SCHOOL OF BREATHING SCIENCES
305 Psychophysiology, Anxiety, & Stress
In emergencies, physical or psychological, our dependence on optimal cardiopulmonary function can be vital to short term survival. In the long term, our learned physiological and psychological responses to stress, such as breathing, may have profound effects on health and performance. This course includes: (1) The CNS as the neural substrate for stress – Papez circuit, limbic system, amygdala; (2) Features and functions of the sympathetic and parasympathetic divisions of the ANS; (3) Emotions – physiological correlates and respiratory concomitants; (4) Drugs of abuse and breathing; (5) Biometric ANS relationships, e.g., GSR and HRV and autonomic balancing processes that involve breathing, e.g., meditation, yogic pranayama, tai chi, and qigong; (6) Endocrine considerations – behavioral and hormonal factors; and (7) Consequences of stressful conditions, e.g., chronic fatigue, chronic stress, fibromyalgia, depression, learned helplessness, and PTSD.