Sober Synthesis

“At times, our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us.” Albert Schweitzer

What is the Difference Between Gratitude and Thankfulness?

• Thankfulness is a response to a particular event or experience.
• Gratitude is a deeper and more enduring appreciation of life.

How Does a Gratitude Practice Impact Our Neurobiology?

• Neurobiologically, we fluctuate our focus and behavioral motivation for prosocial behaviors and defensive behaviors in an attempt to keep us safe. We have an evolutionary tendency towards the defensive bias. 
  • When a gratitude practice is performed repeatedly and consistently, we can shift prosocial circuits to dominate our mindset.
• Gratitude practices/activities:
  • Enhance the production of serotonin (emotional wellbeing) and dopamine (motivation).
  • Decrease cortisol (stress hormone).
  • Enhance the production of oxytocin.
    • Oxytocin is the primary neuromodulator that drives social bonding.
    • Oxytocin also serves a pivotal role in maintaining both physiological and psychological stability amid a changing environment (resilience).
      • Oxytocin contributes to both homeostasis (internal biological balance) and allostasis (changing in response to the environment). 

What are Elements of the Most Effective Evidence-Based Gratitude Practices?

• Gratitude lists and/or gratitude phrases, although a useful start, only activate our prosocial brain networks mildly.
• The most potent gratitude practice is one in which we recall the memory/story of receiving gratitude and/or listening to a story of another person receiving gratitude.
  • While focusing on a story of receiving gratitude might seem selfish, the focus deeply embeds us in a helping circumstance, reinforcing that core value and social interaction as a prosocial force.
• The second most potent gratitude practice is recalling the memory/story of observing someone express their gratitude towards someone or a group of people.

What are Some Helpful Gratitude Practice Guidelines?

• Ground your gratitude practice in a story/narrative
• Write down three or four simple bullet points that can serve as reminders of that story
  • For example, states of mind before and after the receiving of gratitude, and any other elements that influenced the emotional weight or tone to the story, so that it is embedded in your memory.
• Review these bullet points as a cue to your nervous system of this sense of gratitude.
• Then, for 1-5 minutes feel into that genuine experience of having received gratitude or observed it.
• In terms of frequency, a good rule of thumb is to practice this three times a week, at any time of day.

Proposed Questions for Thought and/or Sharing:

1. Can you recall a memory of receiving gratitude? What feelings (body experiences) and emotions (thoughts) do you experience? 

2. Can you recall a memory of listening to or reading another person’s story of gratitude? What feelings (body experiences) and emotions (thoughts) do you experience? 

3. Do you have a gratitude practice that has enhanced your recovery/health and wellness?

Disclaimer

This summary is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute the practice of medicine or other professional health care services, including the giving of medical advice, and no doctor/patient relationship is formed.