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Understanding Trauma Triggers, with Stephen Porges, PhD

14 Comments

In the aftermath of trauma, some clients struggle to feel a sense of connection to their bodies.

And when clients can’t properly interpret the sensations or messages that the body is sending to the brain, it can be very difficult for them to get a handle on their triggers.

So in the video below, Stephen Porges, PhD shares a Polyvagal-informed approach that can help clients better understand their triggers and begin to feel more at home in their own bodies.

Have a look.

 

Click here for full transcript
“Dr. Porges: In a therapeutic setting, it’s extremely important to understand what the triggers are for that person. So if you are an aware therapist and you realize that if you’re in close proximity to your client, the client kind of tenses up, that becomes an opportunity to talk about that. First of all, you can distance yourself and talk to the client about, is this far enough away from you to make you feel more comfortable? Or how do you feel now?And then you get into this dialogue of why. What is the history of this? When did you first notice this? And then you start dealing with, what happens if I move a little bit closer to you now? Can you accept that? So, you start using these cues to manipulate the therapeutic setting. And the therapeutic setting now has little to do with events and now much more to do with existing or triggering feelings.So, the person now becomes more aware of their own body and now can start experiencing and describing it. And perhaps, you might want to give the client some homework and saying, “In your work or your day-to-day experiences, when does your body react that way? Can you keep a little diary? Can you become aware of it? And are there antecedents? Do you become more sensitive if you’re in a rush, if you have a deadline, if you have a lot of work to do? Do you become more sensitive? Or if you’re on vacation, is this less of a problem or less of an issue? We shouldn’t even call it a problem, but we should say that, are these feelings less prevalent?” So, the dialogue is really about becoming to honor one’s own body and bodily responses.But we can use kind of a term that’s frequently used in pop psychology now, I guess, or psychology even is to become embodied. And we need to think of being embodied as the opposite of being numb. And numbness is far more frequent in clients than most people or most therapists realize. Many people just don’t feel their body. In a sense, they’ve learned not to feel their body. And what that is doing, there’s a really interesting trajectory. Because when they’re saying, “I don’t feel these things. I don’t feel,” they’re telling you that their autonomic nervous system is not fulfilling its job. So, the feedback loops are not working.So, the consequence of not feeling is really going to be violation or disruption of homeostatic function. And of course within those clients, you start seeing autonomic problems like irritable bowel syndrome, fibromyalgia. You start seeing a lot of issues of digestive problems. So, they’ll tell you that they don’t feel things but they have these clinical features. And this provides you with a lot of information about how to move them out of those clinical problems into making their bodies more resilient, more homeostatic, more regulatory.And so, the important message on this is that bodily feelings or bodily regulation contributes to mental health and mental regulation. They’re part of the same system. And so, you can improve one or the other from each side. So if we in a sense get to our physiological regulation, we’ll feel better. If we get to our emotional regulation, our physiology will become better.”

 

A Polyvagal-informed approach can strengthen your work with trauma by helping you target your client’s nervous system more effectively.

So if you found this video helpful, you can hear more from Stephen about how to integrate Polyvagal Theory into the treatment of trauma here.

Now we’d like to hear from you. How might you use these techniques in your work with clients? Please leave a comment below to let us know.

If you found this helpful, here are a few more resources you might be interested in:

A Two-Step Approach for Helping Clients Bring Awareness to an Emotional Trigger

When Racism Triggers Emotional Reactivity

The Differences in Dissociation Triggered by Shame and Terror – and How to Work with Each

 

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Related Posts: Anxiety, Healing Trauma, Nervous System

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14 Comments

  1. Thessalon Harrison, Exercise Physiology, Century, FL, USA says

    I am in a CIT class and I want more information or resources. I work in corrections.

    Reply
  2. Jane Cresswell, Other, AU says

    I recently went through breast cancer treatment and ended up with peripheral neuropathy, I was wondering how this treatment would have impacted Ted on my vestibular proprioception and introperception, which has also been impacted by developmental trauma.

    Reply
  3. CHRISTINE R, Occupational Therapy, Port Ludlow, WA, USA says

    Thank you for this well articulated explanation and for the videos you share. It is also helpful to access the transcripts 🙂

    Reply
  4. Lisa Hendry Naveau, Other, CA says

    I need to go deeper and understand fight, flight, freeze and also disassociation from mind and body. To learn to remain in the present no matter the situation and be able to use my voice during those moments.

    I have behaviours I have not yet been able to change in myself and I need help that I have not found. My therapist who has 6 years University and many years experience says he is unable to help.

    My issues go deeper than consciousness and its like something other than myself, takes over. Perhaps the subconscious?

    Since Ive been doing self help, learning and being more conscious, aware of and about everything I do, Ive become aware of the disassociation and how important itbis to address it. The deeper fight, flight, freeze. The subconscious fight, flight, or freeze. If I can even call it that. Ive been trying to find information and help because my response and reaction or inaction to some situations are unacceptable.

    In those moments I run into myself, im battling with my inner self, and Im frozen, paralyzed in the situation. Its a brain fog like we have in trauma, grief and when triggered. There has to be a way to regulate myself, remain in the present moment and not allow fear or whatever it is, to control me in such a way that I let whatever is happening, happen.

    Its not like these unacceptable situations and behaviours of others come up every day in order to be able to practice tools and ground myself deeper —with the goal to be better in reactions and “timely reaction”

    Its not just about confrontation either or shying away from it. Although outside of trauma, it can be seem that way.

    If I am not in control in any given moment that I am triggered how then, can I learn on my own? Im afraid that the flight and freeze mode could one day turn into fight, lashing out and harming another.

    I have realized in my own healing that in other areas I can go from one extreme to another before balancing out.

    If this happens with fight flight freeze, from one extreme to the next, would this fall under the concept of temporary insanity?

    Where can I go? Who can I speak to for help with this?

    I will be looking into the limbic system as Ive found learning about the vagus nerve has been helpful. Learning relaxing techniques might be key in order to remain relaxed enough under pressure to not loose myself in the flight fight freeze.

    Ive also briefly looked into the sympathetic nervous system.

    Calming my mind and body with breathworks and different meditations have been helpful.

    Ps my mother was one of seven perpetrators when I was a child from age 4 to 17. Conceived a my second child at 18 through rape and suffered through much more trauma and grief throughout my life. Most of my life has been fear based. To protect myself and my children.

    I come to tears knowing that FINALLY people are learning more about trauma. It gives me hope that I can one day finally find more tools I need to heal and get over this hump that is holding me back. I have always feared failure, and now fear success which I recently discovered. Ive been unwell living with fight flight freeze and being in hyper vigilant mode for most of my life. I want my freedom. Freedom from all fear and complete healing. This is my goal. I am transparent in my journey and share everything I learn and is helpful on my facebook. Too many of us suffering trauma while we live in a trauma filled society, run and governed by traumatized people.

    There is some relief in knowing Im not alone on my Healing Journey. So many others have taken the turn onto the Red Road. Im not as crazy as I sometimes think I am, and there is hope. Finally there is hope.

    Much Love,
    Lisa

    Reply
    • CHRISTINE R, Occupational Therapy, Port Ludlow, WA, USA says

      This is a thoughtful share. Thank You, Lisa. I pursued being a therapist to help others through events I too have endured, as you describe above. I got tired of hearing, “get over it”, by many individuals through decades when I called out for help. This only squashed my willingness to share. Then, I compartmentalized it all only to have it come up as a volcano once I felt safe, in my 30’s. It’s still coming up 2 decades later. Keep up the work, the hope that you can heal as it does come in increments. I started a free online support group specific to anxiety and for caregivers to help provide support as so many of us are working through these challenges. Namaste.

      Reply
  5. Daniela B, USA says

    Thank you. So helpful for my work.

    Reply
  6. Norma Silver, Teacher, USA says

    Thank you. Your explanation helped me in many ways. I numb out sometimes and I’ll start paying attention to those times. Keeping a journal is such a good idea. You’ve helped so much. Norma

    Reply
  7. Paula Derry, Other, Owings Mills, MD, USA says

    Porges says: “But we can use kind of a term that’s frequently used in pop psychology now, I guess, or psychology even is to become embodied,” pointing to the clinical importance of bodily numbness. However, labelling “embodiment” as pop psychology is disrespectful, especially given the work in many areas, including bodily numbness, that has been done. Perhaps some pop psychologists do so use the term. But, then, there are those that use the term “polyvagal-informed approach” as pop biology.

    Reply
  8. Maureen Menzies, Another Field, GB says

    Interesting …. At the beginning of therapy I don’t think therapists put enough emphasis your points, body language / take the time to notice triggers created by body language …Thanks for emphasising the importance of this. You demonstrates the importance of getting the basics right before progress can be made and , how the right start can be the difference between helpful therapy and a waste of time !

    Reply
  9. Helen says

    Thank you. Most excellent!!

    Reply
  10. Margaret Meyer, Another Field, AU says

    I am a reflexologist and am interested in the way trauma is held within the body and its effects on organs and systems. The body is represented on the feet and sore spots can be found where certain organs and systems are located.
    This can indicate the presence of inflammation which may manifest as some form of health condition. So this is where somatic therapies can help clients who have experienced trauma.

    Reply
  11. Karen Alexander, Health Education, AU says

    So much gratitude for all this Work in helping to support and understand our human condition. Thank you Stephen and all❣️

    Reply
  12. Anja Huss, Teacher, DK says

    I use this every day in my work as a Rosenmethod Bodywork practioner.

    Reply
  13. Rina Levy, Psychology, IL says

    Now, with all the risks of Cםbid 19 and the need to protect our patients and ourselves we are required to wear masks and a physical distance between us and the client. It is worth thinking about how to deal with this situation in the context of Forges’s recommendations and the polyvagal theory.
    Happy New Year and a groth of health to our Jewish friends and everyone.

    Reply

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