Mast Cell Activation, Stress and Resilience

Transcript

1. Mast Cell Activation, Stress and Resilience Meghan Lefkowitz, LCSW Integrative Psychotherapist Sutter Institute for Health and Healing
2. How Stress and Anxiety Can Trigger Mast Cell Dysfunction When you experience stress or anxiety, your brain doesn’t distinguish well between a physical threat and a psychological threat. Both can activate the body’s stress response. • The brain detects a threat. • It activates the sympathetic nervous system (“fight-or-flight”) • Stress hormones are released. • The body rapidly produces hormones to prepare the body to respond to danger by increasing heart rate, blood pressure, and alertness. • Mast cells receive these stress signals and become activated
3. Finding Balance • Getting the body into a parasympathetic state (rest, digest and repair) -neuroplasticity allows for reduction in chronic activation of the sympathetic nervous system • The vagus nerve- the major communicator of the parasympathetic nervous system • The vagus nerve can communicate safety from the body to the brain. • Healthy vagal tone can decrease unnecessary inflammatory signaling and mast cell activation • Checking in vs checking out • Adding breathing exercises or brief meditation practices into natural pauses in your day. • Find messages of safety in your body and/or in your environment or community.