Personal Synthesis and the ECS: A Transdiagnostic Mechanism for How Trauma Breaks Down Self

In this course, Dr. Jamie Rickcord traces the history of the endocannabinoid system (ECS), showing how it has been present in all mammalian species for over 500 million years. Observing that stress and trauma are generally bad for human systems, Dr. Rickcord notes that the higher levels of consciousness, and thus a coherent sense of self, are lost first when we are overwhelmed. He gives a detailed analysis of the role of the ECS in the stress response and in helping to achieve conscious control of homeostatic function. He suggests that this aspect of our biology can be more fully appreciated when there is a paradigmatic shift in modern medicine away from reductionism toward mind-body holism.