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Introduction   |   Theory   |   Summary   |   Application   |   Audio/Video   |   Easy & Simple   |   Appendices

A systems view of biological health

Section 4: Application and Practical exercises

8.11 : Misc notes 11 : Movement (as a means to regulation and recalibration)

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So far as your body is concerned, movement - the ability to move [2], the quality of movement, the type of movement - is of primary importance.

A study of mice [1] shows that freely chosen movement (running) can renew neural connections and completely wipe out the effects of PTSD. However, it's not just movement itself, because your mental-emotional state and expectations and attention strongly qualify and contextualise the meaning of the movement.

And here we come down to the difference between humans and animals. Humans (at least the ones in our 21st century western digital-techno-industrial society) tend to focus on what's wrong. In contrast animals are intrinsically optimistic, and (if not suffering from PTSD) are always actively calibrating themselves against their environment so that they settle into real safety quite quickly.

So yes - running can help bring about an innate sense of safety, BUT most people who run because they have PTSD find that it is a temporary fix rather than a long term solution. For the same exercise to have a more lasting effect you probably need to understand and apply the rest of the material here. Most of all, movement will bring a lasting sense of safety IF there is a simultaneous genuinely interested focus on the (genuine) joy of moving and a genuine enjoyment of the landscape you are moving in or the company you are in.

It is also worth noting that exercise of the legs (i.e. placing mechanical stress on the long bones of the legs) through walking and running produces adrenaline [5] - so perhaps counter-intuitively, you might find a greater reserve of eneryg if you move rather than try to lie down to conserv energy. Also it has been found that exercise of the leg bones stimulates the liver to produce GDLP1 [3], which protects the brain from degenerative diseases and also helps to repair the brain after damage [4]. This principle can also extend to the rest of the body - getting up and moving is good for the metabolic/immune system, and is not only about exercising muscle.

References & Notes

1)  Vladimir Hedrih (December 9, 2024) Hippocampal neurogenesis decreases PTSD symptoms in mice, study finds. Psypost, describing the original paper : Fujikawa, R., Ramsaran, A.I., Guskjolen, A. et al. (2024) Neurogenesis-dependent remodeling of hippocampal circuits reduces PTSD-like behaviors in adult mice. Mol Psychiatry 29, 3316–3329. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41380-024-02585-7
2)  see Notes on Reframes - movement and relaxation
3)  UCal Press Release (February 20, 2026) Scientists reveal how exercise protects the brain from Alzheimer’s https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/02/260219040752.htm
4)  Wang, D., Zhang, HX., Yan, GJ. et al. Voluntary running wheel exercise induces cognitive improvement post traumatic brain injury in mouse model through redressing aberrant excitation regulated by voltage-gated sodium channels 1.1, 1.3, and 1.6. Exp Brain Res 242, 205–224 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00221-023-06734-2
5)  University of Columbia (September 12, 2019) Bone, Not Adrenaline, Drives Fight or Flight Response https://www.cuimc.columbia.edu/news/bone-not-adrenaline-drives-fight-or-flight-response

 
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