Mental-Emotional Stress

Chronic emotional stress can create altered states of brain chemistry and dysregulation in the hormonal system.  There is a paired gland in the brain called the amygdala, which interprets life experiences as either positive or negative. If a particular experience is interpreted as negative, signals from the amygdala are sent to another set of paired glands called the adrenals, which then begin to produce stress hormones. If the stress remains constant, the hormonal system has little to no chance of recovering unless these stressors are able to be resolved. We currently live in a culture that places great expectations on deadlines and social pressures, which has led to an increasing epidemic of adrenal gland related disorders.