ENCINITAS, Calif. , June 25,
2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Stress has long been identified
as a possible causal factor for multiple sclerosis (MS). A new
article by Fauver, Clark, and Schwartz published in
Frontiers in Integrative Neuroscience describes the
Developmental Model of Stress. It provides a research-based
framework for understanding the role of thoughts and beliefs in
disease development and treatment. It documents a set of
stress-related beliefs and behaviors common to people with MS, and
that differ from those found in other diseases. And a pilot study
designed to change those beliefs and behaviors showed clinically
important improvements among people with MS.
The mind's influence on stress
The Developmental Model of Stress shows a person's
interpretation and response to stressful events is guided by core
beliefs about themselves and others that were developed in early
childhood. If the core beliefs are negative, they persist through
life, shaping how the person experiences and responds to the world
around them. This can lead to them experiencing ever higher levels
of stress, and increased physical problems from the body's stress
response.
Listening to people makes a difference
The problem is these negative core beliefs are mostly
unconscious, and therefore difficult to measure. Author
Eva M. Clark has spent 10 years
working with people with MS and other chronic diseases, helping
them recognize and change these unconscious core beliefs. In doing
so, she recognized patterns in the beliefs her clients presented
with. The paper includes a content analysis of these unconscious
core beliefs, showing those found in people with MS are different
from those found in people with other diseases. She also recognized
a unique combination of stressful experiences prior to onset.
Developing the model
The types of stress reported by people with MS are not well
represented in the medical literature. They are, however, fully
described in the psychological literature. Health psychology shows
a strong relationship between these kinds of stress and disease
development. This paper combines these areas of knowledge into a
new framework for understanding stress and disease. It includes
three categories of stress factors - Predisposing factors, the
negative core beliefs learned in early childhood that lead to
ongoing and increasing stress levels; Triggering factors, the acute
stresses immediately preceding disease onset; and Reinforcing
factors, the ongoing stresses associated with managing a serious
disease.
Treating the mind treats the disease
Most mind-body treatments are designed to help people cope with
having a serious disease, working only with the third category of
stress. The research team did a pilot study testing the effects of
a treatment designed to identify and change the problematic beliefs
and behaviors in all three of the model's categories. People with
MS showed large improvements in both physical and mental
health.
Lead author Dr. Michelle Fauver
said, "This adds a new dimension to mind-body medicine. It shows
that particular patterns of thought may lead to the development of
particular diseases, and that changing those patterns of thought
may effectively treat the disease."
Media Contact:
Michelle Fauver
379568@email4pr.com
1-650-353-8203
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SOURCE Michelle Fauver,
Eva M. Clark and Carolyn E. Schwartz