Tag Archives: health
Why Homeostasis Matters More Than You Think
Most people don’t think much about homeostasis, but it’s the foundation of well-being. Homeostasis means the body and mind are in balance, able to meet life’s demands without burning out. It’s the state where we feel grounded, connected, and alive. … Continue reading
How Repeated Medical Abuse Conditions the Nervous System
Fabrizio Benedetti’s insights into conditioning in his book, “The Patient’s Brain: The neuroscience behind the doctor-patient relationship,” are highly relevant for understanding how repeated medical abuse can shape a person’s nervous system. Conditioning—where the nervous system learns through repeated experiences—plays … Continue reading
Posted in Healthcare, PTSD
Tagged doctor-patient relationship, health, healthcare, Medical PTSD, Medicine, pain, PTSD, trust
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Connection Is the Cure: Meet My Nervous System’s Needs
My nervous system is desperate for the kind of connection that feels safe. Because all my life, I’ve been chronically and acutely deprived of that safety. Sometimes it’s been extreme, other times less so, but never enough. When I had … Continue reading
Posted in Healthcare
Tagged attunement, connection, disconnection, health, healthcare, interpersonal neurobiology, IPNB, Medicine, Mental Health, Nervous System, safety
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What is Institutional Betrayal and How Does It Harm Us?
Institutional betrayal occurs when the systems or structures a person depends on for safety, care, or justice–such as hospitals, universities, police, or legal bodies–fail to protect them, or worse, participate in their harm. From an Interpersonal Neurobiology perspective, these betrayals … Continue reading
Posted in Well-being
Tagged health, institutional betrayal, institutions, IPNB, Mental Health, well-being
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Conservatism’s War on Human Health
The current form of American so-called conservatism, particularly as it has evolved under Trumpism and aligned with far-right movements, is so biologically adverse in that it promotes conditions that undermine human nervous system regulation, relational safety, and social well-being. This … Continue reading
Posted in Politics
Tagged conservatism, dependence, disability, health, ideology, interdependence, IPNB, LGBTQ, political, politics, poverty, reproductive rights, well-being
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The Answer is Always “Support the Nervous System”
Supporting the nervous system is at the core of healing and well-being. Our nervous system is the foundation of how we process and respond to stress, trauma, and life itself. When it’s dysregulated, as it often is in the face … Continue reading
When Things Fall Apart, Recommit
Recently, I drove 90 minutes round-trip to see a specialist at the University of Pennsylvania Neuroscience Center at Radnor. That was a lot for me. My arms aren’t used to driving that long. It caused burning and muscle pain. The … Continue reading
Posted in Healthcare
Tagged CRPS, health, Medicine, Mental Health, Nerve Block, pain specialist, pRFA, PTSD, pulsed Radio Frequency Ablation, SGB, Stellate Ganglion Block, U Penn
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F’ing Insane: Maltreatment by Health Data
I had my annual checkup with my primary care provider. She said all my numbers are good, because they collected the wrong numbers. No sleep data. No tracking my pain over time. No questions about PTSD or Complex Regional Pain … Continue reading
Posted in Healthcare
Tagged charts, data, Doctor, health, healthcare, lab results, Medicine, primary care
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Stop Skipping the Most Important Part: Being With Me In My Struggle Is Medicine for Us Both
Doctors often want to look at the bright side. They point to progress, milestones, changes in tone or function. They want to give hope. But in doing so, they often skip past the truth that I’m still struggling every day. … Continue reading
Posted in Mental Health
Tagged attunement, healing, health, holding space, interpersonal neurobiology, IPNB, presence
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Hugs in the Treatment Plan: This Is What Care Feels Like
Six years ago, a gynecologist at ChristianaCare cut away healthy tissue without my consent. That egregious violation of informed consent fractured my sense of safety in a medical environment, my relationship with my body, and my ability to trust that … Continue reading