“Your current stress often reflects old survival strategies.” Stress expert Elke Van Hoof on stress as a blueprint and reprogramming the stress system.
Why does your body sometimes react as if there were a threat, even though, objectively speaking, nothing is wrong? And how is it that your stress responses today are shaped by experiences from long ago?
Your stress system learns from past experiences. Stress expert Elke Van Hoof calls this “stress as a blueprint.” Your body not only remembers that stress existed, but especially how intense it was, how long it lasted, and how often it recurred—even when your life and circumstances have since changed.
Long-term studies, such as the Dunedin Study and the ACE (Adverse Childhood Experiences) Study, show how strongly early experiences influence later stress responses. According to Elke, however, there is an important nuance here: this blueprint is not set in stone for the rest of your life. The same research shows that your stress system can adapt as a result of new experiences.
