ptsd, trauma, body, brain

One of the major adaptations was the evolution of the dorsolateral vagal nerve, a large part of the vagus nerve that links the internal organs with the central control systems in the brain and is the basis for the rest-and-digest response. This adaptation made it possible for mammalian parents to offer the significant post-birth care and investment

CBT also tries to help patients deal with their tendency to avoid, as in “I don’t want to talk about it.”34 It sounds simple, but, as we have seen, reliving trauma reactivates the brain’s alarm system and knocks out critical brain areas necessary for integrating the past, making it likely that patients will relive rather than resolve the trauma.

is one thing to process memories of trauma, but it is an entirely different matter to confront the inner void—the holes in the soul that result from not having been wanted,

Genetic memory is stored in every cell, but learned memory seems to be stored in specific areas of the body muscle tissue.

It is important to note that using the word trauma-informed does not involve defining people by their trauma. We are all more than the trauma that has occurred in our lives. Rather, it involves acknowledging one’s trauma history in the service of promoting healing and growth. It is a person-centered, healing-focused approach to treatment that takes

One excellent experiment is to let go of the fear of fear itself. When we stop being afraid of fear, we notice that it is just a feeling. In fact, fear is far more tolerable than depression.

Our choices become limited as we avoid certain feelings, people, situations, and places.