Touch and Our Nervous System During the Pandemic

From My Interview with Posta Newspaper:

A PSYCHIATRIC PANDEMIC IS EXPECTED

With so much risk, why do people gather to celebrate a victory? I cannot understand it...

Rituals take time to evolve. Together, we will see what kind of solution emerges from the interplay between culture and safety. There are significant differences between Eastern and Western cultural structures. While European culture prioritizes individualization, Eastern societies are built around collective living. Safer spaces and lives with less physical contact will change collective living, large families, and individuality alike.

Divorce applications have increased worldwide. Why?

For many people, this was the first time they had spent so much time with members of their household. The intolerance and anger caused by the traumatic impact of the situation and the stress are only the tip of the iceberg. We anticipated that these feelings could lead to unexpected crises at home and consequential decisions. Yet for many couples, the exact opposite happened. They got to know each other better and found a valuable opportunity to build a fulfilling life together. 

As babies, we equate love with touch. Does this change as we grow up?

Touch is both a psychological and a physical need for humans. As with all mammals, our nervous system is adapted to being with others. Our nervous system knows that without another person, we cannot survive either. In other words, we need “attachment.” Many behaviors, such as watching, crying, smiling, clinging, and non-nutritive sucking, help the baby form an attachment. We continue slightly modified versions of these behaviors in adulthood. Especially during stressful times, we very quickly revert to early attachment patterns.

MANDATORY RESTRICTIONS ON PHYSICAL CLOSENESS CAN TAKE AN EMOTIONAL TOLL

Why does a baby associate love with touch?

Because the speech and visual centers in a baby's brain have not yet fully matured, a newborn regulates their “emotional thermostat” through their mother's warmth and touch. As their mother (or another caregiver in her place) touches them, the baby feels safe. We have nervous systems organized around touch, both psychologically and physically. Particularly during the pandemic, mandatory restrictions on physical closeness can take an emotional toll on us. They can strain our nervous system. But for now, they are necessary...

We touch our faces approximately three thousand times a day. Why do we do this?

Touching ourselves is a way of seeking balance. Making contact with our own body is just as important as staying in contact with someone else. Let me explain: when we sense danger in the outside world, we either run away, freeze, or fight it. But we cannot run away from internal threats, nor can we fight them. It is harder to recognize the internal “false enemy.”

I assume you are talking about our minds and the uncontrolled thoughts they produce...

Yes. Especially under stress, thoughts and emotions affect us so strongly that all our attention turns toward them. There is a threat within, and “all the cameras” turn toward our thoughts.

Yet thoughts are just thoughts...

Exactly. And no thought can be 100 percent true. So rather than believing them to be absolute truths, we need to direct the “cameras” toward our five senses and our body from time to time, so that we can recognize them as nothing more than passing thoughts. This is why feeling our body and staying in touch with it is so important. That is why we bring our hands to our faces, especially when we are under stress.

From shaking hands to sexual intimacy, our physical interaction with others is our way of saying, “I am here too,” isn't it?

Yes. Completely cutting off physical contact is not sustainable for very long. We should take the precautions recommended by scientists and, instead of saying, “Contact with others is not safe,” say, “I can have contact with others safely by taking various precautions.”

HYGIENE BEFORE AND AFTER SEX IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN EVER

We are facing a situation similar to the HIV/AIDS crisis in the 1990s. Could we have reached the end of having multiple sexual partners, at least for the near future?

It is true that we are experiencing a period of fear similar to the HIV/AIDS crisis. Even so, science today is further ahead than it was then. Our knowledge of the virus is much better. Yes, stigmatization and exclusion are still widespread. Healthcare workers and those who have recovered from the virus have to battle society's attitudes at least as much as the virus itself. Still, the AIDS/HIV crisis taught us a great deal about fighting stigma. If we have reached the end of having multiple sexual partners, then we must also have reached the end of all group events, meetings, and sporting matches. But of course, some things will change.

Such as?

Every crisis contains its own solutions. Covid-19 is not a sexually transmitted virus; it has not yet been detected in semen or vaginal fluid, but we still need to take the necessary precautions. The recommendations of the Association for Sexual Education, Treatment and Research (CETAD) should be taken into account.

What are these recommendations?

In brief: have sex with people who are “close” to you. Be careful during sexual activity. Covid-19 is easily transmitted through kissing. Avoid kissing anyone outside your close circle. Condoms and dental dams reduce contact and are important. Hygiene before and after sex is more important than ever. If you or your partner

has Covid-19, avoid sexual activity and especially kissing.

How should people who struggle with emotional depth and attachment, or who prefer one-night stands and dating apps, adapt to this new period?

People who struggle with emotional depth and attachment may turn to binge-eating episodes, high-risk sports, or heavy alcohol/substance use. This risk is always present. “Muting” the underlying need in this way in the short term can lead to depression in the long term. We frequently encounter needs of this kind in therapy. Psychotherapy is precisely a process aimed at helping people live fulfilling lives in this respect. It also aims to develop various skills that eliminate the need for “muting,” even before depression develops.

DO NOT JUDGE OR STIGMATIZE—HELP

 As we enter the fourth month of the pandemic in Turkey, what kinds of psychological disorders has it caused to increase in the country?

A psychiatric pandemic is expected immediately after the Covid-19 pandemic. Quarantine, our losses, and intense uncertainty and fear will trigger many disorders in society, particularly post-traumatic stress disorder. These include sleep disorders, panic disorder, depressive symptoms, and generalized anxiety disorder... Unfortunately, as this process continues, we need to remain vigilant, strengthen our psychological resilience, and guide our loved ones who need treatment toward appropriate care as soon as possible, without judging or stigmatizing them.  

Link: https://www.posta.com.tr/yazarlar/isil-cinmen/neden-dokunmaya-ihtiyacimiz-var-2262558