Stress Patterns

Expanding on the work of Dr. Alf Breig, a Swedish neurosurgeon, I have found that everybody has a specific pattern as to how their body neurologically responds to excess stress. This pattern is established in the womb and will stay with the individual throughout their lifetime. In other words, you have always responded to excess stress the same way and you always will. If you become consciously aware of your pattern and learn what the primary indicators of excessive stress are, you can become more proactive in leading yourself to a higher level of overall health and wellness.

There are two ways that the CNS will typically respond to excess stress: The spinal cord and brain will either compress or stretch. Everyone falls into one of these two patterns.

Stretched CNS: Someone in this pattern will always initially respond to excess stress in this manner. Think of this stretch pattern as an elongation of the brain and spinal cord making it longer measuring from the top of your head to the tip of your tailbone. Every millimeter makes a difference.

The CNS elongating is similar to the tightening a guitar string; once the string becomes too tight it loses its tone and cannot function well (out of tune). When the CNS becomes too tight due to this stretch response, the body loses its natural tone and cannot function to its potential.

A person who reacts to stress in this manner is automatically thrust into a defensive posture, or more accurately, into a state of resistance once stress becomes excessive. They become increasingly resistant to the constant changes that life presents them with. Going with the flow becomes increasingly challenging for this person. If excess stress becomes chronic in this individual, they would become at risk to osteoporosis, chronic fatigue, anxiety attacks, reactive anger and a severe heart attack.

The good news is that there are personal indicators that will alert this person as to when their stress has reached excess. It is literally like a car engine light that goes off to warn the driver of a problem. The personal indicator for this stress pattern is simply irritability. This can manifest as anxiety, frustration, loss of patience and/or physical tension. This person, when over stressed, gets too angry over ‘little things’. Becoming more aware of these indicators will enable a person with a stretched CNS to catch stress before it can cause physical and/or emotional issues.

An important behavioral trait that is typical of this resistance pattern is these people have a high level of self-judgment. They are very tough on themselves. For example, if one of these individuals take on a project, their natural tendency is to give it their absolute best effort. This sounds like a very good quality to posses; however, many times this individual does not believe that their best effort is good enough. The would've, could've, should've thoughts set in creating an extra worry load within (many times subconsciously). Procrastination can also become an issue because this person typically will not take on anything in their life that deep down they know they cannot give their best effort to. In order to register long term breakthroughs with anyone in the stretched CNS pattern, it is vitally important that they become aware of this self judgment and begin the process of consciously softening it.

Compressed CNS: This stress pattern is basically the opposite of the stretched pattern. Think of this compression pattern as a decrease in length of the brain and spinal cord measuring from the top of the head to the tip of the tailbone. Anyone in this pattern will always respond to excess stress in this manner.

Have you ever pushed down on a balloon? What happens? As you squash a balloon, the sides begin to bulge. Now visualize this balloon inside of a cylinder that will not allow the sides to bulge. What would happen if you began to squash this balloon within the cylinder? Intense pressure would be created to say the least.

This is, in essence, what happens to the spinal cord when it is compressed during this type of stress pattern. As the length of the CNS is decreased, the diameter of the spinal cord will increase. This becomes troublesome because the spinal canal, which is composed of the protective bones of the spine, is not very large and it is not designed to allow for an expansion in diameter of the spinal cord. Basically, the cord is already a snug fit within the canal and has very little wiggle room. Increase the stress load on an individual with this type of stress pattern and you will intensify the pressure build up within the CNS.

A person who reacts to stress in this manner is involuntarily pushed into mental and or physical fatigue. If this fatigue continues and progresses into exhaustion, the body and mind will then go into breakdown mode. Chronic excess stress in this individual can lead to severe headaches in the back of the head (due to the expanding diameter of the brain stem), low back pain that radiates into the legs (sciatica) and a higher susceptibility to colds and flu. They would also become at risk to all forms of arthritis, cancer and multiple sclerosis. Depression is also very common among people who carry their excess stress in this way.

Fortunately, there is a unique indicator that will alert this person as to when their stress has reached excess. The signal for this stress pattern is simply fatigue. This can manifest as overwhelm, brain fog or just simply being tired. Becoming more aware of the fatigue factor will enable a person with a compressed CNS to catch stress before it can cause physical and/or emotional issues.

An important behavioral trait that is typical of someone in this breakdown pattern is this person tends to keep everything inside and internalizes their stress to the extreme. When over stressed their minds will continue to race and the internal chatter never seems to ease. For example, if one of these individuals were performing a simple task like brushing their teeth, their ‘to do’ list within their head would be on overdrive. Instead of thinking about brushing their teeth, they would be thinking about all the things that they need to do next after completing the brushing. There is an innate sense of guilt that will set in for this person if they take a break and rest. To register long-term results with anyone in this compressed CNS pattern, it is imperative that they become aware of this guilt and begin the process of consciously softening it. By taking a physical rest and mentally pausing throughout the day, this person will be much more effective and efficient at everything they do.

If you are unclear as to which of these stress patterns is your specific way of dealing with excess stress, be sure to ask Dr. Jay at your next visit.