Co-regulation is when partners respond to each other's emotional dysregulation to promote calmness. It produces oxytocin, which enhances bonding and reduces stress. This process involves three skills: recognizing partner's distress, communicating one's own dysregulation, and responding with calming actions. When both partners are dysregulated, they alternate in co-regulating to defuse tension effectively. Healthy relationships equipped with co-regulation enhance emotional regulation, protecting against stress-related heart health issues. Humans naturally co-regulate, as social beings seeking mutual support in emotional challenges.
Co-regulation requires three skill sets: the ability to identify when your partner is emotionally dysregulated, the ability to tell your partner when you are dysregulated, and the ability to react to your partner in a way that is calming.
Healthy relationships that protect our hearts have one key ingredient: co-regulation. This process produces oxytocin, a bonding hormone that reduces stress and strengthens relationships.
If partners are simultaneously dysregulated, they take turns stepping into the role of co-regulator in a way that feels balanced to both over time.
Effective emotional regulation buffers the effects of stress on the heart, but our ability to emotionally regulate depends heavily on our relationships.
Collection
[
|
...
]