Switzerland
SWITZERLAND, TEA, AND CORTISOL > Working in Basel Switzerland for a couple of weeks late-winter I relished the opportunity to ski Zermatt on my free weekend so caught the Friday evening trains to the Alps and was rewarded with a stunning view of the Matterhorn at dawn. Never did I imagine the sense of awe the Swiss Alps would command without seeing them first-hand.
The ski tech in the rental shop asked what kind of equipment I’d would like so I told him something good for moguls. He replied matter of factly “Zermatt doesn’t have moguls”, and met my bewildered and astonished look with a smile explaining that the entire area is above tree line and all the runs are groomed nightly. “Giant Slalom, please!” grinning in anticipation of what was destined to be the mother of all cruiser days - I was not disappointed.
The following morning, still a bit jet-lagged, I was up quite early and wandered down to the chalet’s common area to read for a couple hours until breakfast. Delighted at my luck of finding the light switches in the kitchen and everything I needed to brew a cup of tea, I was just filling my mug with hot water when two women arrived carrying baskets of fresh bread and fruit. Perfect, I thought, the morning staff has arrived and they might be able to offer me a wedge of lemon or a drip of honey to round out the perfect cup of tea. One of them, in shocked disbelief, demanded what I was doing in the kitchen.
With a smile and friendly “good morning” I explained I couldn’t sleep and was making a cup of tea, but before I could get around to asking about honey she bellowed, “You’re not supposed to be here!”. Though voiced in a thick French accent, the meaning of her words would have been unmistakable in any language. I apologized sincerely, maintaining a calm and respectful presence hoping kind pleasantries might melt her glower of icy indignation. She scowled “You can’t be here, go to your room!” I couldn’t help chuckling to myself at the surreal nature of the situation.
The last time I was told to go to my room was in grade school, so this happening now as an adult, as a guest at the hotel, and by the hotel staff, all for want of a cup of tea was really something. I began gathering my things but in a futile attempt to connect to the human heart I knew must be inside this woman somewhere, I asked if she knew any coffee shops nearby that might be open. “No! Ask the receptionist at 7!!” Ouch. Moving to the lobby area, I took a seat no less than 15 feet from where I was before but NOT in “her” dining area. Though she began her work of setting the tables without another word, trying to shut me out of her very existence, the silence was deafening.
Sitting, I could feel my body in a state of panic with tight shoulders, elevated heart rate, trembling, anxiety, … reacting to what must have been a massive cortisol release now coursing through my veins. The mind, however, seemed calm and even laughing at the ridiculousness of the whole thing. But, like a scratch on a record, the scene kept replaying in my head over and over, each time adding fuel to the emotional wildfire. Unable to do anything else, I began journaling to soothe and ground the energy, though it took over an hour for my system to settle and regain balance.
Always the curious scientist, I wondered how non-life threatening situations, like an upset hotel staff member half my age, might trigger a massive fight or flight reaction in my body as if I’m about to be eaten by a tiger. Could past traumatic events have encoded this type of reaction into my nervous system? And, most importantly, can one’s nervous system be retrained to disarm and rewire old defense mechanisms so as to distinguish and respond with greater nuance to the actual level of threat in new situations?
Fortunately, the fields of Neuroscience, Psychology, and clinical therapy have come a long way in showing the answer is unequivocally ‘Yes’, and that our brains aren’t a static blob of declining grey matter that I was taught as a kid - bravo Neuroplasticity!
Ruby Jo Walker’s chart LINK HERE (adapted from the work of Sanders, Wheeler, and Porges) offers an excellent summary of Polyvagal theory which is one of the many remarkable advances in Neuroscience.
