How To Heal Past Life Trauma

Source: Goran Bogicevic/Shutterstock

Approximately 50 per centum of the population will experience a traumatic event at some point in their lives. While reactions to trauma tin can vary widely, and not anybody will develop mail-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), trauma can change the encephalon in some predictable ways that everyone should be aware of, especially if you or someone close to you is struggling to cope after trauma. With increased awareness, yous tin seek treatment to address your symptoms and larn skills that could actually rewire your brain for recovery.

Additionally, knowing what'south going on can be immensely helpful because information technology may help yous realize that you're not crazy, irreversibly damaged, or a bad person. Instead, yous can think of a traumatized brain every bit one that functions differently as a result of traumatic events. And merely as your brain inverse in response to your past experiences with the earth, it can too change in response to your future experiences. In other words, the brain is "plastic," and you lot can change information technology.

3 Areas to Know

Trauma can alter brain functioning in many means, but three of the near important changes appear to occur in the following areas:

1. The prefrontal cortex (PFC), known equally the "Thinking Center"
2. The anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), known as the "Emotion Regulation Centre"
3. The amygdala, known as the "Fear Center"

The PFC, or thinking center, is located about the acme of your head, behind your forehead. It'due south responsible for abilities including rational thought, problem-solving, personality, planning, empathy, and awareness of ourselves and others. When this area of the brain is strong, we are able to think clearly, make expert decisions, and exist enlightened of ourselves and others.

The ACC, or emotion regulation centre, is located side by side to the prefrontal cortex, just is deeper within the encephalon. This area is responsible (in office) for regulating emotion, and (ideally) has a close working human relationship with the thinking center. When this region is potent, nosotros are able to manage difficult thoughts and emotions without being totally overwhelmed past them. While nosotros might desire to transport a snarky electronic mail to a coworker, the emotion regulation eye reminds us that this is non a good idea, and helps us manage our emotions and so that we don't do things we regret.

Finally, the amygdala, a tiny structure deep within our brain, serves equally its fear center. This subcortical area is outside of our witting awareness or control, and its master job is to receive all incoming information—everything you come across, hear, impact, smell, and taste—and answer one question: "Is this a threat?" If it detects that a dangerous threat is nowadays, it produces fearfulness in us. When this area is activated, we experience afraid, reactive, and vigilant.

What's Going on in a Traumatized Brain

Traumatized brains look unlike from non-traumatized brains in three predictable ways:

1. The Thinking Heart is underactivated.
2. The Emotion Regulation Center is underactivated.
3. The Fear Heart is overactivated.

What these activations indicate is that, often, a traumatized encephalon is "bottom-heavy," meaning that activations of lower, more primitive areas, including the fearfulness center, are high, while college areas of the brain (also known as cortical areas) are underactivated. In other words, if you are traumatized, y'all may experience chronic stress, vigilance, fear, and irritation. Yous may also have a hard fourth dimension feeling safe, calming downwardly, or sleeping. These symptoms are all the result of a hyperactive amygdala.

At the same fourth dimension, individuals who are traumatized may notice difficulties with concentration and attending, and oft report they can't think clearly. This, not surprisingly, is due to the thinking centre existence underactivated.

Finally, survivors of trauma will sometimes complain that they feel incapable of managing their emotions. For case, if someone spooks them every bit a prank, they may experience a rapid heart charge per unit long after the joke is upward, or may accept a hard time "merely letting go" of small annoyances. Fifty-fifty when they want to calm down and feel improve, they simply can't. This is in large function due to a weakened emotion regulation middle.

What You lot Can Do Now

Changing the brain takes effort, repetition, and time. The best gift you lot can requite yourself toward this goal is psychotherapy. If you're prepare to start that journey, look for a psychologist who specializes in trauma and PTSD, and who uses bear witness-based methods that alter the brain past working with both the body and the heed.

Also, consider adding a torso-based or mindfulness-based technique to your daily routine, to help begin deactivating the fear center. This is a vital first stride to healing, as when nosotros are able to quiet the fearfulness center, we are meliorate able to work on strengthening and activating the thinking heart and emotion regulation eye. Two such exercises include diaphragmatic breathing and autogenic training. (Access free, guided practices of these techniques HERE.) The recommendation is to practise these techniques, or like ones, for short periods of time multiple times per day. Remember, exercise makes progress.

LinkedIn Image Credit: tommaso79/Shutterstock

Source: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/workings-well-being/201703/how-heal-the-traumatized-brain

Share this post