Category: polyvagaltheory

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Social Miasm Theory: The Biology of a Sick Society

How Suppression Shapes Our Bodies, Minds, and the World We Live In

Hey hey, Welcome back! Today’s episode connects beautifully to something many of you resonated with in my earlier show, Science or Stagnation? The Risk of Unquestioned Paradigms. In that episode, we talked about scientism… not science itself, but the dogma that forms around certain scientific ideas.

Science or Stagnation? The Risk of Unquestioned Paradigms

That’s why voices like Rupert Sheldrake have always fascinated me. Sheldrake, for those unfamiliar, isn’t a fringe crank. He’s a Cambridge-trained biologist who dared to question what he calls the “ten dogmas of modern science”: that nature is mechanical, that the mind is only the brain, that the laws of nature are fixed, that free will is an illusion, and so on.

When he presented these questions in a TED Talk, it struck such a nerve that the talk was quietly taken down. And that raised an obvious question: If the ideas are so wrong… why not let them stand and fall on their own? Why censor them unless they hit something tender? All of this sets the stage for today’s conversation.

Because the theory we’re exploring, Social Miasm Theory, fits right inside that tension between mainstream assumptions and the alternative frameworks we often dismiss too quickly.

My friend Stephinity Salazar just published a fascinating piece of research arguing that suppression  (of toxins, trauma, emotion, and truth) is the root pattern underlying both chronic illness and our wider social dysfunction. It’s a theory that steps outside the materialist worldview and challenges the mechanistic lens we’ve all been taught to see through.

  • Dr. Stephinity Salazar
  • Hoop Camp Retreat
  • Yarmony Grass 2008

You don’t have to agree with everything…that’s not the goal here.

What I love is the chance to explore, to ask good questions, and to stay grounded while examining ideas that stretch our understanding.

This blog is your guide to the episode, so you can track the concepts, explore the references, and dive deeper while you listen.

So, with that, let’s dive into Social Miasm Theory: what it is, where it comes from, why it matters, and what it might reveal about the world we’re living in today.

What Are Miasms, Anyway?

To anchor our conversation, Stephinity starts by grounding the concept of “miasms” in its homeopathic roots. Historically, Samuel Hahnemann (founder of homeopathy) described three primary miasms:

  • Psora, linked to scabies or skin conditions
  • Syphilis, associated with destructive disease
  • Sycosis, with overgrowth and tissue proliferation

Since then, the theory has expanded. Many modern homeopaths now talk about five chronic miasms, adding:

These aren’t diseases…they’re patterns. A kind of “constitutional operating system.”

Stephinity’s work takes this a step further:
If individuals can have miasms, societies can too.

It’s an ambitious idea. And honestly? A compelling one when you consider what’s happening globally.

Why Social Miasm Theory Matters

Suppression doesn’t stay in the body. It echoes outward into culture, politics, ecosystems, and collective behavior.

She breaks suppression into four types:

  • Toxic suppression: chemicals, pollutants, EMFs, pathogens
  • Emotional suppression: trauma, grief, stress, unprocessed feelings
  • Psychological suppression: denial, cognitive dissonance, fear-driven attachment to ideology
  • Truth suppression: propaganda, censorship, disinformation, scientific dogma

When these forms of suppression accumulate, she argues, they create a “social miasm”: a pathological field that shapes everything from public health to political polarization.

Even if you don’t buy every mechanism she proposes, the metaphor works. And the patterns are hard to ignore.

Evidence, Epistemology, and Skeptics: What Counts as “Real”?

This is the part my skeptical listeners will perk up for.

In the interview, I asked her the question I knew many of you were thinking:
“How do you define evidence within this framework? What would you want skeptical listeners to understand before judging it?”

Stephinity argues that the modern scientific lens is too narrow. Not wrong—but incomplete. She sees value in:

  • case studies
  • pattern recognition
  • field effects
  • resonance models
  • historical cycles
  • experiential knowledge

Whether or not you agree, her challenge to mechanistic materialism echoes thinkers like Rupert Sheldrake, IONS researchers, and even physicists questioning entropic cosmology.

And she’s not claiming this replaces science. She’s asking what science misses when it refuses to look beyond the physical.

Suppression: What It Looks Like in Real Life

Stephinity’s paper covers how suppression shows up on multiple levels. Here are a few examples she explores:

  • Overuse of symptom-suppressive medications
  • Emotional avoidance that pushes trauma deeper
  • Social pressure to conform
  • Institutional censorship
  • Environmental toxins that overwhelm the microbiome
  • Radiation and electromagnetic exposures

She frames suppression as a terrain problem: when the body or society becomes too acidic, stressed, toxic, or disconnected, the miasm takes root.

This is where we start to cross into the biological, psychological, and social layers—which brings us to one of my favorite parts of her theory.

Neuroparasitology: When Parasites Change Behavior

The concept of a new branch of science of neuroparasitology. Study of the influence of parasites on the activity of the brain.

This is the section I teased in the podcast because it’s both wild and backed by real research.

Stephinity references studies showing that parasites can alter host behavior not just in insects or rodents, but potentially in humans too. Her paper cites examples like helminths, nematodes, mycotoxins, and other microorganisms (McAuliffe, 2016; Colaiacovo, 2021). These organisms are everywhere, not just in “developing countries” (Yu, 2010).

Researchers have documented parasites that:

  • influence mood
  • shift risk-taking
  • modify sexual attraction
  • impair impulse control
  • change social patterns

This is what Dawkins called the extended phenotype (1982): the parasite’s genes expressing themselves through the host’s behavior. Neuroparasitologists Hughes & Libersat (2019) and Johnson (2020) have shown how certain infections can shift personality traits in specific, predictable ways.

Stephinity ties this into terrain: parasites tend to thrive in acidic, low-oxygen, stressed, radiative environments (Clark, 1995; Tennant, 2013; Cerecedes, 2015). In her view, chronic suppression creates exactly that kind of internal ecosystem.

But there’s another layer here. One that isn’t biological at all.

This is where philosopher Daniel Dennett enters the chat.

In Breaking the Spell, Dennett describes “parasites of the mind”: ideas that spread not because they’re true, but because they’re incredibly good at hijacking human psychology. These mental parasites latch onto our cognitive wiring the same way biological one’s latch onto the nervous system. They survive by exploiting:

  • fear
  • moral impulses
  • tribal loyalty
  • the desire for certainty
  • social pressure
  • existential insecurity

According to Dennett, religious dogmas, conspiracy theories, and ideological extremes act like memetic parasites: they replicate by using us, encouraging us to host them and then pass them on.

In other words: not all parasites live in the gut. Some live in the mind.

And…..we even discussed how billionaire Les Wexner once publicly described having a “dybbuk spirit” a kind of parasitic entity in Jewish folklore known for influencing personality. Whether symbolic or literal, the analogy fits. 🫨😮

Her point is simple:
When the terrain is weak, something else will fill the space.

Whether that “something” is trauma, ideology, toxicity, or a literal parasite… the mechanism rhymes.

Collective Delusion and Mass Psychosis

Drawing on Jung and Dostoevsky, Stephinity explores the idea that societies can enter “psychic epidemics.”

You’ve seen this. We all have…

The last decade has been a masterclass in how fear, propaganda, and emotional suppression create predictable patterns:

  • polarization
  • tribal thinking
  • moral panics
  • ideological possession
  • scapegoating
  • censorship
  • intolerance of nuance

She argues these are symptoms of a cultural miasm—not failures of individual character.

Whether you lean left, right, or somewhere out in the wilderness, you’ve likely felt this rising tension. And it’s hard not to see how unresolved collective trauma feeds it.

COVID as a Catalyst: What the Pandemic Revealed

Another part of her paper dives into how the pandemic brought hidden patterns to the surface.

Some of her claims are controversial, especially around EMFs and environmental co-factors. In the episode, we unpack these with curiosity, not blind acceptance.

Her larger point is that COVID exposed:

  • institutional fragility
  • scientific gatekeeping
  • public distrust
  • trauma-based responses
  • authoritarian overreach
  • the psychological toll of suppression

Whether you agree with the specific mechanisms or not, the last decade made one thing undeniable: something in our social terrain is deeply dysregulated.

8. Healing Forward: What Do We Do With All This?

If suppression drives miasms, then healing means unsuppressing. Gently, not chaotically.

Stephinity suggests practices like:

  • emotional honesty
  • reconnecting with nature
  • releasing stored trauma
  • nutritional and detoxification support
  • reducing exposure to chronic stressors
  • restoring community and meaning
  • opening space for spiritual or intuitive insight

She’s not prescribing a protocol. She’s offering a map.

The destination is what the Greeks called sophrosyne: a state of balance between wisdom and sanity. Not blissful ignorance, not paranoid awakening. Just grounded clarity.

And I think we could all use a bit more of that.

Key Evidence and Arguments

  • Stephinity critiques materialist science, calling out what she terms “entropic cosmology.” She argues that by assuming nature is strictly mechanistic, mainstream science misses field-based phenomena, non-local consciousness, and deeper systemic patterns.
  • She draws on historical and homeopathic sources (Hahnemann, Kent) to build her theoretical foundation but also argues for newer forms of evidence: resonance, case studies, and pattern detection in social systems.
  • On the environmental front, she explores links between toxins, EMF / 5G, biotech, and chronic disease, not just as correlation, but as evidence of suppression dynamics.
  • Psychologically, she invokes mass delusion or collective repression (drawing from Jung, Dostoevsky) seeing societal crises as expressions of buried collective shadow.
  • Ultimately, her call to action isn’t just for individual healing, but for systemic awakening: more transparency, alternative medical paradigms, and restored connection with nature.

Why This Matters for You

Even if homeopathy isn’t your jam, Social Miasm Theory offers a metaphor (and potentially a map) for understanding how inner repression becomes external crisis. If this episode does anything, I hope it gives you permission to look a little closer and question the stuff we’re told not to touch.

📚 Want to Dig Deeper?

Stephinity’s website: YOUR BODY ELECTRIC YOUR BODY ELECTRIC | FULL SPECTRUM FREQUENCY MEDICINE Find her on Linkden , Instagram and Substack

Social Miasm Theory: Revisiting Chronic Illness from a Meta-Perspective of Suppression [truncated version, pre-JSE publishing]

Official published paper

Miasms

https://www.unifiedfield.info/

https://corbettreport.com/how-the-government-manufactured-covid-consent

Use of fear to control behavior in Covid crisis was ‘totalitarian’, admit scientists

Posted on in beliefs, biology, brainhealth, deconstruction, emotionalflashback, exchristian, goal setting, mental health, mindset, neuroscience, physiology, podcast, polyvagaltheory, resilence, self-help, selfcompassion, therapy, trauma, wellness

Your Body Is the Scoreboard

From Heart to Brain: The Neuroscience Behind Connection and Calm

Welcome back to Taste of Truth Tuesdays, where we maintain our curiosity, embrace skepticism, and never stop asking what’s really going on beneath the surface. Last week, I prepared you for this episode, so if you missed out, please check it out! It’s short and sweet.

The Deluded Brain: Why Control Feels Safe, Certainty Feels Holy, & Complexity Feels Threatening

Now, for today’s episode….

Let me ask you something:

Why does your body feel like it’s on high alert… even when nothing “bad” is happening?
Why do you either trust too quickly or not at all and end up anxious, burned out, and ashamed?
Why is it so damn hard to regulate your emotions, especially when you’re great at controlling everything else?

If those questions hit a little too close to home… this episode is for you.

Last season, we dove deep into complex trauma through Pete Walker’s From Surviving to Thriving, unpacking how childhood neglect, emotional abuse, and developmental trauma shape adult patterns.

And today? We’re going even deeper — through the lens of neuroscience.

Because what if these aren’t personality quirks or moral failings? What if your brain and body are actually doing their best to protect you, using adaptations wired by Complex PTSD?

My guest today is Cody Isabel | Neuroscience, a neuroscience researcher and writer whose work has become a game-changer in trauma conversations. He holds a degree in Cognitive Behavioral Neuroscience, has training in Internal Family Systems psychotherapy, and specializes in the emerging field of Psychoneuroimmunology — the study of how your thoughts, brain, and immune system interact.

His Substack article, “PTSD & Complex PTSD Are NOT the Same Thing,” has been one of the clearest, most validating reads on this topic I’ve found.

So, if you’ve ever felt stuck, shut down, reactive, misunderstood, or like your nervous system has a mind of its own…. stay with me.

Because today we’re not just talking trauma.
We’re talking nervous system intelligence.
We’re talking identity repair.
We’re talking real, embodied healing.

And before we get into that, I want to bring a few threads together from past episodes—because they’re all woven into this conversation.

Unraveling the Impact of Stress on Chronic Health with Theresa Piela

We’ve talked about fawning, the lesser-known trauma response that shows up as chronic people-pleasing, self-abandonment, and conflict avoidance—especially common in those who’ve survived high-control environments. In this episode with Theresa, we also explore the stress cycle. According to Selye’s General Adaptation Syndrome, your body moves through three stages when facing ongoing stress: Alarm, Resistance, and eventually, Exhaustion. And fawning, while behavioral, can easily become your nervous system’s go-to tactic—especially during prolonged stress or in the presence of power dynamics that feel threatening.

We have talked about the Emotional Hijack and how trauma impacts the brain in this episode.

Emotional Hijacks & Nutritional Hacks: Unveiling the🧠Amygdala’s Secrets

We’ve also referenced the vagus nerve, but not specifically Polyvagal Theory—but today, we’re going deeper. Instead of seeing your stress responses as “malfunctions,” it reframes them as adaptive survival strategies. Your nervous system isn’t betraying you—it’s trying to protect you. It’s just working off old wiring.

Think of it like this:

Your nervous system is constantly scanning for cues of safety or threat—this is called neuroception. And based on what it detects, your body shifts into different states—each with a biological purpose.

The Polyvagal Chart breaks this down into three major states:

1. 🟢 Ventral Vagal – Social Engagement (Safety)

This is your “rest-and-connect” zone. You feel grounded, calm, curious, and open. You can be present with yourself and with others. Your body prioritizes digestion, immune function, and bonding hormones like oxytocin. You’re regulated.

This is the state we’re meant to live in most of the time—but trauma, chronic stress, or inconsistent caregiving can knock us out of it.

2. 🟡 Sympathetic – Fight or Flight (Danger)

When your system detects danger, it flips into high alert. Blood rushes to your limbs, your heart races, your digestion shuts down. You either fight (rage, irritation) or flee (anxiety, panic). This is survival mode. It’s not rational—it’s reactive.

And if that still doesn’t resolve the threat?

3. 🔴 Dorsal Vagal – Freeze (Life Threat)

This is the deepest shutdown. Your system says: “This is too much. I can’t.” You go numb. You collapse. You may dissociate, feel hopeless, or emotionally flatline. It’s not weakness—it’s your nervous system pulling the emergency brake to conserve energy and protect you.

Here’s what’s crucial to understand: these responses aren’t choices. They’re biological defaults. And many of us are stuck in loops of fight, flight, or freeze because our systems never got a chance to complete the stress cycle and return to safety.

So instead of shaming yourself for overreacting or shutting down, what if you asked:

“What is my nervous system trying to do for me right now?”
“What does it need to feel safe again?”

That shift—from judgment to curiosity—is the beginning of healing.

And we’ll connect this to another major thread—attachment systems, which we haven’t unpacked in depth yet, but absolutely need to.

Your attachment system is the biological and psychological mechanism that drives you to seek safety, closeness, and emotional connection—especially when you’re under stress. It develops in early childhood through repeated interactions with your caregivers, shaping how you regulate your emotions, perceive threats, and relate to others. If those caregivers were emotionally attuned, predictable, and responsive, you likely formed a secure attachment. But if they were inconsistent, neglectful, controlling, or chaotic… your attachment system learned to adapt in ways that may have kept you safe then—but cost you connection now.

In The Happiness Hypothesis, Jonathan Haidt points to a disturbing moment in psychological history that disrupted the natural development of secure attachment: the rise of behaviorism in the early 20th century.

John B. Watson, a founding figure of behaviorism, famously applied the same rigid, mechanistic principles he used on rats to raising human children. In his 1928 bestseller The Psychological Care of Infant and Child, he urged parents not to kiss their children, not to comfort them when they cried, and to withhold affection—believing emotional bonding would produce weak, dependent adults.

By the mid-20th century, attachment theory began to challenge these behaviorist claims. John Bowlby, in the 1950s, argued that infants form emotional bonds with caregivers as an innate survival mechanism—not merely as conditioned responses to rewards, as behaviorism suggested. His work, drawing from ethology, psychoanalysis, and control systems theory, moved beyond behaviorism’s narrow stimulus-response framework. Mary Ainsworth’s empirical research in the 1960s and ’70s, through her Strange Situation study, confirmed that attachment styles stem from caregiver sensitivity and infant security needs, rather than simple conditioning.

Yet, ironically, during the 1970s and ’80s, Christian parenting teachings—particularly those popularized by figures like Dobson—adopted and amplified the very behaviorist ideas that attachment research was already disproving. These teachings emphasized strict discipline and emotional control, often citing Scripture to justify practices rooted in outdated psychological theories rather than theology.

Let that sink in.

For decades, dominant parenting advice discouraged emotional responsiveness, treating affection not as a necessity but as a liability.

This wasn’t just bad advice—it was the psychological equivalent of nutritional starvation. Instead of missing vitamins, children missed attunement, safety, and connection. As attachment research has since shown, those early emotional experiences shape nervous system development, stress regulation, and whether someone grows up trusting or fearing closeness.

So, when we talk about stress responses like fawning… or chronic over-functioning… or emotional dysregulation… we’re often seeing the adult expression of a nervous system that never learned what safety feels like in the presence of other people.

And that’s why today’s conversation matters. Because healing isn’t just about rewiring thought patterns. It’s about rebuilding your felt sense of safety—in your body, in your relationships, and in your life.

And if you are anything like me and have found yourself wondering… why your nervous system reacts the way it does… or why regulating your emotions feels impossible even when you “know better” … this episode will connect the dots in ways that are both validating and eye-opening.

We’re talking trauma, identity, neuroplasticity, stress, survival, and what it really means to come home to yourself.

The topics we explore:

  • The critical differences between PTSD and Complex PTSD — and how each impacts the brain and body
  • Why CPTSD isn’t just a fear response, but a full-body survival adaptation that reshapes your identity
  • What it means to heal “from the bottom up,” and why insight alone isn’t enough
  • How books and language can validate our experience — without replacing the need for somatic work
  • The push-pull of relational safety: why CPTSD makes connection feel risky, even when we crave it
  • How trauma affects the Default Mode Network, and why healing often feels like rediscovering who you are

Whether you’re navigating relational triggers, spiritual disorientation, or the long road of recovery, this conversation offers clarity, compassion, and a grounded path forward.

Please enjoy the interview!

Subscribe now on Substack!

LINKS:

Check out Cody’s work! About – The Mind, Brain, Body Digest

The Top 5 Childhood Core Wounds in Overachievers 🧠

No Bad Parts | IFS Institute | Schwartz

Transcending Trauma Healing Complex PTSD with Internal Family Systems Therapy