Consciousness, brain and stress

Influence of mental processes on somatic structures and functions was until recently out of mainstream of psychological and neuroscience research. The new research in last fifteen years reported lot of interesting findings documenting influence of experiences related to stress and trauma on pathological somatic processes. Mainly these findings show specific dysfunctions related to conscious disintegration leading to dissociation and also alexithymia characterized by dysfunction of emotional experience. These defense mechanisms typically occur due to traumatic stress but may manifest also due to long term stress experiences. According to recent findings traumatic stress experiences typically may cause various endocrine, immune and epileptiform processes and lead to alterations in gene expression, and also to structural neuroanatomic changes. On the other hand these new data in neuroscience and psychology indicate that these mental influences on somatic processes are not only pathological and that psychic integration, for example due to psychotherapy or meditation may result to positive physiological and structural neuroanatomic changes.

Petr Bob, Center for Neuropsychiatric Research of Traumatic Stress, Psychiatric Clinic, First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic e-mail: petr.bob@lf1.cuni.cz