Effects of Trauma
In considering the effects of trauma on the human body, it is helpful to understand the body’s natural mechanism in coping with trauma. Trauma may be defined as a stressful occurrence that is perceived to be threatening (physically, emotionally, mentally) to self, loved ones, or community.
There is a part of the human brain, also known as the Reptilian brain that is the root of sensations and instinctual responses and is activated when the system perceives a threat. The Autonomic nervous system, part of our peripheral nervous system and which is just beneath our conscious control, has two branches, the Sympathetic and Parasympathetic divisions.
The Sympathetic division is activated when the organism perceives a threat, ready to fight, flee or in some cases, freeze. This puts the system on “high alert”, focused, with muscles constricted, ready for action, some internal organs pausing and some increasing in function.
If the threat occurs the organism will fight or flee, discharging the energy that was created in the system. If the organism has chosen to freeze, then there will be a natural discharging of the energy (ie shaking) after the trauma has passed. Once the discharge has occurred, the Parasympathetic system responsible for relaxation, normal internal organ functioning and healing is activated.
For the human organism to be in optimum health, the Autonomic nervous system must be flexible and balanced. In our modern word there are a number of factors that impede this balance. Many of us are living with the Sympathetic system continually stimulated, fed by our own cortical input and by the busy world around us. When we experience what our instinctual brain would perceive as trauma, our higher cortical centres might inhibit the “discharge phase”; we are not permitted to fight, run, speak out, cry, scream etc. and so we may get stuck in the “freeze”. This is dramatically seen in “post traumatic stress disorder”.
Craniosacral therapy assists the body to process the frozen places in a gentle, non-intrusive way, and by tapping into the body’s natural healing mechanism assists the Parasympathetic nervous system back into balance.
Further reference:
Waking the Tiger: Healing Trauma by Peter A. Levine; North Atlantic Books
www.traumahealing.com