Trauma Dance

Body’s responses to trauma varies from one individual to the next with contingencies of the events that transpire. It has been shown with PET and MRI scans that with trauma there is heightened activation that will affect different regions of our brains. Trauma and our amygdala have a dance of responses to present the opportunity to protect self. With specific stimulations even as simple as a script similar to emotional evocation of stress our bodies can begin its process of the dance. It will begin to then release the stress hormones, nerve impulse reactivity that will increase blood pressure escalating our heart rates and oxygen intake. This is the final act to the fight or flight , and within such scans displays arousal states. There is a concept within “The Body Keeps Score” , Bessel Van der Kolk, MD, with “speechless Horror” where the brains Broca’s area is seen to severely decreased creating the same response of those who were experiencing a stroke. Broca is the region responsible for speech. This research can lead into insight as to why some may struggle with retelling their trauma.

For individuals with overactive stimulation there is an activation of adrenaline, more than the traditional responses. The individual will not have the stress response dissipate as those who have not have had the experience and will take longer to reach baseline with spiking quicker. The individual will then experience long term affect such as memory retention difficulties , attention inability, labile emotional patterns with irritability, poor sleep hygiene with possible disorders , and potential long term health issues.

Our bodies, minds, and natural abilities to survive do come with long term affects that within time require healing after the stressor has passed. Talk therapy, along with other treatment team options can bring forth healing, with each step, guiding hope.