Can We Shift Our View Of Trauma?

(PLEASE NOTE: I am not a medical doctor or physiatrist, this information is NOT a medical diagnosis or medical advice)

What if we could shift our view of what trauma is? What if we could identify trauma responses as they happen and have the tools to support these natural processes in our bodies?

When we see trauma response as the body’s healthy response to stress, maybe it isn’t so scary. When we are able to understand what is happening and do what we can to support these natural responses to live in harmony with our bodies and minds. If we are able to come from a stance of “this is natural” rather than “this is bad, wrong or out of control” we then can change the narrative. This might take practice and a lot of awareness but first, let’s look at the science and structure of the nervous system which is what is responsible for our trauma responses.

The nervous system is the body’s command center and it regulates and directs all movement, thinking, and autonomic functioning. The autonomic nervous system is split into two divisions, the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) and the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS).

The sympathetic nervous system is responsible for regulating the bodily response associated with the ‘fight or flight’ stress response. The sympathetic nervous system is triggered in situations your brain deems dangerous and its job is to prepare your body for physical activity to allow you to either fight, flight, freeze or fawn.

The activation of the sympathetic nervous system initiates an increase in the flow of oxygenated and nutrient-rich blood to your skeletal muscles and an increase in hormones, specifically adrenaline (epinephrine) and noradrenaline (norepinephrine), which act on the brain- increasing arousal and selective attention, as well as hyperawareness.

On the other hand, the parasympathetic nervous system is responsible for regulating the ‘rest and digest’ bodily response. The parasympathetic nervous system responds in situations of safety to conserve and store the energy needed for basic automatic bodily functions including digesting, urinating and reproduction.

Under normal circumstances, these two systems function in harmony with a continual and healthy fluctuation between the two responses in order for our bodies to achieve a state of homeostasis throughout our daily lives. While we may think that our sympathetic nervous system is only activated during periods of intense danger, we in fact experience it on a daily basis.

On a day-to-day basis, we experience fluctuations between the activation of our sympathetic nervous system and the parasympathetic nervous system. When we experience the stress of sitting in traffic on the way to work, our SNS is activated, followed by a sense of relaxation when we arrive on time. When we are enjoying a relaxed lunch break or watching a movie on the couch after work, our PNS is activated.

When our nervous system is on high alert on an overly regular basis or for a prolonged amount of time, our nervous system can become over-regulated. This can lead to many “symptoms” that show us what is happening. When we are attuned with our mind and body we are able to identify these changes and course correct. Let’s discover some of the symptoms of nervous system deregulation.

A dysregulated nervous system has a profound impact on most of the functions in your body, including heart rate, breathing, and digestion. Many people are not aware this is the underlying cause of many of the symptoms they experience. Here’s a list of the top 10 bodily and emotional signs of a dysregulated nervous system.

1. You’re constantly on edge and overwhelmed
One of the telltale signs of nervous system dysregulation is a sense of overwhelm. This seems counterintuitive, but it happens when you’re not able to let go or feel like there are too many demands on your attention and energy at any given time. You may feel like you can’t keep up with everything, and you constantly feel on edge, worrying about what’s next. You tend to be stressed out and experience an ongoing sense of overwhelm, even when things seem to be going well. You have difficulty relaxing. It’s difficult for you to calm your mind enough to get into a state of relaxation. You might find yourself constantly worrying.

2. You’re frequently snappy, irritable, and reactive
Do you feel like you’re constantly on the verge of snapping or losing your temper? This could be a sign that you’re not managing your emotional stress well. You may feel frustrated and antsy, all at once. It becomes difficult for you to control the way you react or feel. This can affect your relationships and the way you think about yourself. You may wonder why you can’t control your reactions and emotions, especially if your feelings are swinging from one extreme to another without any warning or build-up. Your mood changes quickly (e.g., from sad to happy) without any reason.

3. You experience chronic pain and illness
Life stressors such as chronic stress, trauma, adverse childhood experiences, and illness can lead to nervous system dysregulation. Chronic nervous system dysregulation can lead to any variety of chronic pain and illness. Suppose you’ve been to multiple doctors, specialists, chiropractors, physical therapists, and more that lead to only temporary relief and no long-term solutions. In that case, you could be experiencing nervous system dysregulation. You may also experience symptoms and pain flair-ups without any apparent cause or trigger. This is often a sign that your body has been experiencing high levels of sympathetic arousal for an extended time, leading to all sorts of physical problems over time. It’s not just physical, either; sometimes you have trouble sleeping well or concentrating on anything other than how bad the pain is in your head.

4. You’re highly sensitive to sensory stimuli
You are easily overwhelmed by strong sensory stimuli and probably identify as a highly sensitive person (HSP). Loud noises, certain smells, being in big crowds, certain noises, and other sensory inputs can be tough to manage. You also have a strong reaction to pain and are easily irritated or stressed by small things that others don’t notice, like clutter or the sound of chewing gum. You may find yourself becoming fearful, anxious, or depressed because sensory input is always overwhelming for you.

5. You experience sleep problems and daytime fatigue
You don’t sleep well and feel tired during the day. You may find yourself yawning, feeling sleepy or groggy during the day, and having difficulty concentrating. Nervous system dysregulation can disrupt the sleep cycle. This is because your nervous system has a hard time relaxing during sleep. You may also experience problems regulating your temperature and heart rate, making it difficult to fall asleep at night. You might have a constantly elevated heart rate or feel too hot or cold despite the room’s temperature. And you could be tossing and turning all night long because of these issues with regulating your body’s systems.

6. Chronic attention and concentration problems
You have trouble focusing on tasks or conversations. When the nervous system is on high alert, it’s hard to concentrate because your nervous system is always on the lookout for danger. Even if you’re not in a dangerous situation, your body stays alert, making it hard to concentrate or focus on long-term goals.

7. Cravings and extreme appetite changes
Your appetite might go up and down. You could be hungry all the time, or you might feel like you can’t eat enough. This is because your body’s stress hormones are in a constant state of flux, and that can cause changes to your appetite. Or maybe it’s just binges with no apparent trigger: one minute you’re eating average amounts of food, then suddenly you’re overwhelmed by a need to consume large quantities of sugar, salt, and fat. If you have trouble controlling what you eat, this could be a sign that something is not right with the way your nervous system regulates its metabolism.

8. Immune and Hormonal Symptoms
Your nervous system regulates every system in the body, so one of the most common symptoms of dysregulation is having a reduced or excessive immunological response to stressors, as well as hormonal imbalances.

9. Skin and Gut Conditions
People who suffer from conditions like Rosacea and IBS often suffer from a dysregulated nervous system. They’re often told to “reduce stress” in their life but have a hard time understanding what to do and how to heal. Once they take care of their nervous system health, and create a resilient, regulated system, their rosacea and IBS subside.

10. You’re highly sensitive to other people’s emotional states
You may identify as an empath. But your sensitivity to other people’s emotional states is damaging your mental and physical health in the long run. You feel the need to take care of other people, even when they’re not asking for it. No matter how much you do, there’s never enough, and you end up getting drained.

Maybe you have identified that your nervous system is asking for your attention. What do you do now?

Healing your nervous system can take time, but it’s worth the effort. The health of your nervous system can affect your quality of life on a day-to-day basis, and the earlier you begin to heal, the better.

I found this information to be very applicable and helpful when having the desire to heal my own nervous system.

Rebalancing The Nervous System
Firstly, whatever is causing the current stress, needs to stop. So if it’s an abusive relationship, difficult life circumstances, toxic mould, etc, it needs to be ended, or at least contained, as much as possible.
A dysregulated nervous system, however, usually means that we are reacting on the basis of past stressors rather than current ones. If, for instance, you are in a very stressful situation, with financial worries or difficult life circumstances, and are feeling extremely stressed and anxious, then your nervous system is responding appropriately to your external circumstances.

In order to diagnose and rebalance a dysregulated nervous system and its downstream effects, we need to work with a functional medicine practitioner and/or trauma therapist (and often both).
One thing to note is that when the nervous system is dysregulated, it affects both the mind and the body, the psycho-spiritual and the biochemical, which is why mind-body therapies are the best go-to practices for healing.

Furthermore, if the dysregulated nervous system is caused by trauma, working through the body and its physiology, rather than on a cognitive level, can help avoid re-traumatizing through reliving the trauma by talking about it for instance. This can sometimes happen with more cognitive therapies and can explain why some cognitive therapies can go on for years without much real progress.

Below are different modalities that can help with healing and rebalancing the nervous system:

Mind-body therapies

• Somatic Experiencing

• EMDR

• DNRS limbic system retraining

• Sensorimotor psychotherapy

• Yoga/Breathwork

• TRE
  Qi gong

• Acupuncture

• Biofeedback

• Massage

Manage Your Thoughts And Feelings

There are many ways that we can better manage our thoughts and feelings.

• A regular (daily) meditation practice

• Manage our thought patterns and beliefs

• Practicing relaxation techniques

Change your lifestyle habits
Healthy lifestyle habits and behaviours will be helpful in terms of regulating the nervous system.

• Sleep better

• Exercise right

• Breathe better

• Connect with nature and natural light

• Detoxify from addictive substances & behaviours

• Psychological therapy

• Engage in psychological therapy

Rebalance your biochemistry
On the biochemical side, if toxins and infections are contributing to dysregulating the nervous system, a good detoxification programme and nutritional programme for detoxification and anti-inflammation can be helpful to address systemic inflammation and hormonal balance.

• Detoxify
  Correct your nutrition and supplement for detoxification and anti-inflammation

• Any dysregulation of the nervous system will be accompanied by a dysregulated neuroendocrine system, and should be addressed by rebalancing hormones and neurotransmitters.

• Balance your hormones

• Balance your neurotransmitters

• Long-term nervous system dysregulation will also impact your nutritional status and gut, and any imbalances will need to be corrected to enable full healing.

• Correct your nutrition and supplement

• Heal your gut

If you are looking for recommendations for any of these modalities or topics I am happy to share what and who I know that may be able to support your healing.