Fight flight

The stress response is designed to be short lived. This makes sense when you consider the impact it has on the body. To illustrate this impact, let’s journey back to a time of the original design context.

Picture the primitive hunter out on the plains. Suddenly, he is confronted by a large, hungry grizzly bear. The first thing that happens is that he will freeze, just for a split second. In that split second, the thinking part of his brain (the neo-cortex) is temporarily hijacked in favor of the emotional part (the limbic system). The reason for this is that his body knows that if he stands around thinking logically and rationally how to solve this predicament, it will take too long and he may be killed. Therefore, he is forced to respond with instinct and emotion.

The biggest emotion in this situation is fear, which alerts him to the danger. This sends a signal to his brain to organise his physical resources to prepare to fight or to run. His body begins to pump adrenaline, which fuels him with a massive energy surge. After about 3 minutes, cortizol is produced. Since the body expects this to be a short lived situation (he will fight or he will run or he will die) it makes sure that all resources are put to the task. The heart beats faster and blood pressure goes up, pumping blood to the major muscles; blood is diverted away from the skin surface to reduce blood loss in the event of an injury.

All bodily functions that are not required for short-term fight or flight are ‘turned down’ so that every ounce of his energy goes into his survival mechanism. Some of these functions include his immune system, digestion and reproduction.

So it’s easy to see why long term stress can lead to health problems such as IBS, stomach ulcers, appetite disruption (digestion), fertility problems, lowered libido,(reproduction) general malaise, poor recovery (immune), poor skin quality.

Also, long term stress hormones such as cortizol, have a damaging effect on the tissues of the body and can reduce bone density over long periods.

Solution Focused Hypnotherapy can make it easier for you to reduce the impact of these symptoms, by enabling you to relax and helping you to experience peace of mind.