Freeze state that follows fight flight survival mechanism - Trauma education I

Thank you for signing up to my newsletter! As I am starting with my series on trauma education I am resending my first article of the series. If you missed the introduction “What is trauma” you can find it on my blog on my web site.

Most people have heard about fight and flight: It’s a survival mechanism that kicks into place when we are in danger and chatting and smiling don’t work anymore. The new situation requires us to do something different: We now need to be assertive and set a clear boundary , when it’s more severe push someone away (fight impulse) or we need to turn around, walk or run away (flight impulse).

It is normal having to use fight/or flight in life and it is clever that our bodies are set up for it. Without it people could walk all over us and things would get messy very soon.

 It is just as healthy that we have access to the freeze state. It’s our oldest survival mechanism controlled by a nerve called dorsal vegal. It helps us in smaller doses to go to sleep, in big doses it helps us to survive when even  fight/flight isn’t enough anymore. We then go numb, dissociate and submit into immobility - we take refuge in the freeze state. In this state nothing hurts too much emotionally nor physically. Nature intended it this way to help us for when we have an accident or when we are being attacked.

While on this survival mode systems like digestion are shut down to conserve energy.  Staying in this state too long means our digestion suffers (irritable bowel syndrome) and since we feel less pain we also shut down from pleasurable experiences. We are meant to stay in this state for short times only -  we are not reptilians who can comfortably stay frozen for hours and even days.

The thing is – and here it gets problematic – that some of us when we were young were faced by situations where fight/flight would have been necessary. But a baby can’t set a boundary or pack its bags and walk away. The only way it can escape is by physically contracting  and then by going into a freeze state straight away.

The freeze state works so well, that as babies we then become used to frequently going into the freeze state. As adults later on we therefore go into a freeze state when fight or flight would be much more appropriate. Life that way becomes difficult and complicated very quickly and can look like one big exhausting survival instead of a joyful living.

The good news is, that therapies like Somatic Experiencing, EMDR, MATES and Brain spotting can help reinstate fight/flight and support a person to become unstuck from a freeze. By following sensations and slowing things down the body can carefully be coaxed back to homeostasis. Having fight flight online again and being able to transition to relaxed social engagement translates into a much more healthy way of being. Fun, joy, relaxing and nurturing can now be a much more regular part of your life with a healthier nervous system supporting you.

If you like these posts, please share them. Information on trauma is something that needs to go viral. Everything I have written is copy righted and I am requesting to give me credit for information passed on and copied. Thanks.

Should you have missed my post “What is trauma?” , just check out my Facebook page “Barbara Schmidt Counselling Somatic” or have a look under the blog section on my web site www.counsellingsomatic.com.au If you want more info on this subject, check out Stephen Porges Polyvagal theory.

Next week I will write about “Reptilian, mammal and rational brain “speak” different languages”

Have a great day,

Barbara

Counselling Somatic

Barbara Schmidt Mental Health Social Worker,  EMDR,  Somatic Experiencing Practitioner

Barbara Schmidt

Mental Health Social Worker

EMDR, Somatic Experiencing Practitioner

144 Stirling Terrace, Albany &

3/55 Strickland Street, Denmark

e: barbara@counsellingsomatic.com.au

w: www.counsellingsomatic.com.au

m: 0458 234 410

Trauma education I: Freeze state that follows fight flight survival mechanism

This is my second posting of my trauma education series:
Most people have heard about fight and flight: It’s a survival mechanism that kicks into place when we are in danger and chatting and smiling don’t work anymore. The new situation requires us to do something different: We now need to be assertive and set a clear boundary , when it’s more severe push someone away (fight impulse) or we need to turn around, walk or run away (flight impulse).

It is normal having to use fight/or flight in life and it is clever that our bodies are set up for it. Without it people could walk all over us and things would get messy very soon.

 It is just as healthy that we have access to the freeze state. It’s our oldest survival mechanism controlled by a nerve called dorsal vegal. It helps us in smaller doses to go to sleep, in big doses it helps us to survive when even  fight/flight isn't enough anymore. We then go numb, dissociate and submit into immobility - we take refuge in the freeze state. In this state nothing hurts too much emotionally nor physically. Nature intended it this way to help us for when we have an accident or when we are being attacked.

While on this survival mode systems like digestion are shut down to conserve energy.  Staying in this state too long means our digestion suffers (irritable bowel syndrome) and since we feel less pain we also shut down from pleasurable experiences. We are meant to stay in this state for short times only -  we are not reptilians who can comfortably stay frozen for hours and even days.

The thing is – and here it gets problematic – that some of us when we were young were faced by situations where fight/flight would have been necessary. But a baby can’t set a boundary or pack its bags and walk away. The only way it can escape is by physically contracting  and then by going into a freeze state straight away.

The freeze state works so well, that as babies we then become used to frequently going into the freeze state. As adults later on we therefore go into a freeze state when fight or flight would be much more appropriate. Life that way becomes difficult and complicated very quickly and can look like one big exhausting survival instead of a joyful living.

The good news is, that therapies like Somatic Experiencing, EMDR, MATES and Brain spotting can help reinstate fight/flight and support a person to become unstuck from a freeze. By following sensations and slowing things down the body can carefully be coaxed back to homeostasis. Having fight flight online again and being able to transition to relaxed social engagement translates into a much more healthy way of being. Fun, joy, relaxing and nurturing can now be a much more regular part of your life with a healthier nervous system supporting you.

If you like these posts, please share them. Everying I have written is copy righted and I am requesting to give me credit for information passed on and copied. Thanks.

Should you have missed my pos “What is trauma?” , just check out my facebook  page “Barbara Schmidt Counselling Somatic” or have a look under the blog section on my web site www.counsellingsomatic.com.au   More info to this weeks topic: read Stephen Porges Polyvagal Theory. 

Next week I will write about “Reptilian, mammal and rational brain “speak” different languages”

Have a great day,

Barbara

 Counselling Somatic

Barbara Schmidt MAASW (Acc.)

Trauma education series introduction: What is trauma?

I am passionate about sharing what I know about trauma, especially now  having finished my three year training in Somatic Experiencing. I have sat down and written six articles on the following topics:

1.     Freeze state that follows fight flight survival mechanism
2.    Reptilian, mammal and rational brain “speak” different languages
3.     How the self soothing Parasympathetic Nerve develops and how patterns of        worrying and over-thinking can be set up in childhood
4.    Corrective experience creates a new imprint in cells of our body
5.   When sympathetic and parasympathetic nerve go into chaos and trauma        symptoms take over

I will start posting them each one week apart on the weekend (I am away this weekend without internet, so this one comes early) . If you like these posts, please share them. Information on trauma is something that needs to go viral. I am often stunned how little even professionals know about trauma.

What is trauma? It’s an event that is potentially life threatening (like a car crash where nothing much gets damaged and you walk away apparently unscathed  - it still has the potential to be life threatening and you might develop trauma symptoms). 

Trauma is also when we sense we have no control, feel overwhelmed and our whole organism is strained beyond its adaptional capacity. The Nervous system cannot restore to balance when it holds highly activated survival energies frozen in time (Maybe you wanted to turn the wheel around, but you couldn't as something was in the way – but your arm muscles still prepared for the turning of  the wheel). Biological responses that couldn't be completed at the time (as not enough time or resources were available or as it was not safe to do so) are stored in the body, signalling the brain that the trauma isn't over when in fact it might have finished years ago. Here an incomplete list of possible traumas:

·         Neglect and abuse in childhood

·         Attachment issues (avoidant, ambivalent or disorganized)

·         Accidents and falls (often overlooked!!!)

·         Birth trauma

·         Previous hospitalisations and Medical interventions (also often overlooked)

·         Over anxious parent

·         Sexual abuse

·         Domestic Violence

·         Transition issues

·         Loss of loved one

·         Lack of support

·         Generational inherited trauma

·         Natural and man-made catastrophes

Even if you can’t remember the trauma, because you subconsciously wanted to forget it (dissociating and forgetting is often a reaction to trauma) or you where too young to remember it (the hyopocampus brain, which helps us build memory isn't fully developed in younger years yet) – the body remembers every trauma! It then gives signals off that something isn't right which causes disruption in our organism and effects our nervous system, brain and mental health.(Effects of trauma have been named in my last post.)

Most of us have experienced some sort of trauma in our lives - how well we recovered depends on how early we experience the trauma (how helpless where we?), how severe or how ongoing it was and how much support we received afterwards.

I consider myself very fortunate and am grateful that I have had extensive trauma training, I feel humbled being able to help people recover from trauma. I have had my own share of trauma as most professionals do drawn to this profession and I can see in myself the amazing changes and shifts that occur due to the right care for my own nervous system.

Reading my posts you will hopefully understand why normal talking therapy doesn't work with trauma clients – all parts of the brain need to be targeted and the Autonomic Nervous System needs assistance  to reorganize in a more coherent and healthy way. My understanding of trauma has been informed by many years of personal growth work, training I have been offering myself on “practical neuroscience” and my Somatic Experiencing and EMDR training. If you are interested in reading more I suggest Peter Levine’s book “Waking the tiger”.

Should you miss a post, just check out my facebook page “Barbara Schmidt Counselling Somatic” or have a look under the blog section on my web site www.counsellingsomatic.com.au

Have a great day,

Barbara

 Counselling Somatic

Barbara Schmidt MAASW (Acc.)

Trauma education series starting soon

I have decided to do a series of blogs on trauma education and will be starting posting these blogs weekly. It’s so important that we all know more about trauma, so we can understand our neighbours, friends, kids, partner, family and the world around us better and be of better service.

The result of trauma can be:

·         drug and alcohol issues, any kind of addictions,

·         promiscuous behaviour, reckless behaviour,

·         trauma symptoms like IBS, migraines and other pain syndromes, insomnia,

·         anorexia, eating disorders,

·         repeatedly getting into unsafe situations,

·         dissociation, avoidance, care taker patterns,

·         aggression, social problems,

·         depression, anxiety, PTSD, post natal depression.

I look forward to hearing your responses and hopefully this stuff gets out there! Please share “recklessly”.   ;) 

Should you miss a post, just check out my page “Barbara Schmidt Counselling Somatic” or have a look under the blog section on my web site www.counsellingsomatic.com.au

I have finished my three year training in Somatic Experiencing

I have finished my Somatic Experiencing training - it has been an amazing journey. These last 3 years have changed my life! Step by step I learnt to understand my own (pretty tricky) nervous system. Trauma symptoms that no other counselling approach could touch are now beginning to shift. It is such a relief to notice this profound change in myself and I feel humbled being able to share this now with my clients and the world around me!

It was a privilege and great honour to be called up on stage and have Berns Galloway work with me during the training to demonstrate SE eye work. I loved the process - it released deep seated and long held stress and contraction while at the same time bringing me into contact with the richness of my inner world. Somatic Experiencing never ceases to amaze me and I am excited that learning in this area will never end – it might take a life time to understand all nervous systems.

It is such a joy diving into this alivenes, with a body full of amazing sensations and a nervous system with new found order and strength. In the last module we learnt about touch work to heal trauma, opening up joints, diaphragms and releasing trauma stored in organs – works best for my nervous system! 

I felt inspired to write a few words, celebrating arriving back home again after the intense last module of SE:

                                 Warmth of the earth spreading inside me.

                                 Wind rustling my hair whispering its song to my ear.

                                 Dancing shadows of trees sharing the sunlight with insects on the floor.

                                 Dogs waiting for a game dancing around me on soft paws.

                                 It’s good to be home again!

Corrective experience creates a new imprint in cells of our body

Through my Somatic Experiencing training I have learnt how to carefully renegotiate the challenging past without re-traumatizing a client. As a therapist of "Counselling Somatic" I go gently back to the edge of traumatic events with the intention of changing it. Visualizing the support we would have needed back then in an embodied way means shifting the past for good: Receiving the support of unconditionally loving people or beings around us, being caught tenderly by the softness of a mattress to catch our fall, being held soothingly by warm water, carried and embraced, a body hugging and hand wiping away our tears, a "lion" protecting us and an assertive person setting a clear boundary for us.

This of course doesn't change what happened to us in our past, but it does change how it is stored in the body! Instead of the body re-remembering over and over again what happened to it years ago it can now let go, arrive in the present time and become finally unstuck from the past. It is a great relief for the nervous system to no longer be in constant fight/flight/freeze when not required. Instead the whole system can now return to equilibrium and engage with the outside world in a relaxed way.

We can store this new imprint in our body on a cellular level so we know how to truly nurture ourselves and how to self regulate. Neuroplasticity means our brain can build new and better neural connections when receiving a new, good and corrective embodied experience. Clients then can make new and better choices, step into the world in a more embodied, empowered and assertive way. As a client recently said coming out of a deep corrective experience when gently working on her childhood sexual abuse: “I feel proud, enlightened

I wish I had read this article 16 years ago when I was giving birth. It talks about the importance of Rest and Repair (which we learn in Somatic Experiencing as well). I believe that if the significance of this rest was well known post natal depression could be prevented in a lot of cases. It would have made such a difference to me, I definitely rushed too much and didn’t give myself enough time for this massive transition to motherhood. Whenever the body works hard, especially after an accident or an operation (and also after giving birth) rest is detrimental for recovery and healing. Rushing into the next phase without having completed this important stage means paying a dear price in the end. Here some words of the article: “There is no rush to get the baby onto the mother’s chest. The mother has a moment to take a breath, to come back from the work of birthing her baby. “This pause,” says Karen Strange, “allows the mother to integrate this moment of transition”. A woman will exhale from the work of birth before she begins to inhale the presence of her child and her new identity as a mother. There is no rush to initiate her as a mother. Most mothers’ first moments after giving birth include a stunned kind of relief, bewilderment, and shock. The mother is not there yet and needs to take a pause first. “ by MARY ESTHER MALLOY

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3209737/