STRESS AS NEURAL PROGRAMMING: A NEUROPLASTIC AND NEURAL NETWORK PERSPECTIVE

Abstract

Stress is a common psychological and physiological experience that affects mental health, work performance, and overall quality of life. Most existing stress management approaches such as behavioral, cognitive, cognitive-behavioral, and rational emotive therapies focus mainly on conscious thinking and observable behavior. While these methods are useful, they often fail to address the subconscious processes that automatically produce stress responses. This paper introduces a new perspective that views stress as a learned form of neural programming shaped by repeated emotional experiences. Based on principles of neuroplasticity and neural networks, the framework highlights subconscious neural retraining as a key pathway to long-term stress regulation and resilience.