Emotional Resilience
EMOTIONAL RESILIENCE How does one build emotional resilience? Indeed is it possible to do so? The answer lies in the training and like all skill sets needs practice to keep it functional and responsive. The idea of resilience originates from physics wherein it describes the ability of a material to resist a distorting influence or deforming force, (e.g. bending, twisting, compressing, heating) and its subsequent return to the original shape and constitution after the physical stress is removed. In mammals, an event that produces emotional stress such as anger, fear, guilt, shame and so on is, from our body’s point of view, analogous to a physical stress. We choose to define emotional resilience as the ability of the mind/brain to restore pre-event abilities and to do so without a great disturbance in mental functioning. Resilience should be seen as a dynamic process designed to aid an individual in actively coping with stressors. It is worth noting that this definition reflects something that is different from recovery, which is simply repair from an event that has ended. Thus, resilience should be seen as an in the moment process. I suggest that our traits (which is what we inherit, personality, temperament) and our state (which is the sum of our experiences) affect the epigenetic portions of an individual. What are the epigenetic components of our genes? Epigenetics are stable heritable character attributes that cannot be explained by changes in DNA sequence. The Greek prefix epi- (Greek: επί- over, outside of, around) in epigenetics implies features that are "on top of" or "in addition to" the traditional genetic basis for inheritance. Epigenetics often refers to changes in a chromosome that affect gene activity and expression. Such effects on cellular and physiological phenotypical traits may result from external or environmental factors, or be part of normal developmental program. Interestingly, these changes are inheritable. For example, studies on mice have shown that certain conditioned fears can be inherited from either parent. In one example, mice were conditioned to fear a strong scent, acetophenone, by accompanying the smell with an electric shock. Consequently, the mice learned to fear the scent of acetophenone alone. It was discovered that this fear could be passed down to the mice offspring. Despite the offspring never experiencing the electric shock themselves the mice still display a fear of the acetophenone scent, because they inherited the fear epigenetically by site-specific DNA methylation. These epigenetic changes lasted up to two generations without reintroducing the shock. Trait State Genetics Experiences Epigenetics RESPONSE TO STRESSORS Resilience The consequences of trait and state interacting lead to the epigenome, which then directs the intensity of the response to emotional stressors. As the trait components cannot be altered, it remains to be discovered whether using Havening can modify the state and therefore drive the epigenetics towards resiliency. I do not believe that resilience is an entity unto itself. Rather, resilience is an amalgam of a variety of components whose effect on resilience may be modifiable through experience and effort that cause different genes to be expressed or not expressed. We speculate that it may be possible, via Havening to positively affect and modify the epigenetic expression of certain characteristics for an individual and thus increase resilience. If I had to make a guess, I would say it arises by resilience arises from low cortisol reactivity. What makes up this amalgam? There is agreement that certain personality characteristics such as self-trust, self-esteem, curiosity, optimism, a positive SOME CHARACTERISTICS OF A RESILIENT INDIVIDUAL Self trust Self Esteem Curiosity Optimism Positive Attitude Internal locus of control Flexibility Hope Purpose attitude, an internal locus of control, flexibility, hope and a sense of purpose are found in resilient individuals. I would argue that is these attributes and others make up what constitutes resilience. So to improve resilience we need to amplify these characteristics so that they will be available at times of adversity. Some of the characteristics that make a resilient individual are outlined in William Osler’s comments to the first graduating class of Johns Hopkins medical school. You cannot hope, of course, to escape from the cares and anxieties incident to professional life. Stand up bravely, even against the worst. Your very hopes may have passed on out of sight, as did all that was near and dear to the Patriarch at the Jabbok ford, and, like him, you may be left to struggle in the night alone. Well for you, if you wrestle on, for in persistency lies victory, and with the morning may come the wished-for blessing. But not always; there is a struggle with defeat, which some of you will have to bear, and it will be well for you in that day to have cultivated a cheerful equanimity. Remember, too, that sometimes "from our desolation only does the better life begin" Even with disaster ahead and ruin imminent, it is better to face them with a smile, and with the head erect, than to crouch at their approach. And, if the fight is for principle and justice, even when failure seems certain, where many have failed before, cling to your ideal, and, like Childe Roland before the dark tower, set the slug-horn to your lips, blow the challenge, and calmly await the conflict. In addition to enhancing resilient components one needs to have rock solid core values. A value is a direction—a quality of action. By definition values cannot be achieved and maintained in a static state, they must be lived out. The values of fairness, kindness, honesty, non-judgment, acceptance and so on must be part of your fiber and being so that you always know that your behavior will follow the path they lay out. Thus, if an emotional stressor pushes you off the path of your core values, active resilient coping will allow you to return to that path. Think for a few moments on some of your own core values while Self-Havening and write them down. Fairness Kindness Honesty Acceptance Gratitude Openness Others As Polonius said to Laertes in Hamlet as he was about to go to France as an ambassador: This above all to thine own self be true Find and breathe life into your core values. An interesting question arises. Does resilience exist without adversity? Should we view the mind/brain as a muscle to be exercised (adversity) or as an organ that needs to be trained? I believe that training increases resilience so that under stress the needed traits can be activated. This is the most appropriate and optimistic view we can have. That resilience exists in all of us. RESILIENCE EXISTS IN US ALL Many approaches to building resilience have been developed. The most sophisticated one is the positive psychology movement. For instance The 7 Pillars of Resilience This model by German psychotherapist Micheline Rampe (2010) is useful for understanding the key steps that need to be taken by an individual on their journey to resilience. Many of the strategies described by Rampe (2010) are compatible with approaches recommended in positive psychology literature. (See https://positivepsychologyprogram.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Manual-for-Coach.pdf These 7 pillars are: 1. Developing optimism (leading to positive expectations enabling a person to take positive action) 2. Acceptance of the situation 3. Focusing on potential solutions 4. Taking responsibility for one’s own life 5. Escaping from the role as a victim of circumstance 6. Building a support network 7. Planning a flexible strategy for dealing with future challenges Using these pillars researchers have devised key steps that give an individual the tools for dealing with adversity in a positive and constructive way. These key steps are similar in all positive psychology approaches. All the research has shown that genetics is not destiny as far as resilience is concerned. In addition, I believe that resilience changes over time and that it can be amplified as well as lost. Low resilience individuals will benefit from resilience building and those highly resilient folks can benefit from keeping in shape, so to speak. BUILDING EMOTIONAL RESILIENCE Cultivating resilience requires commitment. It is not easy. Most importantly resilience training begins with self-care. I cannot stress this enough. You must, above all, take care of yourself, both physically and emotionally. Self-Havening is an excellent way to take care of yourself emotionally and William Osler’s idea is a good place to start. Cultivate a cheerful equanimity How to do this. 1. Start where you are. If there are events in the past that trouble you, apply Havening till they are removed. It is important to try to remove blocks that clutter the road that contains your core values. 2. Understand that events will ebb and flow and that suffering comes and goes and that you will not always feel badly. Havening Exercise: “This too shall pass” 3. Be content to make small steps towards equanimity but stay true to your core values. Havening Exercise For Values 1. I can choose to live by my core values (bring them to mind) 2. I can choose to set MY priorities 3. I can choose follow my passion 4. I can choose to seek balance 5. I can choose to accept and feel content 6. I can choose to act to make a difference 7. I can choose to live in the moment To maintain resilience requires effort, and an active problem solving approach to all issues, large and small that we face day in and day out. It is just like keeping in shape, it requires constant work. Augmenting Emotionally Resilient Characteristics Using Havening Internal Locus of Control Think of two situations: yourself on a raft heading down stream without a rudder or oars and one with a rudder and oars. Having rudders and oars allows you to make the decisions where you go. Your core values will be your oars and rudder. This allows the locus of control to be within you. And you do this by making choices. This is probably the most important component of resilience…that you are in control. Havening Exercise: I can choose to be true to myself I can choose to face challenges and learn from them I can choose to feel safe peaceful and calm The knowledge that you are capable of appropriately responding to and solving problems allows you to generate resilience. Purpose There are three main aspects of resilience. One I already mentioned, which is locus of control. Purpose is another. One of my life changing moments was reading Viktor Frankl’s book, Man’s Search for Meaning. Prior to that reading I felt being emotionally detached would help avoid suffering. It did not. Emotional detachment is useful for meditation but not in the day-to-day parts of life. Frankl felt that attachment was the key to survival for it gave meaning to life and hence hope and purpose. It is what the military and paramilitary try to do when they put together combat and law enforcement groups. Something larger than yourself gives rise to purpose and increases adaptability and hence generates resilience. AttachmentsàMeaningàPassionà PurposeàAction à Resilience Attachment Leading to Purpose and Resilience Havening Exercise: I can choose to open my heart to compassion, sharing, friendship and love If you discover your passion you will find your purpose. Passion without action however is purposeless. Taking action leads to self-esteem and increased resilience in knowing that you can accomplish your dream. Havening Exercise: I can choose actively pursue my passion Hope and Belief Ponder this idea “Hope is an oasis before action.” Belief is an idea taken on faith. Both of these add powerfully to resilience. To the best of our understanding Hope is uniquely human, as it requires a sense of outcome. In my practice I have clients combine Hopeful Havening with visualization of the desired outcome. It is motivating and gives strength to withstand forces that might prevent them from taking action. Hope can be multiplied by surrounding yourself with people who believe as you do. This gives you the sense you are not alone in your belief. Havening Exercise: Hopeful Havening I can choose to be Hopeful Both as an individual and as a group Self-Trust “Self trust is the essence of heroism.” Ralph Waldo Emerson It is not the mountain we conquer, it ourselves. Sir Edmund Hillary Self-trust is at the center of the locus of control. Seek guidance from others, not answers. Self-trust is true freedom Havening Exercise: I can choose to trust in myself. Self Esteem “You have been criticizing yourself for years, and it hasn’t worked. Try approving of yourself and see what happens.” – Louise L. Hay Havening exercise: What if I am worthy? Positive Attitude Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference. Winston Churchill Havening Exercise: I can choose to look for the good Optimism “What the mind can conceive and believe and the heart desire, you can achieve.” Norman Vincent Peale Havening Exercise: Visualize what you wish to accomplish and chant while Havening: “Yes I can!” Flexibility “I can’t change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails.” Jimmy Dean “The measure of intelligence is the ability to change.” Albert Einstein Havening Exercise: I can choose to change Curiosity “Curiosity is, in great and generous minds, the first passion and the last.” Samuel Johnson Havening Exercise: I wonder… As mentioned above, resilience is in all of us. We need to cultivate and strengthen those components that comprise resilience so that when we need them they are available to allow us to cope with stress. But what about abolishing vulnerability? In the book The Resilience Factor, Karen Reivich and Andrew Shatté (2002) identify the five typical emotions that are associated with a lack of resilience, namely; 1. Anger 2. Sadness or depression 3. Guilt 4. Anxiety or fear 5. Embarrassment/shame Please note that these emotions are completely natural to experience from time to time. The key to recognizing these emotions as indicators of a lack of resilience is whether they are disproportionate to the event (looking back you might catch yourself thinking “that was over the top!”), or if the same event triggers the same emotion repeatedly. Vulnerability may arise from by the same epigenetic modification process that produces resilience. Traits such as being overly empathetic, having difficulty in regulating emotional responsiveness along with landscapers such as poverty of comfort, relationships, spirituality, stimulation, education, touch makes for a vulnerable non-resilient individual. If the model of resilience building can be applied to vulnerability issues then it may be possible to also Trait State Genetics Experience Epigenetics Response to Stressors Vulnerability diminish the effect of these vulnerable characteristics using Havening. For example, consider a TH on shame or anxiety. This idea that we might be able to use Havening to mitigate these vulnerabilities is intriguing and implies that landscape plays a major role. It is important to note that an individual is not totally responsible for or capable of creating/strengthening resilience (genetic, economic, cultural, social, and demographic domains are often beyond one’s control). As mentioned, people differ in their areas of resilience and vulnerability. With this in mind, practitioners should be mindful of what clients can or cannot change. By stressing resilience building, there is a tendency to put all burden on clients’ shoulders by pushing “positive” attitude and characteristics you mention. A great deal depends on family and social support as well as resources available. Optimizing emotional resilience via Havening is just beginning. Imagine Havening being used in elementary schools, trainings for first responders, sports, business, and leaders. Please put your minds to this and experiment, explore. The Havening horizon seems limitless. There is a real hope we can change the world. Further Reading American Psychological Association: http://www.apa.org/helpcenter/road-resilience.aspx Resilience Metrics https://positivepsychologyprogram.com/3-resilience-scales/ http://www.neuropsychotherapist.com/the-predictive-6-factor-resilience-scale/ Adapting to stress: understanding the neurobiology of resilience https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Edgar_Jones2/publication/301562111_Adapting_to_stress_understanding_the_neurobiology_of_resilience/links/577a5a1c08aece6c20fbca63.pdf Understanding resilience: http://journal.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fnbeh.2013.00010/full Resilience: Building immunity in psychiatry https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3777343/ Resilience and vulnerability: A neurobiological perspective https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3643078/ The Neurobiology of Resilience: Active Molecular Mechanisms Counterbalance Vulnerability to Stress-Related Depression and Anxiety Disorders (Dana Foundation) http://dana.org/Briefing_Papers/The_Neurobiology_of_Resilience/ Peripheral and central mechanisms of stress resilience https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4260357/ Recognizing resilience: Learning from the effects of stress on the brain http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352289514000022 Resilience definitions, theory, and challenges: Interdisciplinary perspectives https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4185134/
