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Physiological Dampening

Meaning

Physiological Dampening refers to the active, controlled process of reducing or mitigating excessive and inappropriate physiological responses, particularly those originating from the sympathetic nervous system and the acute stress cascade. The goal of this process is to intentionally lower the body’s overall state of arousal, resulting in a measurable reduction in heart rate, blood pressure, and the excessive release of stress hormones like cortisol. Dampening is a core clinical strategy for mitigating the long-term, detrimental effects of chronic allostatic load on the cardiovascular and endocrine systems.