How stress affects your child's brain and body: The science of co-regulation, resilience, and healing with Dr. Nicki Bush

Developmental psychologist and UCSF professor, Dr. Nicki Bush, joins me this week to explore stress and how it affects our children and what parents can do to help protect their child's developing brain and body.

Together we explore:

Why some stress can actually be good for your child, and when it starts to become harmful.

The surprising ways stress can show up across your child's behavior, learning, mental health, and physical health.

How your own nervous system communicates safety or danger to your child, even when you aren't saying a word.

Why being a calm parent does not mean never feeling stressed, anxious, angry, or overwhelmed.

What happens inside the body when we rest, and why your own rest may be more important for your child than you realize.

Why focusing solely on changing a child's behavior can cause us to miss what is actually driving it.

How working with the parent-child relationship can sometimes be more powerful than treating the child alone.

The remarkable research showing that relationship-based therapy may actually change the biological effects of early trauma and stress and maintain those effects long after the therapy ends.

Why early experiences matter so much, but do not have to determine your child's future.

If you've ever worried about how your own stress might be affecting your child, wondered whether difficult experiences can have lasting effects, or felt pressure to keep your child calm and happy, this conversation offers a much more hopeful way to understand stress. Because our biology is remarkably adaptable, and the relationships children have with the people who care for them can be a powerful part of how they heal, grow, and thrive.