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.
How best do u treat trauma in a teen from sexual assault?
How do I get past the adrelion rush from the fight of flight response.
How do I learn how to manage my terror when I need to talk about something going on at work? I am terrified to talk with people in authority.
Vicki
Hi, Vicki, it looks like to me that it is related to an attachment issue that you have. Check about disorganized type of attachment.
I would like to know some key steps to helping manage a situation or conversation with someone who is in distress and lives with C-PTSD, to allow them to express themselves openly and honestly without restriction, while diffusing the intensity and not making them feel negatively about what they are feeling and need to express.
This is really helpful in ministering to women we have encountered who are caught up in sex trafficking.
Sandra Overly, Safe House Manager
Take the City/Redeem
In regards to epigenetics is trans-generational trauma the cause of physical reactions/trauma to contemporary carriers due to their ancestors encounters?
Well, you posed three things that change after trauma. What I want to know is how to restore them to health. There is nothing more frustrating than a trauma book (or video) that spends 99% of it’s time talking about the problem(s) and does not give any solutions….. hint.
I have been struggling for years and finally got a diagnosis and a psychologist to treat me. I am married to a man who has been very abusive, physically, mentally and emotionally. This situation follows many traumatic incidences during my 67 years. My question, can I ever feel peace and confidence again. I struggle ever day to be “normal” so people will see that.
When a traumatic brain injury is also a part of trauma, how does one know what changes are traumatic and what might be due to the TBI (especially when the person appears to be functioning well but is covertly aggressive).
I work with clients with brain injury. If PTSD did not precede the injury but resulted from the injury, then this is very difficult to tease apart. But covert aggression is not a hallmark of brain injury; anger and aggression after BI is generally out in the open and visible to anyone present. Bottom line, you treat the symptoms, as you may not know the exact etiology.
When a traumatic brain injury is also a part of trauma, how does one know what changes are traumatic and what might be due to the TBI (especially when the person appears to be cognitively functioning)?
How can a person that trauma has socially /mental anxiety and cant/avoids social activities,i.e.work,fill out or even get applications find help with no income or very limited income.
How does someone begin to start healing mentally from childhood and adolescent mental trauma. How does one start to reset the part of the brain to feel safe again.
Thank you
Once you have experienced a trauma, and it triggers a PTSD episode, what can I do to ease the crying and the pain? Thank you. Harriet
How do I over come trauma from a 8yr marriage to a narc. He up and left with no warning. It’s been 7 months sense he left and I am not getting any better. I’ve tryed some healing my inner child but nothing i do makes it any better. I still cry on a daily basis and nothing is working to get me out of this hole. I not only lost my man I also lost my job and got arrested for something i didnt do and now I’m fixing to loose my home. I need help please!
I’m not an expert, but I would HIGHLY RECOMMEND you find an Al-Anon meeting. It saved my life.
Blessings to you,
Sue from Overland Park, KS
How do I get over this trauma. It’s been 7 months and I’m not getting any better. I was with a narc for 8 yrs and he left me one day out of the blue. I have so much hurt and pain I cant move on.
How do I get my son (he is in the military) who has suffered a lot of trauma to realize he is not functioning correctly and possibly has PTSD ?
How do you persuade/work with a person who has sustained severe trauma and exhibits symptoms of PTSD and thinks of themselves as a victim, to begin to emerge from the victim mentality and believe that s/he can be an overcomer/thriver?
Could these things pertain to as well a closed head injury and someone being in broken relationship after relationship and not being able to connect with others because of all the past heartache and pain..
wow very insightful and just more of understanding behaviours and how to help or manage them.
I would like to know how to help my (now adolescent) child who spent the first 13 months in a third world orphanage. In addition, my ex (husband at the time) was abusive to my son when he arrived home. Unfortunately, I offered too many chances in hope to keep the family together. This continued exposure to physical and verbal abuse (4 years) left my son with Reactive Attachment Disorder (according to a neuropsychological evaluation, therapist interviews and his ongoing behavioral problems).
Thank you.
THANKS FOR YOUR WORK IN THE AREA OF TRAUMA. DO YOU THINK A PERSON CAN DEVELOP CERVICAL DYSTONIA FROM MULTIPLE TRAUMATIC EVENTS?
I want to know self healing techniques to mend my personal trauma that puts me into PTSD.
I have experienced a variety of traumatic events which left me with post natal PTSD as well as abuse trauma in early childhood myself. Brain and body have worked against each for decades. No peace in my head or my heart, I lived a life of torment and developed unhelpful coping mechanisms along the way. I found a therapy in the UK developed to specifically release and resolve these traumas. Life has changed, peace came in and the triggers reduced. It has been phenomenal and I can not recommend this therapy highly enough. It is called Dissolve and Resolve Emotions (DARE) and takes healing to new levels, having tried so many in my life, this was the only one that really hit the spot and removed the trauma, not shove it somewhere else to reoccur later. Find out more if you search for DARE or Allonus ?
I have the fourth and least category of PTSD and underwent some EMDR treatment by a clinical psychologist for trauma – which does not take the pain of past experiences away, but it does redeposit traumatic memories into memory where such memories not longer get triggered like they used to. Very effective treatment. And in very few sessions. Highly recommended, even by the World Health Authority.
What are effective treatments for Complex PTSD. I was born with a disability – Spina Bifida – and endure ongoing traumas.
Hi, John, there are two findings about PTSD treatment in pediatrics that I want to share, and do hope that they will be of interest… the first one is on how…”Both psychosocial and medication management have been recommended, alone and in combination, for children and adolescents suffering from posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Empirical evidence favors cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy over other forms of psychotherapy; support for medication management is weak at best. Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing may or may not prove useful, and treatments such as art therapy, psychodynamic psychotherapy, or group therapy, are supported by anecdotal evidence but cannot on this basis be recommended as 1st-line treatments for pediatric PTSD. There currently is no empirical evidence regarding the optimal length of the treatment with psychotherapy or medication.
the other has done “the reviews maltreatment-related pediatric posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) neuroimaging and neuropsychology researcs shows that existent interventions that target brain networks associated with PTSD and cognitive impairment are highlighted. …the benefits of combining neuroimaging and neuropsychology research in treatment outcomes are discussed. To conduct this review, a literature search was done utilizing the words MRI, structural, functional, neuropsychological testing, children, maltreatment, treatment, and PTSD. … Results from the neuroimaging studies found differences in the total cerebral volume, prefrontal cortex, hippocampus, cerebellum, superior temporal gyrus, corpus callosum, and other regions in maltreatment-related childhood. Neuropsychological findings demonstrate deficits in memory, attention, learning, and executive function that correspond to these brain regions. Interventions may be directed at key networks associated with cognitive processing…”
what if you know you have a trauma from childhood,but you are not sure what it is, but you know it is affecting your life now. thank you
i would like to know if traumatized brains can be repaired.
How. can I be of help to a 12 year old girl who had the experience of finding her mother had passed away without warning at their home?
My parents were very kind to one another and they did not argue in front of us. I only heard them argue maybe two or three times. That must’ve been a lot of work for them to protect us.
I was born in 1965 and I have been going through trauma my whole life. And I have received counseling since 1996. And I still have that tendency to not recognize bad behavior as soon as I’d like to. I can tail that I am desensitized to it somewhat.
My daughter went through a Domestic Violence situation and my grandchildren were affected as well as she was. How do I help my grandchildren? especially now that she self medicate’s and curses them out and threatens bodily harm to them. I want to stop this cycle before it becomes a cycle.
I would like to know if/how damaged brain structures can be repaired…
Why does it affect the ability to feel happiness? The scale seems to change after PTSD and the body reacts as if happiness too is a danger? Also, how to get past this change in the brain to live a full life.
How. can I be of help to a 12 year old girl who had the experience of finding her mother had passed away without warning at their home?
Do different types and degrees of trauma have the same effect on the brain?
Thank you for the video. I want to know why am I so hyper sensitive since those traumatic events and why do I overthink and analyse people?
Thank you
Does EMDR seem to help ?
What is the best practice of therapy for TBI among teens due to car, traffic and cells use ?
Does this pertain strictly to conscious trauma that has a narrative or does it apply to trauma that occurred unconsciously. (eg. car accident which is not remembered)
I have suffered from ptsd symptoms for 26 years. This was 1993, when I collapsed on a hillside whilst out hill walking in the Lake District in the UK. This was before mobile phones were available. I was on the ground for 7 hours, sub-consciously hearing that I might be dead. I didn’t know if I was alive or dead myself for all this time. I was airlifted to hospital and give a vague diagnosis of it was an asthma attack. Following this, I experienced all the signs and symptoms of ptsd. My progress back to some form of normal life has been complicated by suffering from what the doctors thought were panic attacks, after the implant of a piece of cardiac diagnostic equipment I have been told I have inappropriate sinuous Tachycardia. I am now finding life too difficult to endure. Having not received the appropriate treatment. I am desperately seeking help.
Id like to know where and how to begin trying to treat early childhood trauma and the part it plays in my coping with the awful traumatic marriage i am so distraught over. Where do i start? I can’t carry on as things are.
How is the trauma trested. I was in a car accident over 6 yrs ago when I was deliberately knocked down by a drug addict. I remember very little about the accident. In hospital I had CT scan a few hrs later and it was clear. I lost my short term memory for almost two yrs although it did improve slowly durin this time. I have not been right since and 2 yrs ago I started to have panic attacks and other symptoms and life became unbearable. I take medication 40mg of floured itinerary and 20 mg of propananol which I am reducing every two weeks by 5mg which was prescribed as I have severe tremor in right hand and lips since anxiety kicked in. Although GP good I cannot get through how bad I feel. I don’t know how to move forward. Any suggestions please. I will be 70 yrs old next week.
Which targeted interventions for recovery does he recommend?Where is the best place to start when dealing with multiple issues? Insomnia, nightmares, intrusive thoughts, etc. Are there any benefits in uncovering/understanding childhood core beliefs with a current adult trauma? I’m working with combat vets.
In the treatment of trauma I would want to know if the person allows himself/ or herself to experience joy. If not I would try to have the person recognize the small things in life that can enhance that feeling:-)
Sunsets, ocean views, laughter, smiles,etc✨
What is the best way to help someone heal naturally (therapies etc. that don’t involve pharmaceuticals) from PTSD?
What about trauma in young children if the trauma happened when they were babies
So, who wants to help me? England, UK, 2002 (give or take), SNES (one assumes), and RPG overworld game (I think). The question is, what game did I use to play? Help me find my memory. I am half thinking of a ‘marketplace’ and half thinking of ‘open fields’, finding monsters along the way — but I was 6 at the time, lest we forget. Not sure if the game was A Link to the Past, Breath of Fire II, Secret of Mana, Soul Blazer, or something else! Anybody know which were known/unknown at that time and place?
darknetmarketslink.com
I got that part. Please share your findings with us as well. This is a tough challenge.
How do you cope when your PTSD triggers keep reoccurring. I have complex trauma and a health system that does not believe in treating my EDS as the believe it’s anxiety, thus the reoccurances of PTSD, re confirmed over and over as I fight to be believed or heard to be understood. I have ADHD and ASD also.
How do you cope when your PTSD triggers keep reoccurring. I have complex trauma and a health system that does not believe in treating my EDS as the believe it’s anxiety, thus the reoccurances of PTSD, re confirmed over and over as I fight to be believed.
Have you heard of be activated or reflexive performance reset? I have found them to be helpful in treating the physical symptoms that occur from my emo tional issues.
Hello
My question is , is it best to receive medication for the anxiety or to face the overwhelming feelings and work through them ?
As a childhood ptsd survivor , I have worked desperately on self and have had the pleasure of purchasing a webinar from you.
This is by far the most positive and makes the most sense to me.
I will be starting SMDR soon and this connects well with that concept.
I have tried and worked on so many different ways of FIXING My brain. I am now 60 yrs of age and would love to have One Week where I can feel Present and Whole.
Not fun having Two Brains.
Thank you so much for these insights. I only wish it was affordable for me.
You help more than you can Imagine. I have shared your knowledge with my Peers and I have witnessed to growth because They now understood that The Brain is not Who we are but only What it tells us from our Programming.
Just that alone has Relieved some of the people I have worked with.
What a gift.
Sincerely ,
Suzanne Bigras
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What is the best and most effective treatment or therapy for PTSD?
All that sounds fantastic but what about the person who has the trauma?
Is it being conscious enough to solve a trauma? Or do we have all kind of traumas which we don’t even know?
If I go to a practioner and say here is my trauma can you cure me? Then probably I wouldn’t need to go to practicioner anymore.
Hi, David – I just feel compelled to reply. It sounds likely that you live your life as dramatic because of the trauma. But this loads of dramas – when taken away – will light up your life and take you half way and down the road to your recovery. I am not sure I am clearly saying it, but it can be a new lens and perspective to have. Best wishes, Lorie
This presentation has brought light and git through the issues for the clients. Can this be seen among adhd children as well?