CSB #7 Resilience and Treatment

After being in a stressful situation, such as a family member dying or fighting in a bloody war, the ability to bounce back to normal after the event is what we call resilience. Nobody knows for sure the science behind it, but neurologists and psychologists are trying to figure out what causes it and how to treat those who are having a hard time resiling (yes, that is a word). When someone is in a stressful situation, his hypothalamus reacts, sending out a hormone called CRH (corticotropin-releasing hormone). Then, the pituitary gland responds by releasing ACTH (adrenocorticotropin hormone), which causes the release of cortisol from the adrenal glands. Cortisol helps you decide "fight or flight" and execute your plan fast. If a person is put under stress too much, the body keeps pumping out cortisol, which can damage parts of the brain that control memory and emotion, "[s]o you end up an emotional and physical wreck." Resilient people tend to send out hormones and chemicals that counteract the stress signal faster and "more readily." DHEA (dehydroepiandrosterone) and neuropeptide Y are among the many chemicals which lessen the effects of cortisol. George A. Bonanno (heh) of Teachers College at Columbia University took videos and analyzed the emotions and facial expressions of some who had recently lost a loved one. He saw "sadness but also anger and happiness." However, different people respond differently afterwards stressful situations to cope with them. Some of them behaved in a way "that, in other circumstances, may have bordered on narcissism" to prove to themselves that they could not have done anything to prevent the tragic event from happening. Others denied their feelings and some "repressed negative thoughts and emotions" and "convinced themselves that they could handle whatever came their way." It is believed that 90% of all people can cope naturally by themselves without any long-term damage to their emotional health.This leads researchers to think about new ways they could treat (or not treat) people to overcome or even train them to be less impacted by stressful situations. There have been cases where people have suffered longer and more pain than they had to because they were told that it was normal to feel sad for that long. Also, studies show that the classic "talk-it-out" psychology therapy may not be as helpful as previously thought and might actually make the person feel worse. The National Center for PTSD has "developed an approach designed to encourage a person's own coping abilities rather than introspective delving into psychopathological reactions." All in all, the process of resilience is different for everyone, our "innate capacity to bounce back means that most of the time things turn out all right."

Stix, Gary. "The Neuroscience of True Grit." Scientific American Mar. 2011: 
     29-33. Print.
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