Neural Overlap in the Garden of Gethsemane

The historical account of the Garden of Gethsemane is arguably one of the most meaningful facets of Christianity. The retelling of Jesus' experience provides us with intimate access to our Savior's thoughts and emotions as He accepts the cup of suffering. While this is deeply meaningful and spiritually significant, understanding the correlation between the psychological and somatic pain Jesus experienced provides us with a therapeutic launching pad for understanding the interconnectivity between emotional and physical or somatic distress—and subsequently, how to handle it.

In Matthew 26:38, Jesus says that His “soul is very sorrowful, even to the point of death.” Luke’s account further details Christ’s agony: profound psychological suffering, a pain interwoven into His being that manifests in sweat and blood—visible signs of severe distress that illustrate neural overlap between parts of the brain where emotional and somatic pain are experienced.

As we understand this neural overlap, we can better understand how to deal with our own emotional and somatic pain. Instead of trying to “think” the stressor away, our self-care approach can intentionally engage in activities that support the brain’s natural feel-good chemicals. These neurochemicals (listed below) play an important role in combating psychological stress by supporting mood, connection, stress regulation, and pain modulation.

Endorphins – Exercise: Movement, walking, dancing, and other forms of sustained physical activity can support endorphin activity, which can help with pain modulation and stress. Prolonged rhythmic movement, like exercise, engages areas of the brain involved in movement, attention, and sensory processing. This can help shift the brain's focus away from emotional stress and toward the activity of exercising, while also supporting the release of endorphins and other neurochemicals associated with positive well-being.

Serotonin – Stabilize: Movement, sunlight, time in nature, and positive social experiences can support serotonin activity and emotional well-being.

Dopamine – Accomplish: Set a small goal and do it. Completing a task, making progress, or accomplishing something meaningful activates the brain's reward and motivation systems.

Oxytocin – Connect: Hug a loved one, spend time with someone safe, pray with someone. Safe relationships and co-regulation can support oxytocin release and communicate safety and connection to the nervous system.

My hope in sharing this is that we learn to accept that emotional distress can manifest physically, rather than dismissing what our bodies are experiencing. Jesus’ prayers in the Garden and His attempt to wake His disciples have deep spiritual significance, but these actions would also have helped regulate His response to suffering. When we are in times of distress, we might try to do as Jesus did: pray and engage our neurobiological resources as we attempt to regulate and position ourselves for the inner work that God is doing in us during times of crisis.