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 am very far from understanding the tarnished nature of the trauma and being able to understand its effects and how bad this news has on TV can make the problem worse. My question is how far can we get ahead of the attacks and incidents that arise and that stresses us daily.
I’m sorry these triggers are so important in your life that they cause damage. Knowing how to master these distress symptoms caused by past traumas is a real learning experience. The most important thing is that they bring a plus in our life that can seem flat without them. I try to pay more attention to my triggers and make sense of what they represent for me. It can pay to have them. I am so used to their presence that I can now identify and recognize them and act accordingly, and that with more than thirteen years of therapy still in sight.
I would like to know if I can ever get to a point where I will feel totally clear of all responses to triggers. I have managed to reduce the intensity by around 50 per cent – is it possible to be completely clear so the triggers are just like any other memory – without the difficult responses?
Thank you
I struggled to get better and to feel better in my head and in my skin; actually I was also a little afraid that I let myself go when I felt amused by my dad comments as which i was a victim which is a little rough, strange, weird, but i just have to take this and go through the drama that stayed with me for a very awhile. It is like being a sponge that absorbs everything and overflows until you no longer know what to do with all that water. Knowing that you are valued because you do your best can fill your day for a long time, but my dad who is now 78 year old, can’t help but being bitter for being in the War for forty years. I bought your book and read through it, and I have been very inspired to be helping him. Now when the fright takes me, I think to breathe through my nose and to breathe out through my mouth. It does a wonder.
It would be nice to be nice to know the answers to the questions that are asked because otherwise what is the point of asking them. Thanks.
I would like to see more therapists claiming to be trauma therapists go through advanced training and keeping up with their continued education on treating trauma patients.
Been going to therapy on and off since age 12 and have now finally, at age 59, found a wise and knowing trauma therapist who is teaching me to teach myself how to retrain my own neurotransmitters to have a different outcome than living with intense triggers all my life.
It has taken me, personally, a couple of years with her and intense work on my part to get to this place where triggers are no longer intense, and I can stop the images and emotions of my past, and move on within seconds.
This therapist is truly my hero and I will carry her authentic care with me the rest of my life.
Dear Dr. VdK , thank you for sharing your knowledge in this videi. You are on my thought and on my heart everyday for all the support to the VA and to all of your patients that you have helped. Best, Jenny
I need good positive support
But difficult with a stretched NHS
I am really suffering
Do the effects of tramas last a life time?
My 87 year old mother went to the emergency room for a stomach issue and found out that her kidneys were shut down she had to go on dialysis for 2 months and I believe that traumatized her and she is experiencing the aftermath. What can I do as her daughter who was a drug and alcohol counselor do to help her… how do I find a therapist?
Lynney, It is always knowing that our loved one are in good hands that we are happy. But it can be very worrying some to hear that you are going through this heartache and pain. Have you had some home visits and support for her and is she living on her own ? I can absolutely understand and relate to your experience and I’m with you wholeheartedly , all my thoughts are with you. Take care.
I would like to know more about how I can learn more about this subject.
I was in a car accident 44 years ago. I put a 2 1/2″ hole in the windshield. I had glimpses of memory for about 1 – 1 1/2 years. I always find myself tense. Is this part of the trauma system?
At 2 or 3 years old, I was taken to Sick Kids in Toronto for surgery on my knee. My mother left me there and I cried. I thought she left me there and that she didn’t love me. Is this part of the PTSD syndrome?
How does this look for people who have had 4 – 5 traumatic events by age 45? Can they get out of the PTSD state? Is it harder to recover all abilities after so many traumas? Thanks!
I was diagnosed with Lymes disease 3 years ago now.
Then had a Neuroquant brain scan that showed by some measurements that I was suffering from PTSD.
I must have had this for a very long time now 55. But a very young 55.
I have had a lot of trauma events I guess in my very full active life and many relationships …… I get bored when the fun wears off. Hard to stay faithful and see faults in others.
Funny thing is I always sort out my own problems and help others I always seem to have the answers. I have guts to do what I want as well.
I moved from uk lovely town to Australia 14 years ago on my own for a better life ?
Lymes disease is very hard to deal with but now my doctors seem to think the PTSD is what needs treatment as I told them my first sexual experience was rape at 15.
I meditate and do yoga which is good for me and have got the Inner state heart math Bluetooth which improves coherence. What do you think
Can trauma create alcoholism and other addictions?
Can AA, NA, Alannon be a sufficient means for treatment alone?
I was diagnosed 6 years ago with PTSD from workplace encounters with my immediate supervisor. I initially went through EAP for the first 5 years every time I was triggered. I was triggered October 23 2017 and was in crisis most of last year. I’ve since had phycologist counselling which has helped me to have tools when triggered or high anxiety. Will I ever be free of these horrible feelings and triggers? The first few years I was triggered by my workplace repeatedly asking me to work once again with this supervisor.but now I am even more susceptible to other forms of aggression.
Id also like to ask why it is that i feel i know my councelling was helping me but my cpn advised against it and after a meeting was held wich i was supposed ti attend but at the time i was admmitted into the mental health ward, and the desicion was made to hold off on counceling and to be seen by a psychologist. I know i need further help but flashbacks have become more regular and the graphic details have a huge emotional affect and its hard to process what im learning had happend to me with nobody to talk to im alone and hopeless. I want to hang on in there but im filled with constant fear confusion and i dont know what to do or who to trust. I want to move forward but i cant manage everything racing around in my head,it doesnt sto
Id like to understand the problem i personaly have with understanding why i cant find words to explaine what i need help with.
It seems very straight forward in my head but as soon as i go to talk it is impossible. I need help and im desperate to find help from childhood complex trauma, but this issue is causing problems with the support im getting and i am lost i need to have a voice but it goes when ever ihave the opportunity to express
I got molested when I was younger buy a guy who was my babysitter, an I didn’t come out till I was 20 an I started taking drugs an stuff then ended up in hospital as I went through a psychosis, then they scan my head in hospital an put me on Olanzipine, iv been on it for 2 an a half years now an it has cleared my brain an my whole world got turned right around!!
I still over think stuff, especially about the mistakes iv done in the past, but I’m looking a ?% better then what I was, if anyone has brain issues I would recommend going to get a head scan an get put on the right medication, it’s helped me an still is helping me, I’d love to know more about Olanzapine?
How do you help people who a stuck in this phase
Does the same brain change occur with prolonged abusive stress (PDSD).
Hi I have had complex PTSD – Apparently since age 5years ols am now 55years old, I ve lived a hard life because of the condition. I now have the tools to cope with the trauma, however, it can leave me very confused to whats real and whats not..
I had a very traumatic childhood, I have an ACE score of 7. Throughout my life I have had various symptoms including flashbacks and nightmares. Recently, they have increased. I am in my early 60’s. The last 10 years I was extremely focused on getting my son through a difficult adolescence and college. The focus on him kept a lot of my troubles at bay. Now that he is on his own good path I am flooded with bad memories. I want to heal! It drives me nuts and is depressing that these things still bother me. I am reading The Body Keeps the Score right now (2/3). Mostly, I keep my self socially isolated. I don’t trust people to not hurt me. I don’t feel “right” around other people. I have a long term partner and our relationship is good. I have been self learning QiGong over the last year + which I love. (I hate yoga, being on the floor makes me feel venerable sometimes panicky) I just want to be able to enjoy my present life without being flooded with these memories. I have no contact with the people who hurt me. I live 4000 mile away from them and still they hurt me.
Is it too late to help an 80 year old with a severe history of childhoold and adolescent trauma who has been treated with clozapine and lithium for mental illness since adolesence, and essentially silenced, when she began to rant about that trauma she experienced… Is it too late to help her find peace?
How do I communicate with that part of the brain to tell it that some things are okay and not to fear them?
My son is 33 and was recently diagnosed with E.U.P.D.
He suffered the trauma od a disgusting rape when he was 10 years old and only disclosed it to me last year.
My question is which type of treatment would be best for him.
My husband was in a car accident which left him in critical condition. He had multiple injuries and many surgeries. For the last two and a half years he has suffered from non-epileptic seizures. Diagnosed as Post Traumatic Dystonia or a movement disorder from trauma to the brain. Medications to treat seizures do not work, he has had a video monitored eeg which showed no epileptic brain activity during spasms. His entire body will go into spasm. He has seen neurologists on Long Island, Manhattan and at Brown University in Rhode Island. Cognitive Behavior Therapy was suggested and he attends session on a weekly basis. But it is not really helping him. We know that fine motor skills trigger spasms but they also can occur without known reason. Is there anything that you might be able to suggest?
Has EMDR been tried?
If the brain changes, can you ever get back to who you used to be? Or are some of the effects permanent? I’m referring to memory issues (not remembering conversations u just had, etc); poor balance…falling alot; speech..not able to get your thoughts to come out or stuttering, saying words backwards? I’ve been in DBT classes for 1 1/2 yrs, 2 mindfulness courses and therapy every other week, sometimes weekly. I “lost” who I am and cannot find purpose to be alive. Life seems so monotonaous, pointless and exhausting. My depression is still bad and anxiety is high at times. I saw a neuropsyche who diagnosed me with bipolar, which explains my constant emotional rollercoaster. I isolate alot and prefer to be indoors, mostly in my bedroom most days. Then I get overwhelming guilt for doing so. Will I ever not feel like this and get back to the happy, loving person I used to be and find purpose in my life?
Hi Tammy, Please find a way to drop the guilt. If you need to stay in your room… that’s ok. When you accept how you are today then you can make a new tomorrow… one step at a time. You may always want to retreat to your room and that’s ok. Start to examine why this makes you feel better? Maybe it’s people around you? Maybe you are tired? You have the answers. Once you understand ‘you’ and how life feels you may make changes that suit you. Life can be brutal but taking care of yourself without guilt is key. Love and peace, Annie
I am a 58 year old female. I just recently discovered that I either experience sexual abuse or saw someone sexually abused at the age of 3 to 4 years old. I don’t have visual memories, but feeling memories.
As a child, I remember being afraid of things other people weren’t afraid of, much of the time. When I was 13 years old, I developed Trichotillomania and had had Dermatillomania my entire life.
Now, at 58 years old, I am mostly bald and my legs are wounded and scared from excessive skin picking, for which there is no cure.
How, after all these years, is that trauma still affecting my life? I also suffer from clinical major depression and anxiety.
Thank you.
How do you get over the past where you’ve been traumatized
Describing the medical/ mental health impact in basic ways
Hi, Sam – I’d like to say that hypnosis would be the best for that, but I am not a professional. At this moment, I am doing some re-parenting and it appears to be very helpful. May be by looking at the book, “Healing the child within” by Charles L. Whitfield; and the work of Lucia Capacchione, for the work of recovery of your inner child, you will find something that will interest you.
When it comes to the treatment of trauma i want to know – 1. how is it possible to explore deeper and earlier than the trauma timeline when a sufferer cannot get passed or around the timeline of the trauma..
2. Does it ever get any easier for the sufferer??
Question for Dr. Van der Kolk,
I would like to know, in the worst cases of PTSD you’ve seen, particularly CPTSD, how long did it take these patients to successfully complete their trauma treatment? Please specify the number of hours of treatment per week. I realize the answer will be a range or that there is no exact answer.
P.S. Thank you for writing “The Body Keeps the Score.”
Sincerely, Dr. Nozomi Stephenson
I’ve suffered since I was young from many traumatic events. That brief explanation that Dr Bessel explained is exactly what I’ve done as a child. I’ve never known love or loved and people frighten me. Now, may I please know, is there a way I can love, feel love and sexuality? I’m now 56. Cristina.
I feel like I’ve run off the road and I’m stuck in a ditch I can’t get out of.
I feel alone , lonely and broken and Broken hearted. No matter how much I try to get out of this ditch I just keep slipping back down and am stuck Confusion has been my life for nearly a life time. Shame has kept me a prisoner.
There has always been this secret and I feel so alone and so not normal.
I suppose it’s finding a way to heal the ‘bluntness’. I didn’t perceive this because I feel so raw & sometimes my feelings of anger, fear etc are so strong sometimes. But mostly I feel ‘down’ and find it hard to feel joy. And although I am doing a fine art degree-find it hard to be expressive. I hope that make sense. Thank you for your work.
Hi I’ve I’ve had a problem for years with coping with going out because I can’t mix very well I’ve also lost my dad my daughter an son and being threw a massive operation I’ve also gone threw sexualy abyse with my granddaughter I’ve been assaulted 3 time and raped I m struggling to cope with everything it gets worse in winter yur video was helpful thank u
I’m writting to you regarding a certain person, my girlfriend. She has PTSD, since she was a child, due to sexual abuse. I’m used to her being generally colder sometimes, I inderstand it’s her coping mechanism, due to the alteration of the brain, done by the traumatic event. Thing is she feels bad, about it, as in she realises she is acting cold, even though she does not intend to, she has recently developed stomach problems/possibly ulcerations, appointment is in 10 days, due to the fact that she can’t express herself. Is there znything I can do to make her feel more comfortable, to help, to reduce her psychological stress level? Without appearing as her therapist, she would definetly hate that… thank you!
Excellent info ..
I work with clients ( Children) who have had a Traumatic.. Experience..
I would like to access.. more training and information.. on this area ..
I wish I had you as a child. You care and that’s wonderful to know that there are people like you out there. Big hugs
How can you ‘fix’ the self sensing system? I nursed & watched my mother pass away from dementia 5 years ago & have suffered from some depression & fatigue since then, but also can relate to this feeling of numbness & blunting of sensations. Then a few days before Christmas I sadly had to have my cat put to sleep. I found the whole process of watching him be euthanised on my lap extremely traumatic & since then have suffered with a variety of small ailments (cold sore, headaches, stomach bloating) & extreme fatigue. Seeing my doctor & all my blood tests are normal. I feel like this tipped me over the edge from the trauma I had already been dealing with & the physical symptoms are all related to emotional trauma & I also feel numb & emotionless about every thing most of the time.
Keep in mind that the ‘blunting of the self-sensing system’ is a protective mechanism. You have had stressful and painful experiences with probably not sufficient support to grieve and release very deep and strong emotions. I recommend you find a therapist (and this may take a bit of ‘shopping around’ to check who you feel you connect with) and with them, ever so gently and gradually, access these emotions. I have found arts therapy very helpful, because you don’t rely entirely on words. Other therapies, such as music or dance/movement for instance, work in a similar non-verbal way, accessing the more subconscious layers of the brain. Dr van der Kolk has done research with trauma and drumming. The rhythm, the connection with a group of likeminded people, the physical activity all help ‘express the inexpressable’. The main thing, however, is finding connection with another, or others, you feel safe with and who accept you as you are, pain and stress and ailments and fatigue and all. Over time, your mind/body system won’t need blunting anymore (or at least not to the same degree) and will feel safe to open you up to the experience of the world of sensations again.
When will we hear about new trauma treatments for the newly acknowledged (by the World Health Organization) disorder Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder? It being considerably different from PTSD with regard particularly to the cause of it, therapies dealing with situationally caused PTSD are not appropriate. C-PTSD needs much more awareness and newly developed therapies as well as corrected diagnoses for the misdiagnosed and diagnoses for the undiagnosed in general. It is much more prevalent than thought to be and undoubtedly is behind a large part of the addicted, homeless, suicidal, and otherwise dysfunctional individuals in society. C-PTSD most often, but not always, is a disorder to the abused children born into dysfunctional homes and not having appropriate concern given to them, inadequate support systems, and laws that are inadequate for the abused, often favouring the abuser. In fact, if the powers that be would seriously eradicate the current archaic misogynistic patriarchal system and make many necessary changes, C-PTSD could be greatly reduced. It should be a high priority since children are our future.
Are the physical effects of trauma on the brain reversible?
Short answer: Yes, at least to a degree, because the brain is capable of changing its neural pathways (“brain plasticity”) even into old age – you *can* “teach an old dog new tricks” – to borrow from the proverb.
Long answer: The time it takes to reverse effects of trauma varies greatly depending on: at what age the trauma occurred, how often it occurred and how long it lasted, what type of trauma (physical trauma, physical/emotional/sexual abuse), whether the person’s moral values were insulted, how supportive (or otherwise) the response of the social network around the traumatised person was and how much physical activity was involved in working through the trauma.
high body temperture or fever when reflection reanactment triger that i’am force to engage in . Bonney 207-941-4383 c-PTSD amneasa numming disocation trying to understand a personailty problem while being force to talk to professional aqbout past shocking tramadic incidents from a little girl teachers attemts to rape ,to demestic violance in all relationships personal, business!!!
Could the death of an uncle for a 9 yr old boy (he attended funeral & spoke at it at own will) cause him to have anxiety to the point that he has a stomach ache & headache daily and fears to eat to make it worse? He has lost 20# in 2 1/2 months. He is clingy, mopey, and does not wish to do anything. He checks out medically fine.
After having a physician rule out physical causes, and if there is not a physical illness, I would work to help client work through what sounds like it may be complicated grief along with anxiety. If no other major changes or stressors when symptoms started, then it may likely be related to loss of his uncle. It is unusual for a child that young to speak at a funeral, and he may have felt like it wouldn’t be okay to have strong feelings.
I would like to know what will actually help me deal witb this trauma. I have unstable emotio ally mood disorder,PTSD etc etc. Basically I was told off my mental health team that dbt or dialection therapy is the only thing that wud help me. Unfortunatly it didn t it made me feel a lot worse. Thankyou Julia Northey
I found inner child work extremely helpful! ??
Really???? I have to try that. Thank you. ????
Is hiding the fear response to everyday issues a good thing as you learn to practise more adaptive behaviour?
I have improved immensely taking oral lavender essential oils. I have read many studies showing it is more effective than benzodiazepines. I was having constant chest pain and my body flooding with adrenaline. I endured a very traumatic relationship with an alcoholic woman and I had flashbacks and before that I was having nightmares of being killed. The lavender has made a huge difference. I’m also using isochronic tones for relaxation and meditation and it really helps the body to calm down out of fight or flight. The other thing is avoiding and putting up boundaries with people who trigger the ptsd response in my body and brain so I can heal. Each panic attack is a major set back and now that I’ve had longer periods without one using these therapies (lavender, meditation, isochronic tones) I believe I am healing.
I know as an Aromatherapist that no-one should orally take lavender oil so could you please explain more about content of your tablets.
Your results and your positivity sounds so helpful.
Well done for finding somethings that work well for you. Best wishes Linda
I suffer bad memories & ptsd, is there a way of forgetting the memories & help them feel not so real, i am waiting for trauma counselling i have night terrors too
The outcome of effective therapy for PTSD is that the memories remain and are integrated into your story, but there is no longer an emotional charge associated with those memories nor do symptoms of PTSD remain.
I suffer from fear of confined spaces and being trapped which I think is a result of the umbilical cord being wrapped round my neck during birth. I would like to know how I can overcome this as I suffer from panic attacks in such circumstances. Thank you.
This is likely treatable with CBT.
I was prescribed a medication (Adderall) that in conjunction with trauma response triggered a major psychotic break. It ruined my life.
Is there much research on amphetamines exacerbating or triggering the psychotic episodes that can result from traumatic response/ PTSD/ CPTSD?
For Sarah, I am sorry for all that you have gone through. Clinicians should be more thoughtful about prescribing and monitoring medication. I hope you received a reply. I tried to do a search for you but only found information with respect to psychosis, not trauma or PTSD. If you did not, try to see if you can find a dissertation on the topic. Wishing you healing, JM