What activates the pleasure and reward centers of the brain, calms parts of the brain associated with fear and anxiety, and is available to anyone without a prescription? Long-term relationships. Researchers Bianca Acevedo, PhD and Arthur Aron, PhD took ten women and seven men who had been married an average of 21.4 years and did […]
Brain Change and Mindfulness . . . In 8 Weeks?
Could someone who has never before been exposed to mindfulness begin to see results in as little as 8 weeks? Eight weeks isn’t all that long. But it could be just enough to cause significant change in someone’s brain (and therefore in their life). A group of researchers out of the University of Siena, in […]
Working with Memory to Reframe a Traumatic Experience
A single moment can last forever in our memory . . . Now when it’s something special, a time or an event that we hold dear, reliving memories can feel almost as good to us as the actual moment did. But when someone’s memory keeps replaying a traumatic experience, that can cause them to relive […]
Trauma’s Impact on the Brain
When a traumatic event triggers our internal alarm system, the body goes into fight, flight, or freeze . . . . . . but what happens in the brain during trauma? According to Dan Siegel, MD, there are two key chemical reactions to trauma (and one can play a role in actually shrinking part of […]
Rethinking Trauma: The Third Wave of Trauma Treatment
As someone who’s been practicing for a while, I’ve seen our view on the treatment of trauma go through substantial development. Our research, theory and treatments have all advanced considerably in the last 40 years. And as I reflect upon this, I’m seeing 3 waves in the evolution of our outlook. Looking back at when […]