The Neurobiology of Trauma – What’s Going On In the Brain When Someone Experiences Trauma?
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with Bessel van der Kolk, MD;
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with Bessel van der Kolk, MD; Pat Ogden, PhD; Ruth Lanius, MD; PhD Dan Siegel, MD; and Ruth Buczynski, PhD
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It struck me hearing it this time how Pat Ogden’s explanation reminded me of how phobias are sometimes treated – ‘bringing the symptom into therapy’ being kind of like ‘flooding’ – the missing piece w moe cognitive based phobia treatment seemed to be the lack of an empathic other brain’s presence, guiding emotion. So interesting, thanks!
This has been a serious education for me on the latest in trauma intervention. I was struck by the focus on integration and the statement that dissociation can be cured (which I agree with, having seen it happen). I wonder if post-integration – the “cured” state – anyone has had experience with formerly very dissociated patients having to learn new ways of coping with stress. Mindfulness sounds very helpful; is there anything else?
Excellent first session. I love how this is so simplified in understanding now. The inofmation is easy to use for me as a coach to build programmes that will help people understand what it is to be human and be kinder to themselves and each other. I appreciate the work all of you do, and your efforts to bring it to a global audience.
What is a “Gold subscription”? I paid $197 a few months back for a broadcast on Trauma and Race. Am I a member? Or does the subscription apply only to each course or broadcast event. I would appreciate an answer.
I’m sure you received an answer by now, but yes, as you guessed; the course you purchased was a stand-alone and separate transaction to this course here, the entire new purchase of which would constitute a “Gold sub”.
The talks are very informative. As a physical therapist working with people in pain, I realize that emotions and cognition have a huge impact on pain experience. I didn’t know how to explain the contribution of these factors in pain until I go through the presentation.
Thank you so much for this informative and well-produced session. I look forward to learning more, but will be transiting between the US and Kenya in the coming days, so hope to reconnect when I get on the ground. I also have so many questions related to cognitive sociology and cross-cultural psychology and how they influence the trauma-awareness/healing journey. Additionally, I work with four realms of ACEs, so have expanded adverse childhood experiences into three additional realms relevant to the work I do in the Global South.
I’m using this information to build better experiences for my breath and resilience work.
As a mental health occupational therapist in the UK it is so helpful to have a clearer understanding of the neurobiology of trauma – being able to discuss the effects of trauma with clients and achieve the distancing and lessening of self-blame that was discussed by Dr Siegel will be really useful and builds on the approaches I already use in my work.
Thank you for sharing this series of lectures
Love NICABM! This is so good. Love how Ruth strings together fiery clips from Dan, Bessel, Pat, Ruth, Stephen and weaves them all together to tell a story (complete with visuals). I purchased this a year or two ago, but I’m watching it again and taking notes, haha!
Thank you so much for this well researched and practical training. How will I use this? To better understand myself and to help others understand themselves. (I’ve been developing a blog to help empower others and understanding the physiology and practical examples of what works will serve my readers.)
Thank you for this opportunity.
I need the education on the correlation between bio & psych.
One of my biggest takeaways is that having a clear understanding of the neurobiology of the brain helps reduce blame and shame. When a client comes to understand their body’s reaction to trauma was a way to keep them safe this helps reduce the reflective shame that comes out of those reactions.
Take with me and contemplate for us as I’m studying to be psychologist (existential)
This was so good. Following from Nairobi, Kenya. Thank you all for sharing all this wonderful and helpful information.
Thank you all for this opportunity to learn about myself, the self I did not even was going on within myself.
Thank you. I found this very helpful, espec the depth of the brain’s interconnectivity with the body, the emotional and social world and the essential function of the brains 3 networks underlying processing, organized attachment and integration. I have undertaken clinical work with emergency services personnel and police for many years. They frequently present with layered, complex trauma and grief, relating to their work life, sometimes pre-dated by early life trauma and emotional deprivation. In fact, sometimes this appears to be related to their ‘reasoning’ for entering emergency services -ie to save and protect others, to confer a sense of identity (the uniform, the role – a substitute ‘family’), to ‘regulate’ (externally not internally). I frequently see connections between trauma and digestive disorders, in particular IBS – (the gut-brain axis), and also cardio-vascular disease which in some ways seems to be a symbolic representation in a somatic context of the inability of the psyche to ‘digest’ painful/ traumatic lived experience and dissociation.
I also see family members of emergency services personnel (ie children) who frequently present with heightened anxiety (especially separation anxiety), sleep disturbance and ? vicarious trauma, but who have no words to help them name, process and integrate trauma which may not be their own. So, I wonder about ?mirror neurons, the epigenetics of trauma and intergenerational transmission of trauma operating in the families of emergency services personnel, the militar, asylum seekers (and other families as well).
I provide spiritual guidance to help people break abuse cycles. We help people regardless of their faith or lack thereof. We do our best to express these spiritual arts in ways that make sense to our participants. Mindfulness is an important tool in our work. Having a better understanding of how mindfulness acts on the body will help me convey it better. Science has always been a great love of mine, but spirituality is my soul. It is beautiful to see the two align. It is truly an exciting time to be here.
The first thing I am going to be using is the part Ron Siegal said about “this is just what the brain does”. If it can stop even one “I’m sorry…” it will be worth the world. Thank you.
Thank you for the free content. I worked with a lot of traumatised learners, and also have C-PTSD from severe abuses of almost every kind. In 2015, new traumas caused an immune disorder to come out of Remission, and forcing my medical leave. My own C-PTSD led to my being unable to cope with everything, including my LTD insurance claim paperwork, and I was denied for late submissions, and am now starting court battles, as the issues snowballed to my losing almost everything and everyone I had worked towards and valued in life. It wasn’t until more recent trauma-informed therapies that I got any insights into why I struggled so much with keeping up with the medical issues plus all the paperwork. I have my hearings starting this Friday. I hope this information changes such issues with insurance coverages and disability benefits’ claims. The laws that protect insurance companies from having to pay out based on timelines, and allows them to use missed timelines to completely disregard medical, need to have openings as well as preventative supports to address when time pressures are medically impacted by neurobiological conditions. I asked for help to cope, from 2015, of my union, HR reps, the insurance reps, my medical supports, community agencies, friends and family, and could not get help, plus could not qualify for a Case Manager via CMHA nor CamH.
All of this is so applicable to my work as a pediatric occupational therapist, though the application looks different. I help clients, in a trusting relationship, regulate and integrate sensory information. This can be a powerful aspect of healing along with the work of a therapist or counselor. I am excited about the collaboration that this will foster.
Honestly this is the “new” wave of trauma informed practices that help shift from a shame blame mindset to okay that happened and here’s why your body did that… so let’s take it from there and see how we can change. Because a lot of times (speaking from experience) we get this rigid mindset that nothing I do will make a difference because the path to healing isn’t linear.
So I appreciate the neuroscience coming in and saying not only can you change your mindset but the building blocks of your DNA, that for me is uplifting in and of itself. It’s my own mental health journey that has lead me back into school and becoming a therapist myself. I know how life saving these practices are, and how hard both therapist and client have to work, and the foundations that must be laid down in order to work through all the maladaptive coping mechanisms that kept us here . They are really just adaptations of survival… and removing the shame, lifting the person up that they are still here and if they are still here change can happen. It won’t be instant… but it happens… and I think that hope … that having been there ( at least for me ) can show someone else that it works, we can make it through…
There is hope. Mindfulness practices .. being here and now is a heavy lift for a trauma survivor , but NOT impossible, especially when your therapist has these skills to help.
superb as usual
have already bought it years ago
thanks
As a yoga therapist I work with the body and breath along with thoughts and beliefs. This episode has encouraged me to ask more about clients past attachment experiences. I can see how a conversation around attachment experiences will deepen and guide the yoga therapy session and impact the client’s current relationship to self and other.
Mind can change the molecules! Helping clients to understand and normalize the mind body connection, and how mindfulness work in therapy is so important!
thank you so nuch
Developing safe relationship with therapist, and then being able to track sensation in the body and carrying out the action in a session, such as pushing against a pillow.
I’ll use this information to enhance the course I teach at UMass Boston on Trauma and Crisis Counseling. Thanks! Vicky
as usual excellent
Thank you… I am compleating a book on Neural-Hypnosis so your input is so apprectiated.
Shelley Stockwell-Nicholas
I appreciate the opportunity to hear the perspectives from so many interesting and knowledgeable practioners.
As a primary care physician, survivor of ACE and domestic violence myself and counselor for victims of emotional and physical abuse I always explore my patients for trauma as the possible origin of medical conditions. Thank you so much for this educational seminar, the information is essential for all practitioners that work with mental health. Warm regards from Costa Rica!
Thank you so much for providing this very up-to-date information. I have followed NICABM for years and have always learned new information and techniques that I can use to help my clients, who have almost always experienced some kind of serious trauma.I am in my 80s and still have a small practice in a very rural community in Colorado.I tried to retire, but I missed it too much and there is demand for the kind of therapy that includes the whole person: mind-body-spirit. I have limited retirement and really appreciate being able to watch for free when I need to.. .
I will be asking how my clients feel and encouraging them to let the emotions come up. For some clients I will tell them that it will help them integrate and process the memory so they can be more of an observer. I’m thrilled to hear that being present actually repairs and lengthens telomeres! What a simple way to help people heal! Having the WHY behind what “might help” and know that it actually will help is immensely confidence building and encouraging for me as a practitioner and will be for my clients.
This is such valuable content for helping clinicians normalize clients’ responses related to trauma; it can help clients release shame/self-blame and engage self-compassion in recognizing that “of course this is how I respond when x,y,z happens — that’s the brain acting as it does after trauma.” Also, the piece about the capacity of mindfulness/presence to directly extend telomeres and protect against inflammatory response/disease is wonderful and something I will include in my psychoeducation with clients because it invites agency when one might simply fall into despair at the compelling/horrific findings of the landmark ACES study. Thank you!
Hi! Firstly, thank you for such high quality training. I work for a mental health charity and I work with many people who have experienced so much trauma. I’m also currently writing my Masters dissertation on childhood trauma. There is so much to take away from this training today, especially knowing that we can change our telomerase by being more mindful.
See you on the next one
Thank you for a great webinar!
I will use the models of explanation/integration in the work with my clients during the psychoeducation.
This inspires me to go along and be more brave with using my knowledge of body-emotion and cognition in my work.
Cecilia, psychotherapist and physicaltherapist, Sweden
Thank you for sharing your knowledge and insight. Thank you gold members for the really necessary work of getting this medical knowledge out to the world. Thanks for helping me understand my own brain. Just wish my brother could have linked in late so he could understand what I’m going thru.
Thank you for the webinar, i appreciate the latest research that is included. I was struck by Dan Siegels thoughts about the powerful impact of mindfulness on dissociation and trauma. I will try to learn more about this and use it in my practice. I was also grateful for the practical tip wrt working with dissociation by Pat Ogden. Keep the contact and encourage noting body response, using a soft pillow, safely help express the rage / anger to unblock.
Kind regards,
Mary.
What an amazing resource – thank you! It has given me more confidence and nuance in how I will approach integration using body work and meditation. My deep gratitude for everyone whose work has enabled this to be known and shared.
Most helpful in working with my police officers with ptsd
Are there “ideal” ages where the work of overcoming dissociation is most possible for clients?
I’m a neuroscientist by training, and my only therapy clients are myself and close friends. Thanks to the presenters for providing this high-quality information to the public. I am likely to re-implement my mindfulness practice thanks to the reminder about the mindfulness’s promotion of DNA repair mechanisms and anti-inflammatory response.
MERCI ! This webinar and its speakers are of such a high quality ! I’m a French body oriented therapist working in La Defense, the western suburb of Paris. I am trained with a psychosensory method which aims to balance both sensorial functions of the brain (receptivity) and cognitive ones (emissivity) to bring the person back into the present moment and brain control. It’s an active and intregated type of mindfulness method that worked so well on me that I am now helping others with it. It’ called the Vittoz therapy from the name of doctor Vittoz who set it up back in the early 20th century. This webinar confirms what this doctor experienced and invented a century ago. It’s so exciting !