Last week we learned about the Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) and that it has two major nerves. They are the sympathetic which is the stress response (fight or flight) and the parasympathetic, which calms the system. Each time we breathe we activate one and then the other. The inhale activates the sympathetic nerve, and the exhale activates the parasympathetic. We learned about paradoxical and vertical breathing and how both types of breathing will over-activate the sympathetic nerve. Finally, we learned how correcting our breathing is the first most basic step towards calming the system.
The next step is understanding our body chemicals (or hormones). Our body chemicals are the ones that send and receive information between our nervous system, brain, and our vital organs. So, they have both a psychological and somatic effect on us. Building or lowering these to the ideal level takes more time and work than correcting our breathing. And that’s why this series will revolve around visual aids. We are starting with charts of what happens when each hormone is too low, (deficient) when it’s ideal, and when it’s too high. That way you get to see the overall arc of what’s going on in succession.
Just one more thing. We are using only the ten most relevant to trauma. What are they? They are listed and defined in section 3 of Trauma Glossary 3. There are an overwhelming number of hormones in our bodies and if we address them all, we won’t retain the most vital pieces. So, in this article, we are hedging down even more and keep our focus just on the most relevant hormones for the sympathetic nerve, or “stress hormones.” Here is the chart we will be referring to:
Dopamine as a Hormone for the Sympathetic Nerve
Neurotransmitters, body chemicals, hormones, whichever one it is you use in your keyword search, what’s the first hormone that’s just slammed in your face where trauma is concerned? Cortisol-cortisol-cortisol! It’s everywhere; “it’s too low, it’s too high. It’s not regulated and you need SSRI’s to regulate it. (SSRI’s, also known as medically administered serotonin boosts, but we will get into serotonin next week.) But the true “top dog” of our hormones is dopamine! Anything we do, (even sleeping) involves dopamine. So, what does that tell you, besides the fact that you’re going to see dopamine in fresh charts next week, and the week after? Hopefully, you’re thinking that it might be a good idea to start regulating your dopamine levels.
There are things we can do naturally that can regulate certain neurotransmitters. There are also things we do naturally that cause the imbalance. Just look at what happens when we isolate or develop an addiction. Either one has the power to throw off our dopamine levels.
Low Dopamine
Depression and fatigue belong together because what happens when we grieve? We get sleepy, or even cry ourselves to sleep. Anhedonia depression is one example of blunted emotions, or emotional numbness. Two more examples are in Trauma Glossary 2. They are alexithymia and depersonalization. With alexithymia, there isn’t much emotional awareness, we think we are “just okay” most of the time. Depersonalization is when we are at a complete emotional flatline.
Now that we have covered the emotional symptoms of dopamine deficiency, what about our cognitive and motor skills? Well, we have unfocused attention and also poor coordination. I still recall the lightbulb I got from the latter when I first researched dopamine. Back in my childhood, while enduring multiple traumas, I was the absolute worst in gym class. I was poorly coordinated and I had zero sense of motor timing (catching or hitting the ball).
Dopamine Ideal to High
There’s a fine line between habits and addictions. The more broadened and well-rounded the habits, the better chance we have at having dopamine at the ideal levels. Dopamine is our motivation and reward system. It’s our reason for getting up and taking on the day. When we are motivated, we are alert and focused. It’s key to building confidence and developing our habits. How so? Dopamine says, “I want” (motivation) and each time we get what we want, (reward system) we learn which actions work best for us (habits).
Just to prove that we’re talking about more than mere chemical addictions, I have an example of workaholism (me). Back in May of 2021, I was building the toolboxes that we now have on this site. I finished the first toolbox a day earlier than planned and instead of feeling proud of myself, I shame spiraled (Trauma Glossary 2). Cognitively, I knew that I had accomplished a lot in a short amount of time. Emotionally, the day felt as wasted as though I had done nothing. Not only is it an example of all incentive and no sense of reward, but I was also suffering withdrawals from the action itself.
High levels of dopamine are most commonly experienced in toxic relationships that make one anxious. (Anxious attachment style, but more on that later in the series when we cover the hormones for attachments.)
When the dopamine is stuck on high, however, it brings out behavioral traits of the cluster B personality disordered (Trauma Glossary 1).
Cortisol as a Hormone for the Sympathetic Nerve
If we remember cortisol first as a stress response we can better understand why it does what it does both psychologically and somatically. Think of primitive times when encountering a predator. Do we choose fight or flight? If so, our cortisol levels rise. But if we give up (freeze or collapse mode) because escape is futile, our cortisol levels drop. Over time, after encountering the same threat and determining which response works, our cortisol levels get stuck on high or low.
Psychological
Notice how low dopamine and cortisol have numbness, fatigue, and the blunted emotions in common.
Somatic
Cortisol and the Immune System
Cortisol and the immune system have an inverse relationship. When cortisol is low, the immune system goes into overdrive. When it’s high, the immune system is suppressed. The latter of which makes us vulnerable to diseases, like cancer.
The reason makes perfect sense if you remember that high cortisol is fight or flight, and that low cortisol is collapse mode. When we are sick, we are in collapse mode, and that’s when our immune system kicks in to fight off the infection. Then as we recover, our cortisol rises back up, which signals to our immune system that it can relax now. So, without our cortisol rising, the immune system continues to treat the body as though it’s sick. But without an infection to fight, it starts turning on itself over time. This is how we develop autoimmune disorders, such as fibromyalgia.
Blood and Digestion
Being a major neurotransmitter for the sympathetic nerve, it should come as no surprise that cortisol also regulates our blood. And what have we learned so far regarding high cortisol? It thinks it’s in fight or flight mode, which causes the blood to pump harder and faster. So, over time, this leads to high blood pressure and also high blood sugar, such as diabetes and hypoglycemia.
Low cortisol overproduces stomach acids and high cortisol doesn’t produce enough. We require stomach acid to help us digest food. Too much stomach acid (low cortisol) creates an overactive digestion, or digestive disturbances such as acid reflux or IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome).
Not enough acid (high cortisol) and we get weight gain due to a sluggish digestion. That’s because when the body is stuck in fight or flight mode, or when we’re out-running a predator, digestion is considered non-essential.
Final Two Hormones for the Sympathetic Nerve
Epinephrine activates in emergencies, when we have to act quick. We get the adrenaline rush, all the blood goes to the muscles and we’re more strong and have more energy in the moment. Norepinephrine assists adrenaline in these emergencies by giving it focused attention.
Focused attention? Does that sound familiar? That’s how norepinephrine is a converter for both cortisol and dopamine. Dopamine says “I want” and norepinephrine says “Let’s go!” It takes dopamine’s motivation and uses it to focus on whatever action is required to get dopamine what it wants. So, as you can see, it all comes full circle.
Further Reading
There are tools for both cortisol and dopamine in section 3 of Master Toolbox 2. If you would like a deeper understanding on each hormone, I wrote a series of (3) articles a while back.
The first was on cortisol, why it’s the “boss” of epinephrine and norepinephrine, and how these three work together. It also explains the science of trauma’s “Big T’s” and “small t’s.” (No, big and small t’s are not implying a competition. It’s how our emotions got blunted so we could survive daily abuses.) That article is here.
Next is dopamine, how our habits develop, and how the practice of incentive and reward is key to building confidence. That article is here.
Finally, norepinephrine, which includes four fresh visual aids. Norepinephrine is the most underestimated hormone, but being a converter for two major hormones, understanding this one is crucial. That article is here.
Next week, we will be using charts on the hormones for the parasympathetic nerve, the very one who says to the sympathetic nerve, “Let’s calm down already.” Fortunately, there are a larger number of those than this primary stress response group. Dopamine will be returning, of course and that’s because dopamine works for both, it’s just up to us on how we use it which will determine our levels, low, ideal, or high?