Trauma in Adolescents and Adults
Being exposed to trauma can look differently for everyone I often say that 5 different people can experience the same event or trauma and these 5 people can have 5 different responses. Why? Because everyone is in a different place in life with a unique belief system and orientation about the world, love, safety, connection, etc. Who we are, where we are and who we are with can have SO much to do with how deep a trauma will settle.
Why do I get Triggered and Panic After Trauma?
Many experience Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), or a variation of this as a reaction to trauma, but why? To understand this, we have to understand how the brain works. Think of the animal kingdom and survival. If a zebra is being chased by a lion he will do a couple of things to survive. The zebra can freeze, camoflague and blend in with his surroundings, or maybe he will experience a surge of adrenaline and strength and will begin to out-run the lion. However he reacts, it is not a conscious frontal lobe choice, but rather a non-rational instinctual reaction to danger. IF he stopped to think, he would be eaten. And fast.
Humans are the same. When humans experience a trauma, the amygdala part of the brain stores a segment of this event within the senses. Storing the event is a way to protect the victim from re-living the experience. However, like most alarm systems, the amagdala responds without assessing. This may not always be the most accurate and efficient way to help.
What Does This All Mean? Real Life Example:
I remember seeing a women years ago who was repeatedly sexually assaulted by an uncle. These memories were repressed for her and she did not remember the events for decades. One day she was on a business trip in the airport and she smelled her uncle's cologne (sensory memory). This was just enough for her alarm system to become triggered (amygdala) AND to alert her of this danger and her uncle's presence (her memories at this point were no longer repressed but flooded in at full force). Her amygdala thought her perpetrator was there and it initiated a flooding in her system of stress hormones (cortisol, adrenaline, etc) to prepare her to either camouflage and hide or fight off her offender. BUT...it was wrong. It was not her uncle, but another passenger in the airport with the same colgne. She was in fact safe, but was triggered to the point of a full blown panic attack AND an enormous volume of memories that she did not have the previous day.
I can't tell you how many times I have seen someone triggered by the season, holiday, a song or event. Alarm systems are designed to react...in the moment. A reliable alarm does not stop to think. It just reacts and alerts. Stopping to think could be deadly and the amagdlya knows this. But often times our own brain related alarm system is wrong.
Humans are the same. When humans experience a trauma, the amygdala part of the brain stores a segment of this event within the senses. Storing the event is a way to protect the victim from re-living the experience. However, like most alarm systems, the amagdala responds without assessing. This may not always be the most accurate and efficient way to help.
What Does This All Mean? Real Life Example:
I remember seeing a women years ago who was repeatedly sexually assaulted by an uncle. These memories were repressed for her and she did not remember the events for decades. One day she was on a business trip in the airport and she smelled her uncle's cologne (sensory memory). This was just enough for her alarm system to become triggered (amygdala) AND to alert her of this danger and her uncle's presence (her memories at this point were no longer repressed but flooded in at full force). Her amygdala thought her perpetrator was there and it initiated a flooding in her system of stress hormones (cortisol, adrenaline, etc) to prepare her to either camouflage and hide or fight off her offender. BUT...it was wrong. It was not her uncle, but another passenger in the airport with the same colgne. She was in fact safe, but was triggered to the point of a full blown panic attack AND an enormous volume of memories that she did not have the previous day.
I can't tell you how many times I have seen someone triggered by the season, holiday, a song or event. Alarm systems are designed to react...in the moment. A reliable alarm does not stop to think. It just reacts and alerts. Stopping to think could be deadly and the amagdlya knows this. But often times our own brain related alarm system is wrong.
What Can be Done? How Do I Stop Panicking? How Do I Stop the Nightmares?
Understanding the power of sensory memories can be huge when one is healing from trauma. Having ways to get the trauma response to EXIT the body can be so freeing and empowering . Re-wiring the sensory responses can be a vital part of the process. When we experience something stressful or traumatic we often suck in air and gasp. Just as we can experience trauma within our bodies, we can also inhale the experience in that much deeper. Learning how to calm the body down can be a valuable tool in trauma related therapy. Understanding how to listen to the body to see how the trauma has effected systems of the body can be valuable and may even impact physical health and well being.
Therapists trained to help with trauma do so by re-wiring the amygdla to NOT panic during safe yet triggering circumstances. EMDR, art therapy, meditation, aromatherapy, visualization are all examples of tools a therapist trained to help with trauma may utilize. A good empathetic trauma trained therapist can help the body and mind slow down enough to experience, feel and react at a healthier level and speed.
Therapists trained to help with trauma do so by re-wiring the amygdla to NOT panic during safe yet triggering circumstances. EMDR, art therapy, meditation, aromatherapy, visualization are all examples of tools a therapist trained to help with trauma may utilize. A good empathetic trauma trained therapist can help the body and mind slow down enough to experience, feel and react at a healthier level and speed.
What Can I Do at Home in Between Sessions?
If you are involved in trauma related therapy, it is important for you to be able to experience calmer episodes at home. Your therapist may help you with breathing exercises, visualizations and meditations to try in between sessions. Modalities like these can help decrease the heart rate and can train the brain to react to circumstances and stress more effectively. Taking a calming epsom slat bath can even help the body experience calm and tranquility and help help the therapeutic process.
Aromatherapy and Trauma
Some of our therapists are trained to use aromatherapy DURING your sessions. If you experience an essential oil that helps you feel more grounded and supported emotionally, your therapist may be able to help you obtain these oils so that you can begin to experience more calming moments at home as well. The more your amygdala can bump up against something scary and have a GOOD calm result, the quicker it will re-wire and learn that this is in fact something safe. Essential oils can help with fear, panic, dark feelings, difficulty sleeping, etc. Ask your therapist if essential oils maybe a good compliment to your therapy today.
Aromatherapy and Trauma
Some of our therapists are trained to use aromatherapy DURING your sessions. If you experience an essential oil that helps you feel more grounded and supported emotionally, your therapist may be able to help you obtain these oils so that you can begin to experience more calming moments at home as well. The more your amygdala can bump up against something scary and have a GOOD calm result, the quicker it will re-wire and learn that this is in fact something safe. Essential oils can help with fear, panic, dark feelings, difficulty sleeping, etc. Ask your therapist if essential oils maybe a good compliment to your therapy today.
