The COVID-19 pandemic has triggered a global trauma, pushing much of the population into chronic "fight-flight-freeze" responses. This reactivation floods the brainstem with signals of danger, an alarm state with heightened sympathetic activity that when prolonged becomes a way of life. Recognizing and treating chronic sympathetic dominance involves understanding the myriad subclinical patterns associated with chronic fight-flight-freeze” response.
One difficulty in addressing chronic sympathetic dominance is differentiating physiological stress from emotional stress. During COVID, many medical providers and essential personnel experienced profound secondary trauma during the first 6-12 of the pandemic. Information was scarce, and the uncertainty about the severity of the crisis created an environment of heightened stress and anxiety.
Medical providers faced overwhelming workloads and constant exposure to potential threat, leading to prolonged states of agitation. Teachers were abruptly required to conduct classes online, spending extended hours on screens, which compounded their stress and fatigue (also leading to the early retirement of many older experienced teachers who were, themselves, unable to make the switch to virtual environments). Children, whose developing brains were not equipped to handle prolonged screen time, also suffered from increased anxiety, cognitive overload, and sensory processing issues. Watching my three year old niece have a meltdown a the table because she could not log into the school tablet was commonplace during the pandemic; it was a frequent occurrence for many parents at that time. There is an entire generation of children aged 5 to 10 with unintegrated reflexes, resulting in conditions such as ADD, ADHD, learning disorders, and anxiety. In discussing the PR demonstration with my professors, they estimate that 80% of these issues are missed by primary care, who tend to favor pharmaceutical intervention over physical therapy.
Chronic Fear and Uncertainty: A Continuous Stressor
The prolonged nature of the pandemic, extending over two years, exacerbated the damage caused by chronic sympathetic dominance. Initially, secondary trauma was prevalent among medical providers, first responders and essential personnel. People were in a constant state of uncertainty, reminiscent of the "terror alerts" post-9/11. These daily updates often communicated fear rather than actionable information, creating an atmosphere of chronic stress and anxiety. However, as the pandemic persisted, the continuous state of fight, flight, or freeze responses began to have more insidious consequences. An extended stress response leads to the shutdown of the enteric nervous system, impairs digestion and diminishes afferent sensory pathways, resulting in a reduced sensory perception. Stress hormones that are highly inflammatory target the HPA axis, and the nervous system attempts to protect itself by limiting the influx of overwhelming information, ultimately ignoring these sensory inputs.
The Illusion of Immunity: Social Disconnect and Denial
Prolonged stress also contributes to herd mentality, as reactivated primitive reflexes and the inability to sustain prolonged stress responses led to complacency and reactive behavior. Over time, differences in opinions on issues such as masking and vaccination policies became more pronounced, for example, resulting in increased polarization and conflict. Chronic periods of deliberate misinformation, initially intended to protect society, only deepened mistrust between the public, officials and the media, fueling primitive emotional reactions such as anger and reactivity. The January 6 insurrection is an example of how deeply ingrained, primitive responses can manifest in a group setting under extreme stress and perceived threat. The mob mentality, driven by fear and anger, activated fight-or-flight mechanisms in participants, leading to impulsive and violent behaviors.
Post-pandemic, many of my clients believed that they were largely unaffected by the pandemic, usually focusing on finances or lack of personal loss. However, this perspective overlooks our inherent interconnectedness. Humans are social creatures, deeply affected by the well-being of those around them. If a neighbor, child, or community member is impacted by COVID-19, the ripple effects extend to everyone, consciously or not. This denial reflects a profound social disconnect and a misunderstanding of our interconnected existence. Recognizing this interconnectedness is essential in addressing the full spectrum of COVID-19’s impact on mental and emotional health.
Chronic sympathetic dominance, a sustained fight-flight-freeze response is part of the pathological mechanism behind many neurological diseases such as MS, Parkinsons, and various neurogenic deteriorating disease that include Alzheimer’s and dementia. Shifting from a symptom-based approach to include the debilitating systemic effects of chronic sympathetic dominance is vital to allowing the natural neuroplasticity of the brain to thrive.
By focusing on spasticity patterns and fascia through Sinew Channels, TCM practitioners can address chronic sympathetic dominance as part of the root treatment, while focusing on the chief complaint as the branch. TCM also allows us to recognize and address the myriad clinical sub-patterns associated with prolonged sympathetic dominance. In a patient presenting with frozen-shoulder, for example, we must explore what reflexes are triggered and how it affects their mobility, considering both physical and emotional stressors. Further inquiry reveals that many orthopedic complaints stem from physical or emotional overwhelm has been ignored or overlooked. This highlights the need for a holistic approach to treatment.
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