Category Archives: Neurobiology
Resilience Isn’t Solo: The Neurobiology of Support
A recent visit with a new healthcare practitioner had a significantly negative impact. She was so out of sorts that she could not appropriately connect. That meant she could not take in what I said or understand what I needed. … Continue reading
Posted in Neurobiology
Tagged attunement, Medicine, overwhelm, practitioner, resilience, support
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Rest as a Missing Practice
Last week, I drove from Wilmington, DE to Baltimore, MD, a distance made challenging by multiple chronic pain conditions, including bodywide myalgia and quadrilateral Complex Regional Pain Syndrome. A fellow tall ship sailor, visiting from far away, had suggested we … Continue reading
Posted in Neurobiology
Tagged Alexander Technique, constructive rest, Imogen Ragone, rest, tall ships Sail 250
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Listening to My Nervous System is Not Optional
Trauma recovery is not a belief system, moral stance, prescription, or a choice based on what feels convenient, politically aligned, or socially condoned. Recovery is about learning, often the hard way, what my nervous system actually needs in order to … Continue reading
Posted in Neurobiology
Tagged danger, IPNB, Nervous System, Relational Neuroscience, threat, trauma recovery
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The 17-Gun Salute That Shattered Me
Five years ago, during a year near death, one of the most intense stressors wasn’t the medical neglect or the endless fight for even minimal care. It was sound. The moment that shattered me was the 17–gun salute at my … Continue reading
Posted in Neurobiology, Trauma
Tagged audio-somatic Synesthesia, auditory issues, funeral, guns, hearing, hearing sensitivity, hyperacusis, safety, sound, sound sensitivity
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IPNB: A Superior Theoretical Model of Trauma, Chronic Pain, and Complex Stress
Interpersonal Neurobiology (IPNB) serves as a theoretical model in a very different way than most biomedical models, and that difference is the point. IPNB does not try to explain outcomes by isolating a single structure, pathway, or intervention and assigning … Continue reading
Posted in Neurobiology
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Announcing My First Book!
Of all the things I could have predicted for my life, becoming a watercolor graphic medicine artist who uses cartoon ladybugs to teach Relational Neuroscience was not one of them. But here I am. My “Della the IPNB Ladybug™” books … Continue reading
What Are Our Core Biological Needs?
From an Interpersonal Neurobiology perspective, the core biological needs that are chronically unmet in people with severe CPTSD involve safety, connection, and regulation. These needs are not abstract, but embodied. 1. Co-regulation. Human nervous systems are designed to settle in … Continue reading
Big Ways to Support Your Nervous System With Tiny Actions
You can support your nervous system by building small, regular practices into your daily life to support your system’s ability to find steadiness over time. These practices don’t have to be complicated or take much time; consistency is what matters … Continue reading
Posted in Neurobiology
Tagged coregulation, Nervous System, Regulation, repair, safety, support
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The Real Zone of Growth is Not Outside the Comfort Zone But Inside the Window of Tolerance
A whiteboard at a local gym promotes the idea that “growth only happens outside the comfort zone,” which is popular in our “push through” culture. Stagnation can happen when there’s no challenge and no novelty. But if pushed too far, … Continue reading
Posted in Neurobiology, Uncategorized
Tagged comfort zone, growth, gym, IPNB, learning, mindset, neurobiology, progress, pushing through, Regulation, sweet discomfort, zone of growth
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The Cost of “Positive Vibes Only”: How Denying Reality Shuts Down the Human System
The Cultural Demand to Stay Positive Harms Us Every day we’re told to “think happy thoughts,” to “focus on the good,” to keep our “vibration high.” It’s the cultural chant of a society terrified of pain and truth, and addicted … Continue reading
Posted in Neurobiology
Tagged adaptation, awe, congruence, culture, Empathy, numbness, positive vibes only, survival adaptations
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