Cold Water, Diving Reflex, and Regulation Tools

Dr. Jessica Eccles, an award-winning neurodevelopmental psychiatrist, returns for a deep dive into the profound connections between hypermobility, variant connective tissue, and the neurodivergent brain.

In this conversation, she explores why individuals with bendy bodies are significantly more likely to be autistic or have ADHD, and how these conditions create a "spiky profile" of sensory and emotional challenges. Dr. Eccles unpacks the embodied nature of rejection sensitivity, describing it as a physical "punch in the chest" and reveals how improving proprioception (your sense of where you are in space) can actually stabilize emotional regulation.

This episode provides a vital unifying framework for those who have spent years feeling misunderstood by the medical community, offering both a shared narrative and practical tools for healing.

Takeaways:

The Shared Narrative: Healing requires a shared framework between doctor and patient; without a narrative that unifies brain and body symptoms, patients often experience clinician-associated trauma.

Proprioceptive Surprise: Hypermobile individuals often experience "proprioceptive surprise," where uncertainty about the body's position in space directly doubles the risk of emotional dysregulation.

The Physical Side of Rejection: Rejection sensitivity is not just a psychological construct but an embodied experience, often felt as a physical blow or a sudden loss of support.

The Masking Spectrum: Many hypermobile people mask not only neurodivergent traits but also chronic pain from a young age, often assuming their "medical strangeness" is typical for everyone.

Diagnostic Labels vs. Patterns: Dr. Eccles argues that many people diagnosed with borderline personality disorder may actually be autistic or have ADHD, finding that stimulants can often improve impulsivity and emotional stability better than traditional psychiatric medications

Find the episode transcript here.

Want more Dr.Jessica Eccles?

@drbendybrain -- Instagram

@BendyBrainDrJessicaEccles -- YouTube

@BendyBrain -- Linktree

Go to ⁠cozyearth.com⁠ and use my Promo Code: BENDYBOGO

Go to AirDoctorPro.com and use promo code BENDY_ to get UP TO $300 off today!

Want more Dr. Linda Bluestein, MD?

Website: https://www.hypermobilitymd.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@bendybodiespodcast

Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/hypermobilitymd/⁠⁠⁠⁠

Facebook: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/BendyBodiesPodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠

X: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://twitter.com/BluesteinLinda⁠⁠⁠⁠

LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/hypermobilitymd/⁠⁠⁠⁠

Newsletter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://hypermobilitymd.substack.com/

Shop my Amazon store ⁠⁠⁠ https://www.amazon.com/shop/hypermobilitymd

Dr. Bluestein's Recommended Herbs, Supplements and Care Necessities: https://us.fullscript.com/welcome/hypermobilitymd/store-start

Want to learn more about the UVA EDS Center?

For Appointments and Questions: RUVAEDSCenter@uvahealth.org

UVA EDS: https://www.uvahealth.com/healthy-practice/advancing-care-through-ehlers-danlos-clinic

UVA EDS FAQ: https://www.uvahealth.com/support/eds/faq

UVA Pediatric Integrative Medicine: https://childrens.uvahealth.com/specialties/integrative-health

Thank YOU so much for tuning in. We hope you found this episode informative, inspiring, useful, validating, and enjoyable. Join us on the next episode for YOUR time to level up your knowledge about hypermobility disorders and the people who have them.

Join YOUR Bendy Bodies community at ⁠⁠https://www\.bendybodiespodcast\.com/⁠⁠.

YOUR bendy body is our highest priority!⁠⁠

Learn more about Human Content at ⁠⁠⁠http://www\.human-content\.com⁠⁠⁠

Podcast Advertising/Business Inquiries: ⁠⁠⁠sales@human-content.com⁠⁠⁠

Part of the Human Content Podcast Network

FTC: This video is not sponsored. Links are commissionable, meaning I may earn commission from purchases made through links

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices