Decoding the language of the heart: Developing a physiology of inclusion

Abstract

Constructs such as homeostasis and fight/flight have supported a scientific approach to physiology that has yielded a vast database of obvious heuristic value. Yet in spite of its value, these constructs have tended to create a mind-set that unwittingly supports what this article has labeled a "physiology of exclusion." Reinforced by the philosophy of René Descartes, this perspective has led investigators to focus on isolated or separate animal organisms that are reflexively wired for self-preservation. It has created a mind-set in which both research investigators and the public at large tend to view the human body as either in a steady state of vigilance, maximally prepared for fight/flight, or in a state of quiescence. Assumptions of the solitary body, and solitary man wired to react for "self" preservation, has made it difficult to incorporate a growing body of evidence that indicates that social support and loving relationships are conducive to good health. It also has made it difficult for investigators to fully understand why human loneliness is a major cause of premature death. This article delineates these trends and offers a new construct, one that suggests that a "physiology of inclusion" be added to the prevailing view of a "physiology of exclusion." Recent cardiovascular research is cited to help underscore the potential heuristic value of this new physiological construct.

Group Cohesion and Working Alliance: Prediction of Treatment Outcome in Cardiac Patients Receiving Cognitive Behavioral Group Psychotherapy

“…One interpretation of the latter finding could be that patients scoring high on intermember group cohesion may feel more at ease and safe in the presence of other group members and therefore gain more from the relaxation exercises, which were often reported to have a positive effect on blood pressure [37, 38, 39, 40]. This interpretation is in agreement with Lynch’s view [41, 42]that feeling safe in the presence of others increases the positive effects of treatment on blood pressure, while feeling uncomfortable in the presence of others leads to negative effects on blood pressure. As an illustration of this effect, our study patients scoring ≥27 on the Bond-M scale showed a pre- to posttreatment improvement of systolic blood pressure (mean systolic blood pressure, 138 and 133, respectively; Cohen’s d = 0.22), whereas patients scoring <27 on this scale showed a deterioration of systolic blood pressure (mean systolic blood pressure, 144 and 150, respectively; Cohen’s d = –0.55).…”

Pathways to Illness, Pathways to Health

“…As Dunbar's early work indicated, researchers have long recognized that life events involving separation and loss are powerful in producing distress and dysfunction in the human organism. James Lynch, in his The Broken Heart : The Medical Consequences of Loneliness ( 1977 ) , and later publications (Lynch, 1998 ;Lynch & Convey, 1979 ) highlighted the importance of separation, loss, and loneliness in triggering cardiovascular illness and other forms of medical and psychiatric illness. Both morbidity and mortality increase following signi fi cant losses.…”

Eight survival strategies in traumatic stress.

“…The second prong, ably summarized by Kira (2001), indicated that there was a gradation from A Case for More Survival Strategies PTSD emphasizes fight and flight responses in its fourth criterion. Lynch (1998) noted, however, that for PTSD to see humans as hard-wired only for fight and flight was too restrictive. It ignored other strategies, which dealt with, say, abandonment, loss, and need to save others' lives.…”