24 October 2019

Rats That Drive and PTSD

Saw rats driving - on the news.  They weren't doing a half bad job of it either.  It was like children steering bumper cars but not so fast and furiously.  See: "Scientists taught rats to drive little rat-sized cars. It could advance human mental health treatment"  It is an excellent article, actually.  This comment is about " 'behaviorceuticals' activities that release hormones that can ward off prolonged stress brought on by corticosterone, [. . .] Anything that reduces stress can build resilience against the onset of mental illness." 

Since PTSD is considered to be a "mental illness" by the health industry the driving rats experiment sheds light on the need to control stress.  I don't know about rats, but people need to process what causes stress to be able to control stress.

I consider PTSD and CPTSD to more accurately be a fixable psychological issue that is the result of involuntary strong emotional response caused by unprocessed stress from trauma - any type of trauma.  Processing can reduce stress and build resilience against triggered automatic strong emotional reaction, since processing can eliminate some and minimize most involuntary strong emotional reactions.  I consider "behaviorceuticals activities" to be preferable to pharmaceuticals for anyone - when possible.  Maybe the driving rats are proof, for those who need it, of how that works.

CBD oil makes a good difference too, these days, as part of self-healing. This is based on what I have read about how it can help with the processing, but also from a conversation with a Viet-Nam veteran with PTSD.  He said it really makes a good difference in his PTSD so that his life is more about thriving than about only surviving.

When the connection between intellect and emotions is healthy, the psyche is strong.  Psyche=spirit (more precisely one's very life force: Greek - breath, life, soul) thus psychological issues are about spiritual health.  It really is that easy to understand.  Mental health is about physical conditions that need to be addressed which can also affect one's mind and body and of course can also compromise the healthy connection between intellect and emotions. 

Of course body chemistry is involved in all aspects of health be it physical conditions or emotional conditions.  And because of the body's endocannabinoid system (ECS)  cannabis makes a good difference in body chemistry that is holistic and contributes to good health all the way around.  (see:   https://www.ultramafic.rocks/2018/02/the-mammalian-endo-cannabinoid-system.html)