OT- possible antidotes to psychological warfare
Ask Dr. Weil
Q: Long after I mentally calmed down from the September 11 tragedies, my body has remained keyed up. I wake up nervous and have bouts of nausea, backaches, and depression. Can you explain how the body continues to experience trauma even after the mind has resolved the issue?
A: I've gotten many questions about how to deal with the psychological and emotional aftermath of the terrorist attacks. We're all still on edge as we wait to see what happens next, but the physical reactions you describe aren't unusual or surprising. My colleague Dan Shapiro, Ph.D., a psychologist who teaches at the University of Arizona, explains that the body's physical mechanisms for regulating stress weren't designed to adapt to long-term stressors such as the vulnerability most of us now feel. Even if you think that you've adjusted, chances are that your body is still in overdrive with most of the stress-regulating systems pumping out the hormones (adrenaline, cortisol, norepinephrine) and neuropeptides that ordinarily help us respond to an immediate stressor such as a threat from a predator. Interestingly, Dan notes that in the seven months following the 1980 eruption of the Mount St. Helen's volcano, emergency room visits in greater Seattle were 21 percent higher than before the event.
I was also impressed by the views of Clarissa Pinkola Estés, Ph.D., a best-selling author and specialist in Clinical Incident Debriefing, who describes what many Americans are experiencing today as terrorism sickness. She explains that terrorism is a willful psychological assault and that its main goal is intentional trauma to the living - psychologically injuring millions of us at the same time
Here is her advice on countering the effects that terrorism has had on you:
Refuse to dwell on what psychically depletes you of hope, contentment, and ease.
Identify your disheartening thoughts and then actively try to banish them.
Do the things that strengthen you or bring you peace.
Eat healthy foods. Don't make your body work harder to throw off toxins.
Get plenty of real rest - don't let bad thoughts interfere with your sleep. Discipline your mind to stay with images of beauty and love.
Refuse to think you are less able than you were before September 11.
Continue to pursue and implement your life's dreams.
Rely on your intuition or your guardian angel to get you through this period.
As overwhelming as the terrorist attacks were, we do have to make every effort to get on with our lives and our work. Don't let preoccupation with terrorism prevent you from eating well or exercising regularly. Use mind-body approaches and relaxation techniques to keep yourself calm and centered, and reach out to others for comfort and help.
Andrew Weil, M.D.
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