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RISING WOMEN EXPERT
ADVICE...
How is trauma {PTSD} and the body connected?
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a psychophysical experience which
disrupts the functioning of individuals afflicted by it. A traumatic event
continues to intrude with visual, auditory or internal body symptoms such as
accelerated heart rate, cold sweats, rapid breathing, heart palpitations and
jumpiness. External triggers can be things such as color, sight, taste,
touch and smell. Victims relive the life-threatening experience, reacting in
mind and body as though such events were still occurring.
It is thought that what causes PTSD is the storage of traumatic memories in
implicit memory that are not linked to explicit memory. What this means is
that the traumatic memory gets stored in our automatic and unconscious
memory system and bypasses language and our ability to express the traumatic
memory. Implicit memory is at the core of body memory. One of the goals of
trauma therapy is to help individuals understand their bodily sensations. If
we can identify and name our emotions associated with internal body states
using awareness, we can then reconnect the bypass that took place.
Some people can be predisposed to PTSD from stressful events during early
development: neglect, physical and sexual abuse, failure of the attachment
bond and individual traumatic incidents. It is thought that individuals who
suffered early trauma and/or did not have the benefit of a healthy
attachment may have limited capacity for regulating stress. With assistance
from a loving caregiver, an infant learns to regulate their emotional
responses with touch, sound and eye contact. Without this early learning to
regulate stress by an attuned caregiver, later traumatic experiences might
be remembered as highly charged emotions and body sensations, or it may be
that survival mechanisms such as freezing and dissociation have become so
habituated that more adaptive strategies never had a chance to develop.
However, infancy is not the only chance an individual has for developing
healthy attachment. Many children make up for it later in life with a best
friend or special teacher. And many adults find a healing bond with a mature
love relationship. Others find the bond in the psychotherapeutic
relationship where developing attachment, body awareness, and learning
boundaries assist in creating resilience and building resources.
For more advice on PTSD, contact Sharon Stopforth, MSW, RSW at Body
Psychotherapy at 403.259.3427. Visit
www.bodypsych.ca
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