Doug Tataryn on a Physiological Basis for Repression

Dr. Douglas J. Tataryn is a psychologist and researcher whose work spans hypnosis, emotion, chronic pain, meditation, and complementary medicine. He received his Ph.D. in clinical psychology in 1991 from the University of Arizona, then spent ten years as a research professor with the University of Manitoba, before entering private practice in 2001 to focus on his Bio-Emotive Framework. In this conversation we talk about a paper he wrote as an undergrad on the physiological basis of repression, why Doug still finds the triune brain model useful, the electrochemical case for meridian systems, how sadness moves through the body and what happens when it’s blocked, and three significant unpublished studies to which he hopes to finally return.Timestamps0:00:00 – Intro and Caveat0:06:00 – Writing the paper on repressed emotions0:09:40 – Muscle tension and cognition0:12:15 – How muscle tension suppresses emotion0:19:05 – Four core emotions and Doug’s triune brain framework0:22:05 – Defining emotion0:26:30 – Defending the usefulness of the triune brain model0:28:30 – Energy and meridians0:34:00 – Taoist ideas about qi, constriction, and emotional flow0:38:00 – Heart math and energetic transmission0:42:35 – Chronic pain from repressed emotion0:45:20 – Jhana as pain relief0:52:00 – The second arrow, pain asymbolia, and the affective component1:00:00 – The relaxation response1:02:55 – Why tension doesn’t always become chronic pain1:05:30 – How sadness moves through the body1:09:55 – Role of culture in expressions of pain1:15:00 – The emotional meaning of typing1:20:10 – Returning to unpublished research1:31:50 – Leaving and returning to academia1:37:00 – An offering on psychological interventions for the reduction of painLinks* Douglas J. Tataryn’s website* 1983 paper: A Physiological Basis for Repression* Interview on the Deconstructing Yourself podcast* Doug Tatryn’s Summer program on emotions This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit essays.debugyourpain.com