Credits Roll

Further Inspiration, Exploration, and References

Creating Relax Play Thrive was as much about digging deep into science and wisdom as it was about adding a splash of play. Here’s a heartfelt thank-you to the books, ideas, research, and trailblazers who’ve inspired this playful journey to resilience and well-being.

Books That Lit the Path
  1. Primer on Autonomic Nervous System
  2. Stress Proof, Dr. Mithu Storoni
  3. Accessing the Healing Power of the Vagus Nerve, Stanley Rosenberg
  4. Activate Your Vagus Nerve, Dr. Navaz Habib
  5. The Nervous System Reset, Jessica Maguire
  6. The Secret Language of the Body, Jennifer Mann and Karden Rabin
  7. How Emotions are Made, Lisa Feldman-Barrett
  8. Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers, Robert Sapolsky
  9. The Mind-Gut Connection, Emeran Mayer, MD
  10. Game Changers, Dave Asprey
  11. The Biology of Belief, Bruce H. Lipton, PhD
  12. The Power of Habit, Charles Duhigg
  13. The Power of Now, Eckhart Tolle
  14. Visualise by Maya Raichoora
  15. Dubious Documents
  16. Escape this Book 2
  17. Journal 29

Webinars That Opened New Doors
  1. Vagus Nerve Masterclass, Gut-Brain Axis Program, The Voice and Regulation, Jessica Maguire
  2. Nervous System Regulation, Sarah Baldwin
  3. The Power to Heal from Within, Pedram Shojai

Deep Dives into Science & Play

From predictive processing, autonomic regulation, gut health to circadian rhythms, playfulness to mindfulness, here’s the incredible research that shaped this journey:

  1. Stress, adaptation, and disease. Allostasis and allostatic load — B S McEwen
    https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9629234/
  2. Allostatic Load and the Biology of Stress Adaptation — Bruce S. McEwen (2007) Physiology and neurobiology of stress and adaptation: Central role of the brain. https://journals.physiology.org/doi/full/10.1152/physrev.00041.2006
  3. Interoception as modeling, allostasis as control — Sennesh, Theriault et al.
    https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34942287/
  4. Heart Rate Variability and Neurovisceral Integration — Julian F. Thayer et al. (2010) A meta-analysis of heart rate variability and neuroimaging studies. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0149763411002077
  5. Stress and Large-Scale Brain Network Reconfiguration — Hermans et al. (2019) Stress-related neuromodulation of large-scale brain networks. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22116887/
  6. The Power of Play https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/articles/199907/the-power-play 
  7. Relationships among adult playfulness, stress, and coping during the COVID-19 pandemic https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12144-022-02870-0
  8. The well-being of playful adults: Adult playfulness, subjective well-being, physical well-being, and the pursuit of enjoyable activities https://europeanjournalofhumour.org/index.php/ejhr/article/view/Rene%20Proyer/Rene%20Proyer
  9. Presence and play: Why mindfulness matters. https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2016-00466-003
  10. The role of play in well-being: Why I’m rethinking my concept of play, and you should too! https://workingoncalm.com/role-of-play-in-well-being/#_ftnref16
  11. Regular crosswords and number puzzles linked to sharper brain in later life https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/05/190516082349.htm
  12. Interaction between circadian rhythms and stress https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5314421/#:~:text=In%20addition%20to%20direct%20effects,on%20clock%20function%20appear%20minor.
  13. Circadian rhythm disruption and mental health https://www.nature.com/articles/s41398-020-0694-0
  14. The sleep-stress cycle https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/stress/2013/sleep#:~:text=Adults%20who%20sleep%20fewer%20than,6.2%20hours).
  15. Sleep deprivation and stress: a reciprocal relationship https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/full/10.1098/rsfs.2019.0092
  16. The Effects of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction on Sleep Disturbance: A Systematic Review https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1550830707002741
  17. Polyvagal Theory: A Science of Safety https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnint.2022.871227/full#:~:text=In%20fact%2C%20Polyvagal%20Theory%20would,that%20would%20compromise%20homeostatic%20functions.
  18. The polyvagal theory in therapy: Engaging the rhythm of regulation. https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2018-26630-000
  19. Combining top-down and bottom-up interventions targeting the vagus nerve to increase resilience https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S014976342100511X
  20. Coregulation: A Multilevel Approach via Biology and Behaviour https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10453544/
  21. The impact of acute and chronic stress on gastrointestinal physiology and function: a microbiota–gut–brain axis perspective https://physoc.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1113/JP281951
  22. The gut-brain axis: interactions between enteric microbiota, central and enteric nervous systems https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4367209/
  23. The Microbiome-Gut-Brain Axis and Resilience to Developing Anxiety or Depression under Stress https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/9/4/723
  24. Gut microbiota and health https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/epdf/10.1080/00325481.2019.1662711?needAccess=true
  25. Human Gut Bacteria Are Sensitive to Melatonin and Express Endogenous Circadian Rhythmicity https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0146643#pone.0146643.ref027 / https://www.gutmicrobiotaforhealth.com/new-data-link-gut-bacteria-melatonin-circadian-clock/
  26. Circadian rhythms, gut microbiota, and diet: Possible implications for health https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0939475323001928
  27. Gut microbes in correlation with mood: case study in a closed experimental human life support system https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27027909/
  28. Recognizing Depression from the Microbiota–Gut–Brain Axis https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6032096/
  29. Mechanisms by which Stress Affects the Experimental and Clinical Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD): Role of Brain-Gut Axis https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5333596/#:~:text=Stress%2Dinduced%20activation%20of%20brain,to%20blood%20stream%20and%20peripheral
  30. Mindfulness-based stress reduction for the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome symptoms: a randomized wait-list controlled trial https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22618308/
  31. Meditation and Irritable Bowel Syndrome, a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36362745/
  32. A Study to Evaluate the Effectiveness of “Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Therapy(MBSRT)” in Reducing Symptom Severity and Improving Quality of Life in Patients Suffering From Irritable Bowel Syndrome https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36374952/
  33. Effect of breathwork on stress and mental health: A meta-analysis of randomised-controlled trials https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-022-27247-y
  34. The Effects of Stress and Meditation on the Immune System, Human Microbiota, and Epigenetics https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29306937/
  35. Impact of stress, immunity, and signals from endocrine and nervous system on fascia https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33048774/
  36. Effects of manual lymph drainage for abdomen on the brain activity of subjects with psychological stress https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5361017/
  37. Self-awareness protects working memory in people under chronic stress: An ERP study https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1003719/full
  38. The Lancet; Association between physical exercise and mental health (2018); https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanpsy/article/PIIS2215-0366(18)30227-X/fulltext
  39. Coventry University, Meditation and yoga can ‘reverse’ DNA reactions which cause stress, new study suggests, (2017); https://www.coventry.ac.uk/primary-news/meditation-and-yoga-can-reverse-dna-reactions-which-cause-stress-new-study-suggests-/
  40. UCL, On Posture as a Modality for Expressing and Recognising Emotions, Nadia Bianchi-Berthouze et. al, (2008), London; http://web4.cs.ucl.ac.uk/uclic/people/c.jennett/BerthouzeHCI06.pdf
  41. A Science-Supported Journaling Protocol to Improve Mental & Physical Health: https://open.spotify.com/episode/3vaKIhiUmz3CVPxAmD74We?si=7vcecFcWRbiIXC5pI1j2gg
  42. Journaling for Emotional Wellness https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/encyclopedia/content.aspx?ContentID=4552&ContentTypeID=1#:~:text=Journaling%20helps%20control%20your%20symptoms,and%20identifying%20negative%20thoughts%20and
  43. Creative Arts Interventions for Stress Management and Prevention—A Systematic Review https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5836011/

Edition 1: A Note on Timeless Wisdom

The parables in this book draw on universal themes and wisdom that have inspired generations. We recognize that certain passages closely align with the timeless teachings in Eckhart Tolle’s The Power of Now, a work we deeply respect for its profound insights on mindfulness and presence. These include stories such as The Unshakable Wisdom of a Zen Master, The ‘Maybe’ Mindset and The Ring of Impermanence. Future editions of Relax Play Thrive will refine these sections to offer an even more unique perspective aligned with the book’s approach to stress regulation.

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