For many years, it was believed that trauma, and its end result, post-traumatic stress disorder, was isolated to veterans of war. Thankfully, change in our thinking is allowing therapists to understand that trauma is experienced in a variety of ways, and that it ultimately affects all aspects of the lives of its victims.
Why do some people seem to move forward after a traumatic event, while others experience more difficulty? Why do some people choose maladaptive ways to deal with emotional trauma, while others seem to be able to behave in a socially appropriate way?
There are no easy answer to these questions. What makes one person more resilient will cause another to barely survive. Or perhaps some individuals are able to function well in certain capacities, while suffering quietly from depression and anxiety.
Some innovative therapists are realizing that trauma is a base for addiction. Certainly from a physiological point of view, trauma changes a number of bodily responses. The adrenal system is often over activated, increasing anxiety. From measures taken during neurofeedback sessions, brain wave activity is very slow in the frontal/temporal lobe in the right hemisphere in those clients who are suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Often these clients are not conscious of the trauma, and are surprised when it is explored during neurofeedback therapy. Other times, clients become angry when they are no longer able to hide the effects of the trauma, as it is apparent from the activity in their brain.
Use of food or chemicals to alter mood is very common. Underlying traumas are medicated away temporarily, but there is no permanent change.
The late neurofeedback pioneer Dr. Margaret Ayers, inventor of Neuropathways EEG Imaging, often stated that the changes in the brain caused by physical or emotional trauma represented SUPPRESSION of the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord). This suppression was responsible for the slowing of brain activity and created many of the symptoms we associate with PTSD.
The following represents a case in point:
Jana (not real name) was seen for vegetative depression. She would not go to sleep at night and her doctors had tried many medications on her. Her drug of choice was marijuana, and she claimed that psychiatric drugs did not work better than the marijuana. Jana had been severely abused as a child. At night her father would come up the stairs to the children’s’ rooms, and select one of them for sexual intercourse. Survival is an important instinct, and Jana noted that she learned not to sleep at night. Her brain became wired to resist sleep. When she grew up and left the home, her brain did not change. She learned to use marijuana to calm herself enough to go to sleep, but the effects of the trauma remained in debilitating depression and anxiety. When I met her, she was laying on the floor of a psychiatric facility, unable to get up. She would not eat, could not sleep, and cried constantly. Brief therapy with neurofeedback helped to decrease depression and get her mobilized. Her brain was able to fire at a more appropriate speed, and she was able to problem solve in a more effective manner. Today she remains free of depression and is working full time. She is drug free.
There are many more cases like Jana. People who have endured all types of heinous abuse at the hands of parents, spouses and strangers, both in the home and at war. Children living with parents suffering from PTSD are often traumatized by the behavior of their parents. It can become a vicious cycle.
Trauma plays a major role in the abuse of drugs, alcohol and food (eating disorders). Flagstaff Drug & Alocohol Treatment of the underlying disorder is critical to successful recovery from addiction. The staff of Green Gate Intensive understand this and can help get you mobilized so that you can make decisions that will help you to move on with a successful life.