The treatment of trauma can be some of the most complex work practitioners face.
And for years, this challenge was complicated by not having a clear picture of the impact that trauma has on the brain.
But scientific advances within just the past few years have opened the eyes of practitioners to what actually happens in the brain of someone who has experienced trauma.
And according to Bessel van der Kolk, MD, there are three major ways that the brain changes in response to trauma.
To find out what they are (and their impact on the body), take a look at the video below – it’s just 3 minutes.
Bessel is one of the world’s leading experts in trauma and PTSD. Because of his research, we have a deeper understanding of how trauma impacts both body and brain.
And this is crucial – it can help us target our interventions more effectively.
So now, we’d like to hear from you . . .
When it comes to the treatment of trauma, what do you want to know most? Please leave your comment below.
I want to know if it’s possible to re wire my brain to cope with the past , without negatively affecting my family as I heal
Hello,
Great insight and thx.
A lot of my staff (police) are in this group with heightened anxiety and ongoing situational awareness both at work and at home.
I know I certainly fall in to the category, how can we self help with simple tips ?
Regards Paul.
All the men in my direct family killed themselves
My father stopped high bp meds
One brother shot himself
The other brother went under a train
Hope you are alright, Scarlet. So sorry about your losses, it is very sad to hear. Do you know if their death has been related to PTSD, mental health or genetically linked?
How often a person become forgetful after a concussion TBI ? Can it be reversed to where it was from the start in this case?
This is very insightful, thank you.
I would find it helpful to hear more about how to understand/ make allowances and support someone who is clearly manifesting the 3 points made by Bessel van der Kelk in the short video above.
Thank you.
Viv
Does trauma effect the brain as in a brain injury and sometimes my brain doesn’t learn new things quick enough as I would like too..as through out my life I’ve had 11 traumatic events that’s happened…now that some of them has come to the surface after blocking it out for many years of like to know can u still keep your brain how it used to be.
I had an EEG and was diagnosed with c-ptsd and those are exactly the things that they described showing as dysfunctional in my brain and then about 4 days after having my EEG done I was subjected to a horrific traumatic event and can’t imagine what the EEG would look like after that since the doctor commented on the profundity of my trauma markers prior to that even taking place. Since then my entire life has become unmanageable and I am about to be evicted and have lost everything. There’s so many amazing therapies available but not if you don’t have any way to pay for them so someone who was a former functioning individual making a six figure salary faces a life on the street because the treatments that undeniably work are unavailable because I can’t pay for them. I am lost and so profoundly scared of the way a person can lose everything and just disappear after being subjected to trauma that destroyed my life and that This is how my story ends.
I would like to hear more about the treatment of torture, in particular non-state torture (torture committed by families/gangs/traffickers/private individuals etc.)
The best resource I have found so far is an amazing organisation called Persons Against Non-State Torture. They have a website.
However they don’t focus on treatment and I’d really like to know more about that.
What is the best way to step back after you have been triggered? How do I prevent or recognize it before the trigger has all ready taken hold?
Keeping calm
JS
I had had EMDR Therapy that seemed to help for a long period I’d time Then, a year ago an incident retriggered my PTSD reactions. I re-entered therapy again & EMDR Therapy seems to have really helped! My question is, what can I do to maintain a neutral response? if another incident happens?
Thank you!
Thank you Ruth, for that very informative clip from Dr. Bassel Van Der Kolk 🙂 I feel the first thing that is under attack is our sense of security, loss of trust and a feeling of NO belonging to be safe.
🙂 Radha
How to make the difference between openness and going beyond your ge boundaries , which I have seen many times in my clients. I take them for granted as it is but it is wrongly assessed at times. Thanks.
Can PTSD be misdiagnosed for a person who could be ADHD due to the self- dysregulation?
I am 65 in two weeks and have lived alone all my life. My parents passed years ago due to old age . I am an only child, and happiest when being with myself. Being bullied in high school, I became more reserved and feel fine being by myself. I was a very good swimmer and my classmates tried to get me involved in parties. Never drink alcohol . Never got married , had a long term relationship one time that needed painfully. My only relative live in Connecticut, a cousin who is an only child herself. I learned to do things around the house very well by myself, I have young persons coming at times because I offered home schooling help to parents and I am very happy that they allowed me to help with h the parenting. Is it traumatic for a person like me to be living like a hermit and have no feeling to in a relationship with anyone, but is at an age when being living by myself is no more a choice. I don’t have the benefits but some saving to stay in my home. I have never been counseled and found your services here and have questions about how trauma and aging becomes a problem for some one like me ? Thank you .
Does trauma & the brain’s response impact the development of dysautonomia?
For some reason there’s no video.
You fixed it, thx!!!
Why is it i can no longer be on time anywhere. No matter how hard i try. I spend hours and hours alone sitting. Ive isolated myself to where the only ppl i spend time with are my 2 son’s and grandkids, it’s not often. Why does it seem i cannot sorry myself anymore and i always need help now.i just don’t function well add a human any more i guess.
I am curious to understand and better explore the concept of setting boundaries. After trauma it seems that someone could become more ridgid and less trusting. They could lock down and become more insular and inwardly focused. How can we better work with the idea of boundaries without feeling restricted by them – more liberated by our own intention and less concerned how others might not show us
respect or compassion. Is it possible to live without boundaries?
I would think your insights are on track as boundaries are essential. Outburst, burnout by overwhelming feelings, or impulsivity are my toughest daily workout. Can’t control with no support that are understanding and empathic to let me be me. In social situation I REALLY slammed it and self talk in a tough way , and to myself. I got you! Thanks for the talk.
Could you briefly explain how neurofeedback works on both side of the brain?
I have had multiple traumatic events in my 43 years sometimes 1 after the other which have left me without much feelings and shut off and numb what I would like to know is the best way to feel like I used to I was hyper sensitive and highly emotional is there any such practical steps I can take to sort my own mind instead of relying on mental health professionals for the past 20 something years I have tried alone right up untill just a couple of years ago when I took high doses of medication and counselling which has had little effect I think I have given up that last little bit of fight I had left TIA
How to help the person to accept and understand the need for ongoing appropriate therapy, to help them on their healing and recovery journey
Have the right therapist who is empathic and tuned in to you and vice versa, Rachel. Shop for it. Ask for reference from your psychiatrist whom you trust to send you to the best. Best to you.
Thank you so much for sharing this short informative video from Bessel van der Kolk, who is much quoted in my master thesis, which was an experiment on what happens in PTSD patients’ awareness during a session of thought field therapy. I know that Mr. van der Kolk has been working for some time with this method.
I miss more information about thought field therapy and trauma, which in my long and varied practice has proven thorough in a way I have not seen in other modalities. I would be thrilled to get hold of any knowledge about what happens in the brain in psychotherapy with different modalities.
Thank you again for your informative e-mails.
Does traditional cognitive therapy work for treatment the treatment of trauma or is somatic better ie “the issues are in the tissues “
I would Like to know how to help my 15-year-old grandson heal from the trauma of his birth father putting Bruises all over him the first few months of his life, abandoning him, and then his birth mother committing suicide.
Has he had any therapy? That’s definitely the first step.
If someone was raised with serious ongoing trauma from birth and then experienced multiple traumas after leaving home as a young person, what is the prognosis–20 plus years of serious trauma? Dissociation for this person is as normal as breathing, regularly used as a child and during later difficult traumas. Today, it is remains available but is seldom used by the adult. Flashbacks are many, but lots of progress has been made in managing them and triggers. Can this brain ever be changed? How will this brain age versus a normal brain? Is life expectancy shortened?
I would like to know if there are personal differences in the likely of experiencing trauma. Do some people just have more sensitive systems and therefore may be more prone to experiencing things traumatically? Or is the trauma the cause of the reactivity of the nervous system? Or both?
There’s often a bit of a gap between understanding what’s going on in reaction to trauma and as a therapist actually being able to initiate relief when the system is finding it difficult to put almost anything into practice. What IMMEDIATE strategies (apart from listing, breathing and mindfulness exercises) have other therapists found useful to get clients better engaged initially?
Christine
Please consider staying away from this site.You are entitled to your opinion but consider that we don’t believe the same as you.
I developed PTSD after the birth of my son almost 3 years ago. I knew what was wrong with me, but mental health professionals misdiagnosed me with depression and I have been left without any help or support until I made a formal complaint just over a year ago. I am still waiting for EMDR therapy. The point is that my condition was ignored, despite repatedly voicing my concerns, and as a result, my mental health deteriorated, my life fell apart, my relationships ended and my son was taken away from me. If I could have just proved that my condition was real, perhaps this would have saved a lot of time and pain.
I’d like to find out more about neurofeedback Therapy?
If sexual abuse in infancy not known about until late adulthood can ever be healed?
My experience is that old trauma can be healed at any point in life, if the body is addressed. EMDR, Emotional Freedom Techniques, Thought Field Therapy are all psychosensory therapies using sensory stimulation to decrease and remove the feelings around old trauma. Somatic experiencing is also a very useful bodily intervention.
Would like to learn more about how to work with those three aspects of brain change in trauma survivors.
Thanks!
A client came to me and ask about why the numbness in his right leg always occur when he is in the presence of his superior. Accordingly, the freeze and flight not only happen there but also when he is with women. I have referred him to a hypnotist to help him un-cover the unconscious fear of speaking up or messing or missing out. But hypnosis is n ot covered. How can i help him getting well?
Thank you so much for sharing this short informative video from Bessel van der Kolk, who is much quoted in my master thesis, which was an experiment on what happens in PTSD patients’ awareness during a session of thought field therapy. I know that Mr. van der Kolk has been working for some time with this method.
I miss more information about thought field therapy and trauma, which in my long and varied practice has proven thorough in a way I have not seen in other modalities. I would be thrilled to get hold of any knowledge about what happens in the brain in psychotherapy with different modalities.
Thank you again for your informative e-mails.
How to be healed from the trauma. The necessary steps to take to be whole again.
Renea – I dont know if this is the answer to your specific problem. I am a family therapist and not a trauma doctor. Group therapy might help among other, like EFT OR IFS. Good luck.
I believe I have been gaslighted for years in my marriage. After my sons both left for college I found myself alone with my husband . I find I am afraid of him if I say or do something wrong . How can I train my brain to not be so fearful? What kind of therapy could help?
J’s Have you check this book ? “The Gaslight Effect
How to Spot and Survive the Hidden Manipulation Others Use to Control Your Life”
By: Dr. Robin Stern It is available in store and online. I can’t guarantee it it the best but I have attended a workshop that talked about this. It is a commonly ignored problem, I agree.
Thank you for the well done presentation. I look forward to more infos about this topic.
Thank you so much for this illuminating video.
Can the effect of trauma on the brain mimic the effect of early brain injury?
Is trauma genetically connected or biologically made up?
18 years ago I cut my beautiful son down from a rope. I tried resusitating him for 85 min. But he was already dead. I also lived in a small community and EVERY ONE left me…its like I murdered him. Is it possible to ever feel ok again?
Is it really ? My son is a lifeguard during summer. He made me ask him about his summer job in a way that he could give me this answer “I don’t save them, I let them drwon” 0( There is no way to adapt to such trauma, even if it is possible.
Tracy, This may be difficult, but all things are possible with God! Try to find a good Bible-believing church, get counseling with the Pastor, and become involved in the life of the church. God cares for what you have been through.
What happen when you are victim of a car accident but you are also the person who use the cell phone while driving ? How to you show support to your client as a therapist?
Ever since I had that car accident 4 years ago, every time the holidays arrive, I get recurrent fear of being on the road whether to visit my mother or family. When that accident happened, my car was terribly hit, and the wailing sounds of the ambulance kept me up and alert. unease. It all happened so fast and no one was hurt. Only the car. No time nor money to fix it. Loss job. And, finally a friend came to me offering some comfort that I needed and now I see it as it triggered my suffering all effects of trauma. What in the brain could it hit mostly and affect which part of my brain in a way that I now become easily defensive to protect myself instinctively?
Its not just trauma as we speak of – eg PTSD, DID, BPD- but stress. Simple stressful events can lead to changes in the brain.
Chronic stress via the HPA axis and stress hormones( ie cortisol) lays the foundation for brain/body/behavior changes.
What does the master (Bessel) say???
Prefrontal/limb(amg/hippo/ etc).
Could mindfulness be an addition to the therapy to help clients regain a “life of balance”?
I have taken a month maternity leave after the traumatic birth of my child. I had a C-section. She is a beautiful toddler. I have notice that at night I now have see a dim light and a shadow of a shape of a person hanging on the door. I wonder if it is my implicit memory that has made my past traumas came back after all. My therapist advised me to let my daughter be seen and talk to with someone to find support. Her brain development may not be completed yet, she might not understand what is happening with her and about her parents arguments are about. This is a website that I have found very helpful for years. So thank you for offering this to us.
My question is about TBIs and PTSD. I was struck on the left side of my head by a truck that ran a red light when I was 9. At that time in the late 70’s, an x-ray was done to rule out broken bones and fractures to the face due to the location of impact. I am now 50 and have 2 MRIs, and waiting for a 3rd to rule out reasons for poor balance. I also have insomnia. I continue to ask practitioners about TBIs and PTSD (later in life?), but it seems that because I can talk about it, work full-time, and raise 2 children on my own (with the ability to access resources due to my education), I’m “fine” and just have “GAD” due to “other” life events. Most also say that something at 9 – even a possible concussion, cannot affect me now, but from what I am reading about the brain and gut connections, that is not the case. The list of medication that I have been given over the years to treat the “anxiety” never “work,” and I continue to stand firm that my body does not need that, it needs something else. I am looking into finding Somatic Practitioners and am receiving support through counselling to make sure my point of view of what’s going on with my body is not getting in the way of any healing that is needed. Any suggestions? Gosh…this was long: thank you for making it to the end of it!
Hi, my name is Jamison and I live in Sweeden. I have found your website “wunderbar”. Ich liebe meine English ist sehr gut. It is not. I am a parent of a 6 year old and single mom. I was depressed and had problem to concentrate when I drive. My daughter felt, i believe, my pain at that time and repressed and was in grief of my presence. I think her brain was not functionning well, but she could adapt. That’s what it did to me . I learned that way.
Is hypnosis a viable form of therapy for a child of 5yrs old ,now in her 20’s, having witnessed her mother’s murder. She has repressed most of the events surrounding the event.What effect does a trauma like this have on developing relationships with the opposite sex?
I am very happy about your making this available to all touched by traumatic events. My son has spent his whole life fighting impulsively against the symptoms ( headache, depression, dissociation, flooding etc.) I wish Dr. Bessel van der Kolk’s can explain more about how to find daily relief of these symptoms during stressful time, like losses of a spouse, job, divorce, or separation of their own children . This will help with the stress or at least understand the reasons behind the weaken immune systems that need to be overcome or endured and how to prevent .
Would hypnosis help with my trauma? I would like to find alternative ways to help me with this as it is affecting my health both physically and mentally.
Fascinating! I’d like to learn more.
I don’t have PTSD and still fatigue is part of my daily life. Once yoga helped, but could afford it only for few months. Then I gained in weight and felt sluggish and no energy again. Winter time made it worse. Fatigue and cold soar throat kept me in bed for 3 weeks. No remedies yet. Still work on this problem.