PSYCHOPHYSIOLOGY OF STRESS: FIRE ALARM EXAMPLE

Psychophysiological reaction to a crisis: Stimulus (smoke/fire) > Perception (smell smoke/ see fire) > Appraisal (is it serious or life-threatening) > Arousal (get scared, tense up run for help) > Disruption (heart pounding, out of breath, cold hands) > Prolonged reaction (worry about insurance, fear of another fire) > Possible anxiety disorder (insomnia, panic).

Mind-body interaction: Brain-behavior link. Often, the link is so strong that our thoughts & worries can become self-fulfilling prophecies. e.g. You are afraid that you will fail the test, worry and fall ill and will probably end up failing the test.

Suggestible physiology: A person feels that the situation is changed by just the idea that it has. This is used during hypnosis, trance, placebo (just believing it can cure can act as a cure), healing, relapse, remission. The last two are also dependent on the way a person thinks or feels. Often, if a patient believes he or she cannot become better or loses hope of cure, it can lead to a relapse. Courage and the will to beat the situation can lead to a remission.