Abstract
In Chap. 2, we argued that the study of stress is the inextricable intertwining of psychology and physiology. More specifically, we suggested that a firm foundation in biological substrates is requisite to understanding and treating excessive stress. In this chapter, we shall continue that theme by extending our discussion of biological foundations to recent advances in neuroscience that can inform more effective and efficient intervention. We shall take an applied approach. In doing so, we shall review seven revelations from neuroscience on how the brain works with their implications for the cause, management, and/or treatment of human stress. We shall review, (1) the phenomenon of neuroplasticity, (2) the negativity bias, (3) the energy-conserving bifurcation of cognitive styles, (4) the tendency for reiterative ideation (worry), (5) the importance of expectation, (6) the adversity of isolation, and (7) the tendency for cognitive oversimplification. The years 1990–2000 were declared by the Congress of the United States as the Decade of the Brain. It was a decade of renewed interest in understanding how the brain contributes to the human experience. The 19 years that have passed since the end of that decade has been an era of verification, reformulation, and discovery. According to Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
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Everly, G.S., Lating, J.M. (2019). Advances in Neuroscience: Implications for Stress. In: A Clinical Guide to the Treatment of the Human Stress Response. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-9098-6_3
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