Trauma’s impact on the body can often be readily apparent, but what does trauma look like from inside the brain? According to David Berceli, PhD, there’s a specific sequence to how the brain processes trauma . . . . . . and knowing how it works could be essential to honing our approach to the treatment of trauma. David takes us through the process in the short video below. Check it out – it’s just 3 minutes. Click here to sign up. The webinar with David is a special bonus for Gold Members, and in it, he’ll give us an…

Sometimes it seems like there are two kinds of people in the world – those who can be so resilient in the face of stressful or traumatic events, and those who develop Post-Traumatic Stress. We know that some people are simply more vulnerable to developing PTSD than others . . . . . . but why? Naomi Breslau, PhD of the Epidemiology Department of Michigan State University wanted to find out whether chronic worrying could play a role in heightening a person’s risk of suffering PTSD following a traumatic episode. She and her colleagues analyzed data from a 10-year study…

Why is it that 33% to 53% of HIV-infected people have histories of childhood sexual abuse? Just take a look at the symptoms of childhood sexual abuse – helplessness, low self-esteem, dissociation, denial, self-destructiveness . . . these psychological difficulties that can result from childhood sexual abuse are often related to HIV risk behavior. Studies show that childhood sexual abuse is associated with avoidant coping, which can lead to increased traumatic symptoms . . . so perhaps changing the coping strategy of people who experienced childhood sexual abuse could be useful? Duke University professor Kathleen J. Sikkema, PhD conducted a…

Can trauma haunt the body the same way it haunts memories? According to Stephen Porges, PhD, not only does the body remember a traumatic experience, but it can actually get stuck in the trauma response mode. So even when life becomes safe, the body still perceives danger and its defenses stay engaged. Why does this happen and what can we do about it? Stephen shares a little background along with his own personal experience with this phenomenon – check it out, it’s just 4 minutes. Click here to sign up. Stephen will tell us more about how the polyvagal theory…

If a single traumatic experience can change a person’s life for years to come, what must an average day be like for someone who faces traumatic events on a routine basis? For people affected by war or natural disaster, where entire populations from infants to the elderly have been exposed to so much suffering, what can we possibly put in place to help them cope? Researchers wanted to see whether the Teaching Recovery Techniques (TRT) program could be one effective resource for this population. TRT is a skills-based cognitive behavioral therapy program that has significantly reduced symptoms of PTSD in…

Soldiers in a war zone experience more trauma in a week than many others experience in their lives . . . . . . but it still feels like our tools for treating trauma aren’t quite sufficient. Mindfulness meditation could be a powerful healing intervention – but does it work with soldiers? The early research is promising. It’s still very young. . . but it’s promising. That’s why I thought this study was so interesting. Anthony King, PhD, research professor in the University of Michigan department of psychiatry, led a team to investigate whether mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) could help…