The Nervous System and Trauma
“The attempt to escape from pain is what creates more pain.”
― Gabor Maté
The relationship between trauma and the nervous system is a complex one. As it is the primary mediator between our external and our internal environments, distress can affect both. Trauma is an experience that's hard to forget. It can be triggered by a single event or ongoing stress from childrearing, impacting our bodies, emotions, thoughts and behaviours. Trauma can happen to anyone, including veterans returning from war zones, victims of sexual assault or abuse, witnesses of a crime—even children who witness domestic violence in their homes.
What’s the difference between CPST and PTSD?
Chronic or repeated exposure to various cases of abuse can lead to complex PTSD. Complex PTSD sufferers may have experienced multiple early traumas such as narcissistic abuse, unloving and caring parents, domestic violence, addictions, mental health issues such as physical or sexual abuse in childhood, or the death of loved ones, at an early age, to name a few.
Although complex PTSD symptoms are similar to other types of PTSD, they are more intense and long-lasting. Sufferers may also experience dissociation (feeling disconnected from their body), depersonalization (feeling like an outside observer) and derealization (experiencing objects or places as unfamiliar or unreal). These dissociative symptoms are common in people with borderline personality disorder — but can also occur in people with complex PTSD.
The dysregulated nervous system can be caused when a person experiences an event that they cannot process emotionally. The nervous system regulates the body, and physical and psychological symptoms may occur when it becomes dysregulated. These include headaches, nausea, chest pain, dizziness, fatigue and unpredictable moods.
Trauma disrupts the nervous system in several ways.
It can impact how we process information, our ability to regulate emotions, our responses to external stressors, and our capacity to form and maintain relationships. It can also affect our physical health by creating symptoms such as headaches, fatigue, and pain.
Dr. Gabor Maté, a psychologist and professor at the University of California, San Francisco, explains that trauma can cause disruptions in the nervous system that can lead to long-term psychological and physiological problems. He explains that the body's natural response to trauma is entering fight-or-flight mode, which can create an imbalance in the nervous system. This can lead to brain chemistry and structure changes, resulting in intense emotions, intrusive memories, and physical symptoms.
Dr. Gabor Maté also states that the nervous system is resilient. Trauma victims can manage their symptoms and move forward with proper support. This involves recognizing triggers, regulating emotions, and developing self-care strategies. With the help of a trained professional, trauma survivors can learn to cope with their symptoms and lead healthier lives.
He believes that trauma is a unique experience and that it can teach us a great deal about ourselves and our relationships with others. He argues that by understanding our experiences, we can better understand ourselves and our relationships. He also believes that we can become more self-confident and resilient by learning to accept and cope with our traumas.
His approach to trauma is both compassionate and empowering. He encourages us to look at our traumas objectively and explore how to use our experiences to our advantage. He also emphasizes the importance of self-care and encourages us to practice self-compassion and self-acceptance.
Through his work, he has helped countless people find meaning, healing, and growth amid their traumas. He is a beacon of hope for those who have experienced trauma, and his wisdom is invaluable. He offers us a way to make sense of the chaos of life and to use our traumas as a source of strength and resilience
When we experience trauma, our bodies immediately respond with a flood of stress hormones.
The body's stress response system is designed to help us cope with short-term threats. When we experience trauma, our bodies immediately respond with a flood of stress hormones that cause us to feel a wide range of emotions, including fear and anger. This reaction is necessary for survival--it gives us extra energy for fighting or running away from danger. It also helps us focus on the threat at hand to decide what to do next.
Trauma can have lasting effects on your body and brain.
The nervous system is the set of nerves that send information about what's happening in your body to other parts of it. The central nervous system consists of your brain and spinal cord; the peripheral nervous system includes nerves outside these two areas that connect with muscles or organs throughout your body (like those in your arms and legs). Nerves carry electrical signals from one part of a nerve cell to another using chemicals called neurotransmitters; these signals tell muscles when they should move or if it's time for them to relax again so that blood flow can normally return after exercise.
When someone experiences trauma--whether through physical injury or emotional distress--the brain releases hormones into their bloodstreams as part of its natural response mechanism: this helps them feel less pain. At the same time, they deal with whatever's happened by releasing endorphins into their bodies through exercise or meditation (or both!). But if someone has been exposed repeatedly over time without having enough space between each incident for their nervous systems' responses from previous traumas to fade away naturally before being replaced by new ones...then there may not be enough room left within each person's mind-body connection for all those feelings associated with past events! Some common symptoms of a dysregulated nervous system include anxiety, depression, panic attacks, mood swings, and insomnia. Physical symptoms may include chronic pain, digestive issues, and fatigue.
35% of the population experiences a panic attack at some point in their lives.
Early traumatic events can disrupt nervous system development, resulting in long-term changes in the body's stress response and mental health issues. These changes can be seen in brain imaging studies, particularly in areas related to emotions, attention, and self-regulation. This underscores the importance of providing supportive environments for children to help them develop healthy coping skills.
Trauma can also impact our immune system, making us more susceptible to diseases, including depression and anxiety.
As we've seen, trauma can impact our nervous system in several ways. When the nervous system is not functioning properly, it can make us more susceptible to disease and illness. For example, anxiety has been linked to chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). It's also been shown that people who suffer from anxiety are more likely to develop depression than those without an anxiety disorder.
The good news is that there are many things you can do right now on your own or with help from a professional to heal your nervous system after trauma has impacted it.
Individuals can deal with trauma in many ways, including psychotherapy, meditation, yoga and exercise.
While it is not always easy to find the right fit for each individual, it is important to try different approaches until you find what works best for you.
The most important thing is to remember that trauma can have a powerful impact on the brain, which may make you more susceptible to disease and other health issues.
Recovering from trauma can be a long and challenging journey, but seeking professional help can help you manage symptoms, develop coping mechanisms, and improve your overall well-
experiencing trauma is a very real and significant event that can affect your body and brain. Seeking professional help as soon as possible is the best way to deal with trauma and guide you through recovery. Remember, everyone's experience with trauma is unique, and seeking help is a crucial step in the healing process.
There are a lot of voices inside of us. We have the voices of our parents, our grandparents, our society, our bosses, our own should's and shouldn'ts, and our self-worth is in us, controlling us a lot. When we can get past all of those, and get to the deep, core part of us, there's a voice within our soul that I believe is connected to our Divine or Higher Self. That voice within that guides us through all aspects of our lives.
Echo Bodine
