT (p. 136)
Summary
Now it seems evident that archetypes not only come into the world in different
modifiable
personality "flavors" but they also simultaneously manifest themselves
genetically though different shapes and sizes of human forms. Extrapolating
from the above findings, it seems that human forms arrive genetically customized
with various combination of predominances.
These include (a) viscerotonic functions which take the form of softly
rounded endomorphs with what Elain DeBeauport would describe as manifestations
of the limbic brain's emotional intelligences, and Jung (See, for example,
Campbell, 1971) might describe as evidence of "feeling" personalities;
(b) somatotonic functions which take the form of athletic mesomorphs manifesting
a predominance of basic brain intelligences and "sensing" personality traits:
and (c) cerebrotonic functions which take the slender form of intellectual
ectomorphs demonstrating more of the neocortical functions characteristic
of the "thinking" and "intuiting" personality types.
The more resilient, emotionally intelligent person would possess the ability
to skillfully shuttle her energies between these many brain/body states
in order to maintain a stable balance of homeostatic life functions.
But what would this balanced life state look like if we saw it?
Vagal Tone Measures of Resilience
Exploring the physiological substrates of temperament variations has brought
forth some ground-breaking scientific research into possible neurological
origins of resilience. Among the leaders in this task has been Stephen
Porges (1992), who reported that "[m]easurement of cardiac vagal tone is
proposed as a method to assess on an individual basis both the stress response
and the vulnerability to stress" (p. 498). His methods involve monitoring
the neural control of the heart via the vagus nerve, as indicator of homeostasis.
Homeostasis and the Autonomic Nervous System
In order to clarify the operational definitions of terms used in his paper,
Porges emphasized that
[h]omeostasis as a construct was never meant to reflect a static state.
Rather it defined the dynamic feedback and regulation processes necessary
for the living organism to maintain internal states within a functional
range....Thus, status of the PNS state parallels homeostasis. Alternatively,
withdrawl of PNS tone is response to a challenge may define stress, and
PNS tone in prior to the challenge may represent physiologic or stress
vulnerability. (1992, p. 500; emphasis Porges')
He explains how the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) regulates all
of the body's homeostatic (visceral) functions by (a) activating its "accelerator"
(the sympathetic nervous system, or SNS) in order to marshall its defenses
on behalf of the body's internal systems, and/or (b) applying its "brakes"
to that system in order to calm things down and return the main flow of
energy to the body's inner processes.
Usually these two ANS systems function synergistically, one the reciprocal
of the other. Occasionally, however, they are characterized by dual
activation, as they are during sexual arousal, or by dual inhibition as
in situations involving states of high physiologic stress vulnerability
and low levels of SNS protection from stressors.
Because of its role in mediating the action of the "gas" and the "brakes"
on the heart muscle in response to the demands placed upon the body, Porges
(1992) demonstrated how the variations in tone, or responsivity rate, of
the vagus nerve can reliably be used as a measure of a person's ability
to cope with stressors. Since the body's "default setting" is in
the PNS, or resting mode, high vagal tone would indicate a body at rest.
Conversely, a low vagal tone would depict a stress-response by the SNS.
Stress Vulnerability of Infants
Even in the womb there are critical periods of vulnerability to suboptimal
conditions (Nathanielsz, 2001). Growing bodies, even as simple societies
of cells face special challenges. Shortages in exercise, nutrients
or oxygen, or too many toxins, and problems in the development of sexual
identity can cause the fetus to makes choices that may haunt it in the
future, altering genetic blueprints. Brain development takes priority,
but may rob the organs of nutrients and create undesirable structural changes.
Symmetrical growth retardation, normal growth and ultimate body size are
related, as well as age of onset of sexual maturity. Each cell makes a
choice to divide or specialize at some point, and the process is irreversible.
Making up fetal deficits is difficult if not impossible. The stress-response
(stress axis) in the brain and endocrine system is programmed for life
in the womb. The stress-depression link or stress vulnerability is
programmed before birth. Those who over-react to stress, pre- or
post-natally tend toward depression, blunting the daily ebb and flow of
cortisol. Optimal, not perfect, womb environments require a well-nourished,
low stress atmosphere, soothing the 9-month ride. Even then, birth-order
(or premature birth) makes a significant difference.
1. Vulnerable periods occur at different times for different organs
in the body.
2. Programming has permanent effects that alter the body's response
in later life and can modify susceptibility to disease.
3. Fetal development is activity dependent. Normal development
is dependent on the baby's continuing normal activity in the womb.
4. Programming involves several different structural changes in important
organs.
5. The placenta plays a key role in programming. It is a hormone-producing
gate-keeper.
6. Compensation carries a price. In an unfavorable environment,
the developing baby makes attempts to compensate for deficiencies.
However, the compensatory effort made by the baby often carries a price.
7. Attempts made after birth to reverse the consequences of programming
may have their own unwanted consequences. Problems may arise when
postnatal conditions prove to be other than those for which the fetus prepares.
8. Fetuses react differently to suboptimal conditions than do
newborn babies or adults.
9. The effects of programming may pass across generations by mechanisms
that do not involves changes in the genes.
10. Programming has different effects in males and females. (Nathanielsz,
2001, pp. 14-15)
Porges' (1992) study measured the cardiovascular reactivity of neonates.
About half of the infants were full-term, healthy newborns, and the other
half were high-risk preterm babies who had reached the approximate age
of a full-term infant. All measurements were taken while the infants
slept in order to screen extraneous effect from the readings.
It was found that the high-risk infants had a significantly lower pre-stressor
vagal tone than did the full-term infants, indicating that the preterm
babies had limited PNS energy-resources with which to regulate their internal
state when subjected to stressors. In other words, these babies were
functioning with a limited or defective PNS braking and accelerating system,
placing their health at risk from both interior and exterior stressors.
Some of Porges' other findings in relation to resilience included the observation
that high vagal tone in infants is strongly associated with (a) development
of young babies' visual recognition memory; (b) more rapid habituation
of novel stimuli, or learning; and, (c) more sustained periods of attention.
Researchers have found these skills to be "sensitive, prophetic signs of
later intelligence" (Kagan, 1995, p. 555) Porges continues,
Moreover, the limbic system, assumed by psychophysiologists to modulate
autonomic arousal solely through sympathetic excitation, has direct inhibitory
influences on the cells of origin of the vagus...Parallelling this increase
in vagal tone are increases in self-regulatory and exploratory behaviors.
(1992, p. 503).
Thus it would appear that, as Goleman (1995) similarly predicted, high
vagal tone, as a measure of one's stimulus-threshold, and thus one's attention-shuttling
ability, (Wilson & Gottman, 1995) facilitates intellectual and psychological
development processes in children leading to potential higher IQ scores
and a scholastic advantage as they approach school age.
Stress Vulnerability of Children and Adults
Porges (1992) extended his resilience research to include several related
physiological effects of vagal tone's influence on body functions in adults.
He found that hypertension involved people "with lead feet," so to speak,
who kept the SNS "accelerator" pushed to the floor with little or no "braking."
Diabetes, in keeping with this metaphor, is often suffered by those more
easily overwhelms individuals with low vagal tone who chronically "ride"
or "depress" their PNS brake. He could generalize like this from
the neonate studies to the general population because
[t]he quantification of vagal tone provides a standard instrument with
statistical parameters that are comparable between patients and throughout
the life span. The method is not dependent on stages of motor or
cognitive development and thus is practical for use [at all ages] even
with neonates. (p. 503)
Summary
Later we will return to Porges' work to examine the more intricate details
of his research methods and finding in regard to this amazing system of
energy "checks and balances." We will then be looking at how it all
ties in with universal patterns of energy distribution management.
For now it is sufficient to have some idea of what resilience looks like
as a function of our body's responses to stressors and to know that some
people are born with more efficient PNS acceleration and braking systems
than other, giving them a distinct evolutionary advantage in the area of
psychophysiological resilience. By extrapolation from the above findings,
we now have a more efficient way to "drive," or modulate, our PNS-regulated
bodies.
Summary of Physiological Findings
The causes of human behavior are varied and complex, and do not lend themselves
to a purely reductionistic explanation. This is the circuitous path
we followed in order to reach our present destination:
(a) From Darwin we concluded that because form follows function evolution
has promised survival of the fittest functions;
(b) We then learned from ethology's "hierarchy of needs" model that man
has indeed increased his chances of survival by learning new, more adaptive
behaviors in order to maintain a more homeostatic energy balance;
(c) Then, ethnology and mythology illustrated that adaptive behaviors can
be metaphormed from their body-state to their mind state by symbolically
reflecting inner conflicts and resolution into the outer world;
(d) The subsequent exploration into variations in dispositional types showed
how one's innate temperament is modifiable by consciously reframing "threats"
into "challenges";
(e) We then saw how the characteristic behaviors, thoughts and attitudes
of an individual appear to be influenced by his morphogenetic types, subject
to possible modification through modulation of gene expression in the body.
(f) Porges' work gave us a more concrete way to conceptualize and measure
how the body's physiology influences its psychological functions, and how
those functions can in turn influence behaviors which can modify the body's
physiology. This now brings us to the place where mind and body meet:
Psychophysiological Resilience.
References
Porges, S (1992, September) Vagal tone: a physiologic marker of stress
vulnerability. Pediatrics, 90 (3), 498-504.
Nathanielsz, Peter (2001); The Prenatal Prescription; Harper Collins
Publishers: New York, New York.
Rossi, E.L. (1993). The psychobiology of mind-body healing (Rev. ed). New
York: W.W. Norton & Co.
(find complete listing of References at end of last section, Part V)
Information Transduction
State-Dependent Memory, Learning & Behavior
Ultradian Healing Response
Summary
Biochemistry of the Body-Mind
Bio-mechanics of the Body-Brain
Quantum Mechanics of the Body-Mind
Summary
Dynamics of Reciprocal Causality
Something-for-Nothing
Alchemical Therapies, Holistic Remedies
Summary of Psychophysical Resilience Findings
Functions of Distinctiveness
The Creative Evolution of Evolutionary Creation
Summary: Life is a Hologram of Holograms
Making the Indistinct Distinct
Creating Adaptability
Summary: The Holographic "Enchanted Loom"
From Particles and Waves to Strings and Membranes
From Strings and Membranes to Struts and Cables
Summary: Energy Transducing Tensegrity Structures
REFERENCES
Chaosophy 2002 Contents
File Created: 11/1/01 Last Updated: 12/31/01