Did you read part 1? If not, you may want to read that first HERE in order to understand the dynamics of the Drama TriangleThe Drama Triangle sounds like something you might find in a soap opera, reality TV show, or the family WhatsApp group! In reality, it is a psychological model developed by Stephen Karpman that describes three common roles people can unconsciously move between during conflict, stress, and relationships. The three roles are the Victim, the Rescuer, and the Persecutor. The important thing to understand is that these are not identities. They are roles that most of us step into from time to time. This is about awareness, no judgement and no gold stars for avoiding them..
Rescuers, Victims, or Persecutors can be wired that way, until they change their circuitry. This change in circuitry involves not only psychological coaching but also nutritional medicine. Neurotransmitters (which are a bit like the language of the nervous system, come from amino acids but some come from choline, fatty acids, or lipid/fats. But nearly all of them require a team of minerals, vitamins, and fats to be made, released, and cleared effectively.
The classic drama triangle is not just a concept from therapeutic models; it is also a reflection of the body’s stress physiology and neurobiology. These roles in the Drama Triangle are embodied and they are not chosen as much as they are regulated by neurobiology, hormones, nutrient patterns, and even membrane signals.
No child consciously decides to become the Victim to get attention, or the Rescuer to feel loved, or the Persecutor to feel in control. These roles are not chosen; they are inherent biological responses to protect attachment and safety.
But to play out these roles, over and over, the body has to recruit an entire system to make it happen.We’re talking about a full-body orchestra:
- Nervous system wiring
- Neurotransmitter chemistry
- Hormone surges
- Mineral shifts
- Blood sugar patterns
- And deep, unconscious patterning in the brain
It is not just psychology, it is neurobiology, it is physiology, it is biochemistry, AND survival working together to stay safe and connected.
These roles may look like personality on the outside, but underneath, they’re adaptive strategies. And healing doesn’t come from blaming the pattern, it comes from understanding the circuitry.
We look at how cortisol, neurotransmitters (through their metabolites), mineral ratios and patterns, and fatty acid composition shape your ability to stay regulated or loop endlessly in the triangle.
The stress response and role: it starts with cortisol
Most people who are stuck in the drama triangle are not just emotionally dysregulated; they are biochemically stressed. One of the first places we look is the comprehensive cortisol patterns.
Key markers that we assess include:
- Cortisol awakening response (CAR): shows anticipatory stress, usually linked to the ‘rescuer’s’ over-functioning traits.
- Free vs. metabolised cortisol: gives us insight into active stress load versus the rate at which the body can clear the cortisol, this can show up as Persecutor patterns or even Victim.
- Diurnal curve dysregulation: A more of a flatline is common in ‘Victim’ states with flattened energy and freeze physiology.
When cortisol rhythms are off, so are the pathways that regulate perception, agency, and boundary-setting. This is the neuroendocrine root of the Drama Triangle.
Neurotransmitters: the chemistry of our roles
Not only does the body produce stress hormones, it shape-shifts the neurotransmitter patterns that reinforce these archetypes:
- Low dopamine: linked to helplessness, learned victimhood, and low drive.
- High glutamate or low GABA: can contribute to ‘Persecutor’ tendencies, reactivity, blame, and volatility.
- Low serotonin: can underlie martyr-rescuer dynamics, where over-helping replaces a sense of internal peace.
At the New School, we examine functional testsIf you have ever been told, ‘your blood tests are normal’, not ‘normal’ or not yourself, then you have already discovered one of the reasons functional testing has become so popular. Functional tests are designed to provide additional information about how the body is functioning. They may explore areas such as hormones, digestion, nutrient status, fatty acids, the microbiome, genetics, metabolism, or stress physiology. Think of them as gathering more pieces of the health puzzle, ideally before a dis-ease ‘shows up’. Sadly, most people turn to functional tests, once they have a dis-ease. from a psychological perspective, considering not just nutrition, sleep patterns, and exercise.
Using urinary neurotransmitter metabolites, we gain insight into:
- Depletion issues
- Overactive excitatory pathways (that can be trauma-induced)
- Gut-brain contribution to emotional ‘stuckness’. Remember, that the vagus nerve is ‘listening’ and sending messages to and from the gut to the brain
Testing can show whether the nervous system is trying to regulate or overcompensate, or if it is just simply ‘depleted’, which often points to the ‘why’ behind chronic role-playing behaviour.
The membranes matter: fatty acids, receptors, and the Drama Triangle
Emotions move, and they move via membrane-based receptors, lipid rafts, and voltage-gated channels. We assess cell membrane composition using a Comprehensive Essential Fatty Acid panel. This test is covered in year 1, in our nutrition medicine module, using a real-life example.
Some of the key ‘markers’ we investigate include:
- Omega-3 to omega-6 balance: critical for emotional flexibility versus rigidity
- EPA/DHA levels: DHA nourishes glial cells and myelin, key to nervous system resilience
- AA (arachidonic acid): excess links to aggression, inflammation, and persecutor-like physiology
- Linoleic acid is vital for maintaining mitochondrial membrane structure, and mitochondria sense danger too (check out our blog HERE on this very topic), they have ‘feelings’ too and can ‘freeze’ until ‘safety’ has returned.
Membranes need to be flexible but not too flexible, otherwise receptors don’t ‘hear’ signals well, which means: more drama, less integration.
Fridge guide: fats for brain and emotional health
Download our ‘fat cheat sheet’ HERE. You can stick it on your fridge door. It summarises the vital roles different fats play in supporting your brain, nerves, and emotional regulation.
From mood swings to mental clarity, your nervous system depends on the right balance of fats to build membranes, conduct signals, and respond to stress. This cheat sheet is your weekly guide to getting the right fats from the right foods, so your cells, brain, and hormones can stay in their ‘best mood’.
Signal transmission aka communication: minerals are the backbone of emotional regulation
Neurotransmitters such as dopamine, serotonin, adrenaline, etc., have to be made by the body and to do their job. Your brain and body rely on a series of finely tuned, nutrient-dependent processes an these processes involve minerals!
Let’s walk you through what happens at the synapse, the tiny space where nerves communicate:
For a neurotransmitter to travel across the synapse, a nerve cell must fire, meaning it generates an action potential (an electrical signal) that opens up tiny voltage-gated channels.
Here is how it unfolds:
- Sodium rushes in: a stimulus (like a thought, sound, or sensation) triggers the opening of sodium channels. Sodium floods into the neurone, generating an electrical impulse.
- Calcium steps in as the action potential reaches the end of the neurone, calcium channels open. Calcium enters the cell and that tells tiny vesicles (containing neurotransmitters) to move toward the membrane.
- Vesicles release neurotransmitters: the vesicles fuse with the membrane and release their contents into the synaptic space.
- Neurotransmitters cross the gap: these messengers float across the synapse and bind to receptors on the next cell, passing the message along.Every step of this elegant communication system depends on nutrients, especially minerals and fats.
Minerals act as helpers (co-enzymes and co-factors). Through a Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis (HTMA), we gain insight into your nervous system regulation.
For example:
- Calcium shell is a classic in freeze states, which can be indicative of ‘holding on’ and staying ‘put’ until safety or help arrives (this can be the traits of a Victim)
- High sodium/potassium ratio can be linked to high reactivity and volatility, which is more indicative of a persecutor physiology
- Low magnesium can lead to impaired GABA tone and poor adaptation (this can be looping around the Drama Triangle, playing several roles)
- Copper dys-regulation: Common in over-empathy patterns, which can be seen in rescuers.
These are not just abstract mineral status, they can reveal how the body holds emotional ‘voltage’. When analysed through the lens of psychological coaching alongside nutrition, they offer a far deeper, more integrated understanding of a person’s health.
Remember — it’s not just about food groups, minerals, and vitamins. Here’s how Shabana (cohort 2022-2024) describes her experience:
The learning was actually fun. Classes were interactive, practical, and full of real-life wisdom from teachers with decades of experience. The coaching was a game changer. Not just for our future clients, but for ourselves. It opened my eyes to the truth that nutrition is only one piece, the mind–body connection is just as important, if not more. And maybe the most surprising of all, the safe space. A place where everyone could be fully human, quirks and all. That sense of belonging and acceptance changed everything. It turns out this wasn’t just about studying nutrition. It was about transformation of the body, the mind, and the way we see the world.
The nutrients that make it happen
Sodium and potassium: these two minerals create the charge difference that fuels the action potential which is the electrical impulse your nerves need to fire. Without these communication can be quite ‘erratic’.
Calcium and magnesium: calcium triggers neurotransmitter release. Magnesium acts like a calm regulator, helping with channel control and neurotransmitter breakdown.
Zinc, B6, and Iron: all essential for making neurotransmitters like serotonin, dopamine, and GABA.
Arachidonic acid and essential fats: your neurones are wrapped in a myelin sheath, a fatty insulation layer that allows signals to travel efficiently and accurately. Arachidonic acid isone of the most important fats for the formation of the myelin sheath. It is found in egg yolks, liver, and breastmilk. Without healthy fats, your signal transmission slows down like a frayed phone cord full of static. And remember this fatty acid is an omega-6 fatty acid, which is usually ‘frowned’ upon; however, it is absolutely vital for health and wellbeing.
These nutrients shape how you show up in conversation, whether you find yourself stuck in the role of Victim, Persecutor, or Rescuer.”
To less of the drama and more of safety and connection!
From the team at the New School Of Nutritional Medicine
Learn about the Founder & Principal of the New School of Nutritional Medicine, Dr Khush Mark PhD HERE.
