{"id":37775,"date":"2018-04-11T06:00:30","date_gmt":"2018-04-11T13:00:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.goodtherapy.org\/blog\/?p=37775"},"modified":"2018-04-11T14:27:12","modified_gmt":"2018-04-11T21:27:12","slug":"what-is-my-brain-doing-over-coupling-and-the-stress-response","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.goodtherapy.org\/blog\/why-do-i-feel-this-way-over-coupling-stress-response-0411184","title":{"rendered":"Why Do I Feel This Way? Over-Coupling and the Stress Response"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Top\u201cI don\u2019t know why, but every time I start dating someone new, I lose interest after three or four dates\u2014even if they are really cool.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cThis time of year just makes me miserable. I don\u2019t know what it is, but it makes me drink more just to be able to stand it.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m so discouraged by these panic attacks. I never know when they\u2019re going to hit. They\u2019re ruining my life.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m 30 years old, and I haven\u2019t ever seriously dated anyone because of my social anxiety. It just gets in the way, all the time.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

These are a few of the typical complaints I hear when I meet with someone for the first time. These problems all sound pretty different, don\u2019t they? Chances are, however, that they share an underlying process. We can credit Dr. Peter Levine<\/a>, founder of Somatic Experiencing<\/a>, for clarifying this process for us. His life\u2019s work synthesizes vast amounts of research, therapy practices, and worldwide cultural traditions with his own original contributions.

\n\t

Find a Therapist<\/a><\/h2>\n\t
\n\n\t\t\t\n\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\tAdvanced Search<\/a>\n\t<\/form>\n<\/div><\/p>\n

Dr. Levine calls this underlying process “over-coupling.” Over-coupling takes place when trauma<\/a> energy sticks two things together that shouldn\u2019t be. Our brain perceives some stimulus, one that could be innocuous to others, and then has this lightning quick reaction based on its learned history: \u201cIf there\u2019s this<\/em>, there\u2019s also going to be that<\/em>\u2014and that<\/em> is really bad, so let\u2019s rev up the fight or flight<\/a> energy!\u201d<\/p>\n

How Over-Coupling Works<\/h2>\n

Over-coupling involves the parts of the brain known as the\u00a0limbic system<\/a>, or our emotional\/threat response, and the reptilian brain, which is in charge of body regulation. When these systems perceive a potential threat, they go into a stress<\/a> response. Trauma can occur when that threat feels overwhelming or bigger than our ability to effectively cope with it, and the energy from that stress response gets stuck in our systems, under the surface. The unconscious layers of the brain and body want to avoid any situation like that ever happening again. So when something feels similar to the big, bad thing that happened in the past, our reptile brains lock into the same threat response as the previous time. This happens whether or not the logical mind is aware of any similarity between the previous and current situations.<\/p>\n

That<\/em> is over-coupling. Like a creaky old suit of armor, it\u2019s meant to protect us, but what it really does is get in our way, preventing us from freely living our lives.<\/p>\n

When our limbic, or emotional\/threat response, and reptile, or body regulation brains perceive a potential threat, they go into a stress response …\u00a0The unconscious layers of the brain and body want to avoid any situation like that ever happening again.<\/span><\/p>\n

Over-Coupling Examples<\/h2>\n

Let\u2019s explore the above examples with this new awareness of over-coupling.<\/p>\n