Your past stress and your future health. Why resiliency training and nervous system regulation are a pillar of good health.
“Are you stressed?” This question doesn’t usually elicit the kind of answer that we want from patients, and yet it’s the way we often screen for stress in a health appointment. When we ask patients if they are stressed they immediately compare their stress to others, compare their current stress to past stress, or compare their perceived stress against how they “feel like they should feel” about their life. None of this is helpful. When I asked my colleague and teammate Dr. Dominika Zarzenzny to join us on the podcast I had one goal in mind. I wanted you to deeply understand how your past stress influences your current health. Six years into clinical practice, Dr. Dominika stumbled on landmark research known as the ACE study that changed the trajectory of her work with patients. From that point on, she decided to dedicate her practice to understanding how early life events can dys-regulate one’s nervous system, and how a dys-regulated nervous system in turn influences health outcomes. Dr. Dominika furthered her studies by training with various psychologists and experts in the field of psychological trauma. She incorporates the principles of neuroscience, attachment theory, mindfulness and polyvagal theory in her inquiry process and counselling with patients. She works with our patients at Clarity Health who recognize the impact of stress, experiences they have never recovered from and past hardship can have on your current health journey, with many of our patients feeling relief and direction after a single 1 hour session. The question of “are you stressed” is just the tip of the iceberg. We all have stress, past experiences, relationships and circumstances that have shaped how our nervous system sees the world. If you are a human, this episode is for you.