Resetting Our Immune System

Jaak Panksepp conducted research on our Emotional Affective Circuits and his work has been included in Paulson and O’Shea‘s “When There Are No Words” pre-verbal protocol. As I was thinking about applications, it occurred to me that this could be applied to our immune system. Our immune system is a memory network that works on a continuum and perhaps could be helped to move through stages of inflammation and suppression to a state of healthy. The most fundamental function of the immune system is prevent and get rid of threats to our body. These can be external such as microbes or viruses invading the body or internal in the form of damaged or dying tissue or malignancy. We need inflammation in our body. For example, when we have a splinter our white blood cells rush in and help to push out the foreign object. We also need suppression so that our bodies don’t overreact, for example to cancer cells, acne breakouts, or when we use immunosuppressant drugs. Our brain strives to be in a healthy balance and I believe our immune system does as well.

Learning objectives:

1. Define the 2 components of the Immune System Network
2. Identify 3 areas where inflammation impacts Mental Health
3. Identify 3 areas where stress has evolved over time

Percentage of EMDR Content: 70%