What is trauma? Trauma is any disturbing or distressing life event that overwhelms the brain’s ability to cope. Some people have the misconception that trauma only includes events that others perceive to be tragic or terrifying. Realistically, trauma includes all events that overwhelm the brain’s ability to cope and creates nervous system dysregulation. Some like to call it little “T’s” and big “T’s” to differentiate between the varying degrees of trauma.
“Someone who drowns in 6 feet of water is just as dead as someone who drowns in 20 feet of water. Stop comparing traumas, stop belittling yours or anyone else’s trauma because it wasn’t “as bad” as someone else’s. This isn’t a competition, we all deserve support and recovery.”-Casey Rose
What is nervous system dysregulation?
First: What is the human nervous system? The autonomic nervous system includes the sympathetic nervous system (controls fight or flight, deals with stress and emergencies, and controls digestion inhibition, increased blood pressure and heart rate when stressed, and releases cortisol and adrenaline and the parasympathetic nervous system (the more calming part: returns body to resting state, relaxes muscles, and regulates blood pressure and heart rate).
Nervous system dysregulation occurs when a traumatic event happens in a person’s life. For example, childhood neglect, abuse, violence, assault, witnessing horror are just a few examples of trauma. When our nervous system is dysregulated, we may appear anxious, on edge or irritated, and hypervigilant (i.e., being easily startled, being overly tuned into people’s body language, tone, or mood); some might perceive a person in nervous system dysregulation as “overreacting” to an event, person, or situation, but what is happening behind the scenes in the brain is far more complex. Extreme fatigue can also be a symptom of a nervous system in constant overdrive, always subconsciously scanning their environment and relationships for threats. Often people with chronic trauma will report being “lazy” or “tired all the time”. This is not laziness, and is in fact true exhaustion from the above-mentioned reasons.
The nervous system will always choose survival over comfort which can sap your energy levels over time from a constant state of high alert. Imagine a furnace or air conditioner unit running 24/7, 365 days a year, for sometimes years on end; it would burn out quickly.
People with trauma may wonder why they react with fight-or-flight, freeze, or fawn responses in situations where there is no obvious “threat”. This is because the brain and nervous system are perceiving a “threat” (loud sounds, raised voices, threatening posture, fast speed in a car, certain tones in a person’s voice are a few examples) which reminds their subconscious brain of the feeling of their past trauma. Why does this happen even years after the actual trauma occurred? The part of our brain called the amygdala is responsible for processing fearful and threatening stimuli and also connects emotions to past events. The amygdala reacts to a “threat” as if the trauma was happening right now, even if it was many years in the past.
It is our brains job to keep us alive, so when it perceives a “threat” our nervous system may react with a fight or flight (sympathetic nervous system reaction), freeze, or fawn response (parasympathetic nervous system reaction). A loved one witnessing the traumatized person’s response may view this as irrational, overreacting, or checking out mentally, without knowing why the traumatized person may be reacting this way.
How do we get our nervous system regulated again?
Trauma healing is a complex processed and is unique to each individual. Some people may have had a one-time event trauma and others may have had many years of trauma. All trauma is valid and it is not helpful to minimize someone’s trauma by comparing to other’s traumas that people may perceive as “better” or “worse” than another.
“Desensitization plus hope” are the key factors in trauma healing. The core foundation of trauma healing is desensitizing from trauma triggers. Desensitizing from these triggers requires processing and emotion regulation skill-building with a supportive person or professional, while providing hope and a nonjudgmental environment.
Examples of nervous system regulation activities include:
-Exercise (yoga, walking, weight training; all forms of physical movement are helpful)
-Talking to a trusted person
-Getting out into nature and sunlight
-Getting enough sleep at night
-Put ice pack on your chest
-Dancing and listening to music
-Pay attention to your internal sensations and tune into your body
-Coloring
-Tapping acupressure points on your body
-Cuddling with a pet or loved one
-Receiving a long hug or giving yourself a long hug (timing is relative to how long is needed for you to feel calmer)
-Hot bath or shower
-Diaphragmatic breathing
-Guided Imagery or grounding imagery
-Weighted blanket
-Setting boundaries with unhealthy situations
-Progress muscle relaxation
Nervous system regulation can also be something we naturally try to do through scrolling on our phones, shaking our leg when feeling anxious, picking skin, snacking on junk food, drinking alcohol or abusing substances that we feel “calm” us. It is not to say these habits do not provide us comfort temporarily because they do; but, some of these short-term solutions may have a “bounce back” effect, while giving you relief in the short-term, and causing more anxiety in the long-term. One of the other important parts of trauma healing is self-compassion: if you find comfort in snacking, shaking your leg, or scrolling your phone, it’s okay in moderation for your healing as well! Healing is not a straight line.
One reason body-based techniques can be helpful is due to the fact that trauma often causes a disconnect from our body, putting us onto autopilot or survival mode. Getting back in touch with how your body feels pulls you back into the present moment instead of your body living in the past trauma, on high alert or a freeze/disassociated state.
Types of therapy for trauma
- Cognitive processing therapy-your therapist will help guide you through processing your trauma at your own pace, while helping you challenge and change belief systems and automatic negative thoughts that keep you feeling “stuck”
- Prolonged Exposure Therapy-this type of therapy will include similar processing to cognitive therapy, and also include planned exposures to the trauma triggers to desensitize your reactions to the trauma while creating a safe environment. It is critical to be exposed to the thoughts, feelings, memories, body sensations, and images in your mind of the trauma while having a trained professional teach you how to get emotionally regulated again after the exposure occurs.
- EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing)-this therapy involves little talking and typically involves your therapist asking you to hold trauma images in your mind while watching their finger move back and forth (bilateral stimulation), or a back and forth tapping sensation from left to right or right to left. This method is thought to allow your brain to reprocess the traumatic memory by engaging both sides of your brain and allowing for proper integration instead of the trauma being “stuck”. Walking is another example of bilateral stimulation of your brain and why some may find walking calming!
- Somatic therapy-this method works with the theory that trauma is stuck in your physical body and nervous system, and uses body-based techniques and grounding techniques to heal the body from trauma. An example of somatic experiencing may be developing body awareness through guided imagery and progressive muscle relaxation or breathing exercises. It can also be as simple as learning to soften your shoulders, unclench your jaw, and breathing deeply so your body can become more regulated and therefore calmer when a trauma trigger occurs.
All of these methods have their benefits and it is unique to the individual which method is preferred. Some people have benefited greatly from EMDR, and others have benefited greatly from the other approaches. Part of taking back your power from trauma is doing what is right for you versus what someone else is telling you that you must do. There will be good days, but also challenging days, which is completely normal in the healing process. Reach out to a professional today to begin your journey of trauma healing!
(Disclaimer: our office does not treat with EMDR therapy; this article is for educational purposes to help you pick the best approach for you. We utilize the other 3 therapeutic methods listed above)
Books on Trauma for further information:
“The Body Keeps the Score” by Dr. Bessel van der Kolk
“Waking the Tiger” by Peter Levine
“The Science of Stuck” by Britt Frank
“How to Do the Work” by Dr. Nicole LePera
“It Didn’t Start With You” by Mark Wolynn
“The Myth of Normal” by Gabor Maté and Daniel Maté
