Atonal Dissonance:Stress Can Be Good!

34th Annual I&R Training and Education ConferenceNew Orleans, Louisiana

Wednesday, May 22, 201210:45AM – 12:15PM

John Plonski – FacilitatorDirector of Online Supervisors

IMAlive National Hopeline Networkjpnysairs@gmail.com

Workshop Under Construction

You may want to go to another workshop> Or

enjoy the process and stay!

Actually stress helps a species (Homo CIR/CRSapiens) evolve

Stress is a response to a stimulus characterized by heightened physical and psychological arousal response.

Stress is a disruption of the homeostatic balance which may be triggered by alarming experiences, real or imaginary. The body reacts releasing epinephrine (adrenaline), norepinephrine, cortisol and cortisone. This leaves the lower brain functions in control inducing three possible responses to the stressor.

The Primal Coping Defenses . . . Stressor induces one of three

responses

Fight

Flight

Freeze

But then we messed things up and invented stress

management creating a new species –

Stress Management Con$ultoriou$

What stressors do we encounter…On our jobsIn providing I&RIn our communitiesAs an I&R System

Life EventLife Change

UnitsLife Event

Life Change Units

Death of a spouse 100 Trouble with in-laws 29

Divorce 73Outstanding personal achievement 28

Marital separation 65 Spouse starts or stops work 26Imprisonment 63 Begin or end school 26Death of a close family member 63 Change in living conditions 25Personal injury or illness 53 Revision of personal habits 24Marriage 50 Trouble with boss 23

Dismissal from work 47Change in working hours or conditions 20

Marital reconciliation 45 Change in residence 20Retirement 45 Change in schools 20Change in health of family member 44 Change in recreation 19Pregnancy 40 Change in church activities 19Sexual diffi culties 39 Change in social activities 18Gain a new family member 39 Minor mortgage or loan 17Business readjustment 39 Change in sleeping habits 16

Change in financial state 38Change in number of family reunions 15

Change in frequency of arguments 35 Change in eating habits 15Major mortgage 32 Vacation 13Foreclosure of mortgage or loan 30 Christmas 12Change in responsibilities at work 29 Minor violation of law 11Child leaving home 29

Adults

Life EventLife Change

UnitsLife Event

Life Change Units

Getting married 101Breaking up with boyfriend or girlfriend 53

Unwed pregnancy 92Jail sentence of parent for over 30 days 53

Death of parent 87 Beginning to date 51Acquiring a visible deformity 81 Birth of a brother or sister 50Divorce of parents 77 Suspension from school 50

Fathering an unwed pregnancy 77Increase in arguments between parents 47

Becoming involved with drugs or alcohol 76 Loss of job by parent 46Jail sentence of parent for over one year 75

Outstanding personal achievement 46

Marital separation of parents 69 Change in parent's financial status 45Death of a brother or sister 68 Accepted at college of choice 43Change in acceptance by peers 67 Being a senior in high school 42Pregnancy of unwed sister 64 Hospitalization of a sibling 41

Death of a close friend 63Increased absence of parent from home 38

Discovery of being an adopted child 63 Brother or sister leaving home 37Marriage of parent to step-parent 63 Addition of third adult to family 34Having a visible congenital deformity 62

Becoming a full-fledged member of a church 31

Serious illness requiring hospitalization 58

Decrease in arguments between parents 27

Failure of a grade in school 56Decrease in arguments with parents 26

Hospitalization of a parent 55 Mother or father beginning work 26Not making an extracurricular activity 55

Youth

Then there are what we will term “Autonomic Coping

Defenses”.

Autonomic Coping Defenses protect the individual from consciously

experiencing anxiety and engage automatically when the homeostatic

balance is upset.

Autonomic Coping Defenses include but are

not limited to.

• Avoidance • Delusions • Denial • Displacement • Dissociation • Hallucinations • Intellectualization • Isolation

• Projection • Rationalization • Reaction Formation • Repression • Somatization • Splitting • Suppression