Recovery Archives - Khiron Clinics

Understanding Types of Boundaries and Why They’re So Important in Trauma Recovery

Samuel Edgecox — Fri, 14 Jul 2023 08:00:03 +0000

In the realm of mental health, there are certain “buzzwords” that have gained popularity but are not always properly understood. Terms like self-care, regulation, mindfulness, grounding, and boundaries have become widely used, yet their therapeutic significance may not be fully appreciated by everyone.

Personal boundaries encompass the limits and guidelines we establish within relationships, outlining what is deemed acceptable and unacceptable. Boundaries are crucial because they protect our well-being, help us to stay physically, emotionally, and psychologically safe, and promote healthy relationships. They establish a sense of personal autonomy, ensuring that our needs and values are respected. Boundaries enable us to communicate our preferences and maintain and establish mutual respect. They play a vital role in maintaining balance, fostering self-care, and creating healthier interactions with others.

Types of Boundaries

Typically, people possess a blend of boundary types, as boundaries can vary depending on the nature of the relationship. For instance, someone might exhibit healthy boundaries within their family dynamics, porous boundaries in a professional setting, and rigid boundaries when it comes to romantic relationships.

Each boundary type is characterised by distinct traits, and it can be beneficial to identify the specific type that applies to your relationships.

Individuals with rigid boundaries:

Keep others at arm’s length.
Struggle with emotional closeness.
Experience difficulty in seeking assistance.
Tend to be sceptical or mistrustful of others.
Frequently detach themselves from others’ issues or challenges.

Individuals with porous boundaries:

Often feel taken advantage of.
Share personal information excessively or extend themselves beyond reasonable limits.
Rely heavily on the opinions of others.
Place excessive trust in others.
Encounter difficulties in saying no and asserting their own needs.

Individuals with healthy boundaries:

Feel comfortable setting boundaries and saying no when necessary.
Uphold their values and principles without compromising them to please others.
Effectively express their desires and needs through communication.
Offer support to others while maintaining a healthy level of involvement and personal impact.
Acknowledge conflicts as a natural aspect of life and handle them constructively.

Understanding the various types of boundaries can help individuals recognize their own patterns and make informed adjustments in their relationships. It allows for greater self-awareness and the development of healthier and more fulfilling connections with others.

Significance of Boundaries in Trauma Recovery

Experiencing trauma can profoundly affect our ability to establish and maintain healthy boundaries in relationships. Trauma often undermines people’s capacity to be vulnerable, as it may not feel safe. This can cause people to suppress or ignore their needs and feelings for self-protection. Asserting ourselves and saying “no” can become difficult due to a range of factors that depend on the trauma. It may be a result of distorted agency, fear of conflict, or intense guilt. Survivors can often prioritise others’ needs over their own, leading to the feeling that they are trapped in patterns of people-pleasing behaviour.

Having a loss of trust in people – particularly if a survivor was betrayed by a trusted person during childhood – further erodes the belief that setting boundaries is possible or helpful. Some people may have learned that no matter what they do, people always step over their boundaries and that setting them is pointless. Overcoming these challenges requires letting go of defence mechanisms, recognising our needs, and seeking support to heal and regain control.

Boundaries are essential in trauma recovery, helping to build feelings of trust in yourself, and a sense of self worth – that you are deserving of a safe and comfortable environment. They are also an essential part of avoiding triggers that you are not yet ready to face. Particularly in the months following a traumatic event, although for some people this can last years, sounds, smells, sights, feelings and places that remind you of the trauma in some way can cause an uncontrolled reaction. This might range from serious discomfort, fear and sadness, to intense flashbacks, where you feel as if you are re-living the trauma again. Giving yourself permission to set certain parameters that keep you safe is a normal and justified part of recovery. Whether it means meeting people in different places, taking different routes or modes of transport, or setting more interpersonal boundaries with people in your life, these changes could help you maintain a much-needed sense of control while you receive treatment for PTSD or the reactions from the acute phase of trauma recovery become desensitised.

How to Set Boundaries

Finding out what kind of boundaries you have in different situations is a helpful way to begin the process of learning to set more helpful and impactful boundaries. Here are some other helpful

Define Your Boundaries: Take time to identify and define your personal boundaries. Some people choose to do this through self reflection and journaling, while others prefer the support of a therapist. Reflect on your values, needs, and limits in different areas of your life, such as relationships, work, personal space, hobbies, socialising, and anything related to the traumatic experience.

Communicate Clearly: Learning to articulate your boundaries to others in a clear and assertive manner is key to ensuring you maintain a sense of control and respect. This means being direct and specific about what is safe and acceptable to you and what is not. One method for doing this is to state how something makes you feel using an “I” statement, such as: “I feel uncomfortable when touch my shoulder”, and then follow with what you would like to happen, for example: “Please check before touching me in the future”. This ensures that people understand your needs clearly, and makes it less that they will feel personally attacked for doing something wrong.

Enforce Boundaries: Once you have set your boundaries, it is crucial to enforce them consistently. Be firm and assertive when others try to push or disregard your boundaries. Stand your ground and do not compromise on what you have defined as important to you. You can use the same method as before, reminding the person of how something makes you feel, and what you would like to happen.

Practice Self-Care: Setting boundaries also involves having compassion and taking care of yourself. Prioritise self-care activities that promote your physical, emotional, and mental well-being. Actively reflect on what your needs are and what situations or stimulus might be causing you stress or discomfort. This will strengthen your ability to maintain boundaries and communicate them effectively to others.

Remember, setting boundaries is an ongoing process. It requires self-awareness, self-advocacy, and the willingness to prioritise your own needs. By setting and maintaining healthy boundaries, you can foster healthier relationships, protect your overall well-being and lessen the burden of the trauma recovery process.

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Hyper-Independence as a Trauma Response

Araminta — Fri, 25 Nov 2022 07:00:02 +0000

Independence is usually considered a positive trait, although taking this too far can harm relationships and mental health. This is known as hyper-independence, which, in many cases, can be a response to a past traumatic event.

What Is Hyper-Independence?

Hyper-independence is independence taken to the extreme. Those who have gone through interpersonal trauma may choose hyper-independence as a coping mechanism. Hyper-independent individuals do not depend on others to complete tasks and frequently reject support wherever possible.

Hyper-independence is not just limited to asking for help. Other signs of unhealthy independence include:

Secretiveness – hyper-independent people can be reluctant to share information about themselves, as they may worry that it will be used against them.
Stress – asking for help or delegating tasks can feel impossible or appear as a sign of neediness or weakness to hyper-independent people. In many cases, they take on more work than they can handle, leading to stress and burnout.
Distrust of others – hyper-independence can stem from distrust or fear that others will let them down or betray them.
Relationship difficulties – due to their reluctance to open up to others, hyper-independent people can have trouble forming and maintaining long-term friendships or relationships.
Over-achieving or perfectionism – hyper-independence can encourage people to take on more work to prove to themselves and others that they don’t require support.

Even when offered help, hyper-independent people will often refuse it, which can cause relationship issues at work, with a romantic partner, and with family members or friends. Hyper-independence can also make other people feel unwanted or unvalued, which can develop into more significant issues such as relationship anxiety.

What Is a Trauma Response?

A trauma response is defined as the use of over-adaptive coping mechanisms during or after a traumatic event. The four most common trauma responses are fight, flight, freeze, and fawn.

Traumatic events sometimes force people’s brains into survival mode, where their behaviours are focussed on actions that will keep them safe in the present moment. Regardless of whether it is unhealthy, people can remain in this survival mode long after the traumatic event has passed.^[1]

Although responses to threats help people survive and cope with trauma, they can become maladaptive after the event, and can lead to long-term symptoms including hyper-independence.

Can Hyper-Independence be a Trauma Response?

There are many reasons hyper-independence can develop in response to trauma:

Past neglect – some traumatised individuals may have experienced instances when their needs haven’t been met, leading them to exhibit hyper-independent traits to survive. Through past experiences, they learned that their only source of support is themselves.
Coping – trauma can shake people’s worldviews and make their lives uncertain. Therefore, they may turn to hyper-independence as a way to manage and regain some control over their lives and environment.
Feeling undeserving of support – some may believe they are undeserving of help and support after a traumatic event. This can stem from previous experiences, neglect, or past trauma.

Although hyper-independence is not a formal diagnosis, it can be a trauma symptom.

Trauma and Codependency

Just as trauma can lead to hyper-independence, it can also lead to codependence.

Codependence is almost the opposite of hyper-independence. Codependent relationships make it difficult to enforce boundaries and mean that one party may focus entirely on the other at the expense of their own well-being.

Childhood trauma and neglect can cause people to fawn; a type of trauma response that involves trying to please the person harming them. People who do this may put their needs aside to take care of others and try and make themselves as useful as possible.

Other indicators of codependent relationships or behaviours include:

Praising people to try and avoid criticism
Avoiding expressing feelings in relationships to limit negative emotions
Having trouble setting boundaries
Being unable to say no to others
Feelings of guilt when angry or upset at others

Reaching out for help can be challenging, especially after a traumatic event. Both hyper-independence and codependence can stem from past trauma and can cause personal and relationship difficulties; however, it is possible to manage and move past these trauma symptoms.

Coping With Hyper-Independence

Taking the time to practice delegating tasks to others is the first step in tackling hyper-independence. Seeing how supportive others can be and offloading responsibility with positive results can be highly encouraging.

Working through trust issues is essential, although it takes time and patience. Building meaningful relationships and taking steps to get to know and trust others can help people break hyper-independent behaviour patterns.

If you are supporting a hyper-independent loved one, being consistent, checking in regularly and encouraging them to rebuild or find new friendships can help them to work through their issues and improve their relationships.

Trauma can affect all aspects of life and hyper-independence can make people feel incredibly lonely, so don’t hesitate to seek professional support when necessary. There are ways to tackle trauma and hyper-independence, and treatment options such as somatic experiencing and internal family systems therapy can help to address the root causes.

If you have a client or know of someone struggling with anything you have read in this blog, reach out to us at Khiron Clinics. We believe that we can improve therapeutic outcomes and avoid misdiagnosis by providing an effective residential program and outpatient therapies addressing underlying psychological trauma. Allow us to help you find the path to realistic, long-lasting recovery. For more information, call us today. UK: 020 3811 2575 (24 hours). USA: (866) 801 6184 (24 hours).

Sources:

^[1] Burdick LS, Corr C. Helping teachers understand and mitigate trauma in their classrooms. TEACHING Exceptional Children. doi:10.1177/00400599211061870

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Managing Insecure Attachment

Araminta — Thu, 01 Sep 2022 06:00:17 +0000

Attachment is formed from early childhood interactions and can be either secure or insecure. Insecure attachment styles can cause specific patterns that last throughout adulthood which can be challenging to manage alone.

What Is Insecure Attachment?

There are four attachment styles that psychologists have identified.

Secure attachment is the healthiest kind. When children know they are loved, safe and cared for, they grow up securely attached, which promotes healthy, stable relationships in adulthood.

The other three attachment styles are insecure and are:

Avoidant – those with an avoidant attachment style can struggle with intimacy, preferring to be independent and alone. They may suppress negative emotions, be reluctant to discuss them with anyone, and refuse to reach out to others in times of need.
Ambivalent – also referred to as anxious attachment, people with this attachment style can come across as clingy or needy in relationships. Although they may be open to intimacy and crave close relationships, they can struggle when in a relationship, worrying that their partner will leave them if they open up.
Disorganised – people with a disorganised attachment style can struggle with wanting to be loved while avoiding relationships to protect themselves from being hurt. They can act in unpredictable ways within relationships as they are unsure whether it is safe. They struggle with low self-esteem and have a deep distrust of others.

Causes of Insecure Attachment

People with an insecure attachment style often did not receive loving and consistent care from their caregivers. For example, their caregivers may have been emotionally unavailable or dismissive when they needed something. In other cases, their caregivers may have been emotionally, physically, or sexually abusive.

Those with an ambivalent attachment style may have had caregivers who were inconsistent when responding to their emotional needs.^[1] As a child, they would not understand why at some points, they received love and care, and at other times did not. Therefore, they become anxious and fearful about receiving emotional support.

Other causes of insecure attachment include:

Yelling at children when they are upset or sad
Ignoring cries, distress, or fear
Shaming a child when they are emotional

The Stages of Attachment

Both secure and insecure attachment styles are formed very early in childhood. There are several stages in how attachment develops:^[2]

Pre-attachment – infants are not attached to a particular caregiver from birth to three months.
Indiscriminate attachment – from six weeks to seven months, children begin to show a preference for their primary caregivers and respond more positively to their primary caregivers than others.
Discriminate attachment – from seven to eleven months of age, infants show a strong preference for one individual and display distress and anxiety when they leave.
Multiple attachments – after nine months, children begin to form strong bonds beyond their primary caregivers, such as with their grandparents, older siblings, or other caregivers.

However, forming attachments may not be as straightforward as this. For example, those without a primary caregiver who are cared for by multiple people may not develop the sense of trust needed to form a deep attachment.

Healing Insecure Attachment: Earned Security

It was initially thought, by psychologist John Bowlby, who pioneered attachment theory, that once children formed an attachment style, it was fixed. However, insecure attachment styles can be changed, and people can find ways to cope with and manage them.

Those with an insecure attachment style can benefit from earned security. This means developing a secure attachment style through adult interactions and relationships rather than early childhood interactions with their caregivers.

To develop earned security, people reflect heavily on what happened to them as a child, to cause an insecure attachment style. They also explore its impact on their decisions, such as how they react to certain triggers or events in their relationships.

Working towards this type of security can be challenging but highly rewarding. Several steps can be taken to develop earned security, such as:

Learning about attachment – knowing more about attachment can help people to identify specific patterns within their relationships and understand where they may stem from. Being able to identify their specific attachment style is the first step in working to become more secure.
Finding other securely attached people – developing relationships with those who already have a secure attachment style can help to support people when they are working their way to earned security.
Improving communication – better communication can help those with insecure attachment styles to voice their needs and identify what could help their relationships. Improving communication can improve the relationship, and both partners can benefit.
Identifying triggers – specific triggers can affect those with an insecure attachment style and affect relationships and mental health. For example, if their partner does not respond to a text message for a few hours, someone with an ambivalent attachment style might panic and think something is wrong. Awareness of triggers can help people plan for them and learn healthy coping methods, such as grounding exercises.

Insecure attachment styles can have deep roots, and self-care may not be enough. Professional help can assist in the transition to a healthy attachment style, as therapists can work through traumatic memories that may hinder people in overcoming specific patterns.

Establishing a healthy, secure attachment style is hard work, but it is possible and brings many rewards. Early childhood experiences can have long-reaching consequences, but attachment styles are not set in stone – they can change for the better.

Sources:

^[1] Hong YR, Park JS. Impact of attachment, temperament and parenting on human development. Korean J Pediatr. 2012;55(12):449-454. doi:10.3345/kjp.2012.55.12.449

^[2] Schaffer HR, Emerson PE. The development of social attachments in infancy. Monogr Soc Res Child Dev. 1964;29:1-77. doi:10.2307/1165727

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Dance Therapy and Trauma Healing

Araminta — Fri, 12 Aug 2022 06:00:41 +0000

Dance is an art form that has existed for thousands of years. Recently, it has been rediscovered as a way to heal trauma, allowing people to express themselves without words.

Trauma and the Body

Trauma does not just exist in the brain – it affects the body, too. During a traumatic event, the body primarily reacts in one of three ways:

Fight – when the body believes it can overpower the threat, it will get ready to fight. The brain then sends signals to the body that prepare it for physical conflict.
Flight – if the body thinks it can avoid the threat by running, a surge of hormones such as adrenaline floods the body, preparing it to flee.
Freeze – when the threat is overwhelming, the body may freeze or play dead in the hope the threat will pass them by.

People can stay trapped in the freeze response even after the danger has passed. In this instance, the body holds onto unexpelled energy, which can lead to somatic symptoms of trauma, such as unexplainable aches and pains, headaches, and nausea.

Along with physical symptoms, many trauma survivors struggle with interoception – the ability to identify what is happening within the body. They may have trouble identifying sensations within them, such as pain or hunger cues, and may feel disconnected from their bodies. Trauma can also cause alexithymia – the inability to name and identify emotions. Instead of feeling angry, they may feel physical sensations, such as stomach pain.

Somatic therapies can help people to become more attuned to their emotions and can assist them with reconnecting their bodies and minds.

How Dance Can Help

Somatic experiencing has been proven to aid in trauma reduction. Practices and therapies that involve the body, such as yoga, are often used to help people with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) reconnect with their bodies and strengthen the mind-body connection.

Dance is another body-based therapy that can strengthen this connection and help people to reintegrate traumatic experiences. Also known as dance/movement therapy (DMT), it helps promote emotional, social, and physical integration.

DMT is classed as a creative therapy, along with drama therapy, art therapy, and music therapy. All forms of creative therapies provide alternative avenues to traditional talk therapy, helping people to express themselves non-verbally and explore new ways to look at themselves or situations.

DMT helps people to:

Track bodily sensations and breath
Explore the connection between movement and emotions
Process feelings evoked by movement

While primarily body-based, speaking can be incorporated into DMT, which can help those who want to talk about their emotions or experiences. Dance therapists may also mirror a person’s actions, which can help to build a sense of connection and empathy between therapists and clients.

There are many types of dance that people may utilise in dance therapy. For example, free-flowing dance may be used, with no dedicated choreographed movements. A recent study found that this dance form improved mental health among people with a history of trauma, anxiety, and depression.^[1]

Synchronised dance may also be used during DMT. This form of dance is done in a group and can foster a sense of connection between groups of people and encourage the development of friendships.^[2] Synchronising with others can release endorphins – mood-boosting hormones that can boost mental health.

The Benefits of Dance Therapy

Many treatment modalities focus on behaviours, but dance and movement therapy uses body-based strategies to facilitate greater healing. DMT can also:

Increase self-awareness – building self-awareness can help people feel more connected to physical signals of pain or hunger.
Promote calm – dance is rhythmic and can help to regulate the nervous system and promote a sense of calm.
Develop coping skills – DMT can help build coping skills people can turn to in difficult moments. They can use their understanding of movement and their body to learn their triggers and practise techniques to calm themselves.

It can be intensely distressing for people to relive traumatic experiences. Dance therapy helps people heal without needing to talk in-depth about their experiences unlike some traditional forms of treatment.

Along with this, dance comes with many other mental and physical health benefits, including:

Improved self-esteem
Lowered anxiety
Elevated pain threshold
Improved lung capacity
Better coordination
Better posture

There can be limitations to dance therapy, especially for those with a history of trauma. For example, some people may not feel safe enough to engage in dance and movement, especially with others. However, working slowly and starting other body-based treatment modalities, such as yoga, can help people build a sense of safety and allow people to utilise DMT as a form of healing.

Dance and movement therapy is an excellent tool in trauma recovery. It can be used in conjunction with other forms of therapy such as internal family systems therapy, mindfulness, psychoeducation, and family therapy to create a personalised therapeutic approach and facilitate healing from traumatic memories and experiences.

Sources:

^[1] Laird KT, Vergeer I, Hennelly SE, Siddarth P. Conscious dance: Perceived benefits and psychological well-being of participants. Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice. 2021;44.

^[2] Tarr B, Launay J, Cohen E, Dunbar R. Synchrony and exertion during dance independently raise pain threshold and encourage social bonding. Biol Lett. 2015;11(10):20150767. doi:10.1098/rsbl.2015.0767

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Trauma and the Nervous System

Araminta — Fri, 01 Jul 2022 05:00:28 +0000

The nervous system is sometimes called the command system of the body. It controls reactions, thoughts, and movements and affects people’s digestion and senses. Trauma can greatly impact the nervous system, and Polyvagal Theory explains why this is.

Fight, Flight, and Freeze

When faced with something mentally or physically frightening, the acute stress response is triggered, which prepares the body to run or fight. The autonomic nervous system, which controls actions such as breathing and heart rate, comprises two separate systems: the sympathetic nervous system and the parasympathetic nervous system.

In dangerous situations, the sympathetic nervous system is activated by the release of stress hormones, which triggers the release of other hormones, including adrenaline and noradrenaline. This chain reaction increases heart rate, breathing, and blood pressure.^[1]

After the danger has passed, the parasympathetic nervous system calms down the fight-or-flight response. This is also called the rest and digest system, which restores the body to equilibrium.

The Importance of the Vagus Nerve

Dr Stephen Porges, who developed the Polyvagal Theory, has proposed that there is one nerve that is of particular importance for the autonomic nervous system. The Vagus nerve is a long nerve that has two sides, the dorsal (front) and ventral (back), and is considered to have the widest distribution of nerves within the body.

The vagus nerve plays a key role in neuroception, the way the nervous system interprets cues of danger. The ventral side of the vagus nerve responds to feelings of physical safety and emotional connection, and the dorsal side responds to feelings of danger.

Responses to Danger

According to Polyvagal Theory, there is a hierarchy of responses built into the nervous system that the vagus nerve influences:

Immobilisation – also known as the freeze response, people respond to danger and fear by shutting down and becoming numb. Polyvagal Theory sees the immobilisation response as developing from the reptilian brain, the most primitive part of the human brain.
Mobilisation – the sympathetic nervous system takes over from immobilisation, helping people run or fight off the threat they face.
Social engagement – after facing a threat, people seek out social engagement and connection, which stimulates the ventral side of the vagus nerve and helps people rest and digest. This response is linked to the mammalian brain, as mammals rely on connection to thrive.

These responses can also be mixed, allowing for feelings of safety while engaging in social activities such as rough play and intimacy.^[2] However, these responses do not always occur in order, and stressful events can affect how people react.

The Impact of Trauma

Trauma can have a huge impact on the body and the nervous system. When someone experiences a traumatic event, they may freeze and be unable to respond to the danger. After a traumatic event, the nervous system can pick up on more cues than ever in a person’s environment, and people can see danger in everything.

This is known as hypervigilance, in which people are more alert about their surroundings. It can cause many physical and mental symptoms, including:

Sweating
A rapid heart rate
Increased anxiety
Panic

For some people who have experienced trauma, triggers can cause them to move from social engagement to immobilisation. They may interpret small changes, such as facial expressions and tone of voice as dangerous and find themselves freezing up in an attempt to protect themselves. This is also known as dysregulation.

When the nervous system is regulated, people respond appropriately to external stimuli. For example, when a door slams, they may jump or flinch but quickly return to homeostasis once they realise there is no threat. Those with dysregulated nervous systems may hear a door slam and begin to panic as they think that danger is immediately present. On the other hand, they may also under-react and withdraw from the people around them.

Regulating the Nervous System

Working with the nervous system can help people to regain a sense of calm and safety after trauma. Dr Porges suggests that when people feel safe, they are in the social engagement state, allowing them to feel more connected to the world around them.^[3] This safety can feel physical and psychological, stimulating the parasympathetic nervous system and reducing heart rate and stress hormones while fostering emotions including joy, connection, and security.

There are several ways to help to regulate the nervous system and find the ventral vagal state, including:

Exploring triggers – when people know their triggers they can begin to explore them and understand why they react to them in specific ways. While some triggers can be avoided, others may be more common, so identifying them and exploring responses can help people devise a plan for how they will begin to manage them in the future.
Bringing awareness to the body – by using techniques to bring attention back to the body, people can learn more about their physiological changes in response to stress or triggers and manage these responses more effectively. Techniques to foster more body awareness include mindful breathing, body scans, and grounding exercises.
Seeking safe relationships – social engagement is incredibly important for all humans. Cultivating relationships where people feel loved and supported can help them feel safer and activate the social engagement system.

Even when working with the ventral side of the vagus nerve, it can be difficult to overcome trauma and escape the immobilisation stage. In this case, do not hesitate to seek professional help for trauma.

Polyvagal Theory provides another view into trauma, showing how connection and relationships play a big role in how people respond to and heal from traumatic experiences. Working with the ventral side of the vagus nerve can help people reenter the social engagement stage and help them to feel safe and happy, even if they have been living in a state of immobilisation for a long time.

If you have a client or know of someone struggling with trauma, reach out to us at Khiron Clinics. We believe that we can improve therapeutic outcomes and avoid misdiagnosis by providing an effective residential programme and outpatient therapies addressing trauma. Allow us to help you find the path to realistic, long-lasting recovery. For more information, call us today. UK: 020 3811 2575 (24 hours). USA: (866) 801 6184 (24 hours).

Sources:

^[1] Gordan R, Gwathmey JK, Xie LH. Autonomic and endocrine control of cardiovascular function. World J Cardiol. 2015;7(4):204-14. doi:10.4330/wjc.v7.i4.204

^[2] “Nervous System Dysregulation – Mindhealth360”. Mindhealth360, 2022, https://www.mindhealth360.com/contributor/nervous-system-dysregulation/.

^[3] Porges, Stephen W. “The Polyvagal Theory: New Insights Into Adaptive Reactions Of The Autonomic Nervous System”. Cleveland Clinic Journal Of Medicine, vol 76, no. 4 suppl 2, 2009, pp. S86-S90. Cleveland Clinic Journal Of Medicine, doi:10.3949/ccjm.76.s2.17. Accessed 01 June 2021.

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The Need for Boundaries in Relationships

Araminta — Fri, 19 Nov 2021 05:04:48 +0000

All healthy relationships need boundaries. Boundaries don’t mean you’re closing yourself off to your partner, friend, or parent. Instead, they suggest that you’re setting down firm rules of what you need and expect from that relationship.

Boundaries can help you to get close to others and improve your relationship. It isn’t about keeping people at arm’s length at all times – it means that you’re putting measures in place to protect your sense of identity and your mental health.

Types of Boundaries

Anne Katherine, the author of Where to Draw the Line, defines boundaries as “a limit. By the limits you set, you protect the integrity of your day, your energy and spirit, the health of your relationships, the pursuits of your heart.”^[1]

Boundaries can look different depending on each person’s needs. You can also set professional boundaries regarding your work life. It’s essential to clearly communicate the boundaries you might need to ensure that there is minimal miscommunication. Here, it is beneficial to define exactly what you need, want, or expect.

Examples of some healthy boundaries that you might want to set include:

Asking permission, for example, to share your thoughts and feelings after a long day
Showing respect
Giving one another space when asked for
Setting a firm cut off point for finishing work

When setting boundaries, something to be aware of is that they can often turn into an attempt to control someone. For instance, a healthy boundary may require both partners to respect when the other says “no”. However, an unhealthy boundary can grow when one partner does not accept this and tries to pressure or coerce the other partner into accepting or doing something that they do not want to.

These unhealthy boundaries can take many forms, including:

Oversharing personal information, for instance, with people who you are not close to
Banning your partner from going out with their friends
Withholding communication or affection after conflict

How to Set Healthy Boundaries

Knowing how to set healthy boundaries in relationships can be intimidating, but there are a few ways that you can make it easier:

Communicate – Communication is key for all aspects of life. When setting boundaries, sit down with your loved one free from any distractions and discuss what you want to see in your relationship and how you can both achieve this. Although it might feel awkward, the rewards you’ll see in your relationship will be well worth it.
Start early – Setting healthy boundaries in romantic relationships works best when set early as this gives both parties the chance to settle in around the boundaries and get used to them. This isn’t to say that boundaries can’t be set later on during a relationship. They may just be harder to adapt to as both partners will be used to certain habits that could be difficult to break.
Be careful with your wording – When discussing boundaries, finding the right words to use can be tricky. If you use phrases such as “when you” or “you always do”, it can come across as though you’re blaming the other person. In turn, they may become defensive which often causes communication to break down. Try using “I” statements, such as “I feel” or “I don’t like”. In doing so, you and your partner will have the ability to focus on what you want and need within that moment.

When discussing boundaries, it’s important to remember that they are not always set in stone. You can choose to come back and review them with your loved one after a set amount of time and adjust them as needed. However, it is also important not to be too flexible with your boundaries – don’t give in to pressure if someone wants to violate a boundary you have set.

Stating that “boundaries are sometimes permeable, and sometimes they’re not. Sometimes they’re physical and sometimes they’re geo-political, so this idea is more fluid”^[2] Meredith Gore, an Associate Professor at the University of Maryland, advises people to ‘think like a geographer’ when it comes to setting boundaries.

The Benefits of Setting Boundaries

Setting healthy boundaries can come with a host of benefits that enhance many relationships. Healthy boundaries can:

Reduce conflict – Having clear boundaries that both people respect and adhere to can reduce the amount of conflict within any relationship. From a lack of respect for privacy to a lack of effective communication, continuous conflict may arise within a relationship from anywhere. However, healthy boundaries that target these issues can reduce the conflict that can arise from them.
Decrease resentment – Resentment can stem from many places, such as if you feel your partner is taking advantage of your generosity or time or taking you for granted. By setting boundaries that ask your partner to respect your time and feelings, resentment can be reduced, and your relationship improved.
Improve happiness – Studies have shown that blurred boundaries between work and life can negatively affect lifestyle and wellbeing.^[3] The prevalence of communication technology also means that those who work from home can struggle to separate their work and life balance. Unfortunately, this can increase conflict within families.^[4] Setting a firm boundary and prioritising your downtime can improve your happiness and prevent emotional exhaustion.

Conclusion

Boundaries are an essential need in all relationships. They help us remain independent in our relationships and ensure that we can still enjoy close companionship and preserve our mental health and identity. Although people may feel guilty for setting boundaries at first, especially if they are not used to prioritising themselves, they can vastly improve wellbeing.

As well as setting your own firm boundaries, always be respectful of the ones that others set. Respect is a two-way street, and if you respect the boundaries of others, they are likely to respect yours in return.

If you have a client or know of someone struggling to with their mental health, reach out to us at Khiron Clinics. We believe that we can improve therapeutic outcomes and avoid misdiagnosis by providing an effective residential program and outpatient therapies addressing underlying psychological trauma. Allow us to help you find the path to realistic, long-lasting recovery. For more information, call us today. UK: 020 3811 2575 (24 hours). USA: (866) 801 6184 (24 hours).

Sources:

^[1] Katherine, Anne. Where To Draw The Line. Simon & Schuster, 2000, p. 14.

^[2] Phipps, Emma. “Meredith Gore – Boundaries In A World Striving For Work-Life Balance #Womeninscience”. Science & Research News | Frontiers, 2021, https://blog.frontiersin.org/2021/08/26/meredith-gore-boundaries-in-a-world-striving-for-work-life-balance-womeninscience/.

^[3] Pluut, Helen, and Jaap Wonders. “Not Able to Lead a Healthy Life When You Need It the Most: Dual Role of Lifestyle Behaviors in the Association of Blurred Work-Life Boundaries With Well-Being.” Frontiers in psychology vol. 11 607294. 23 Dec. 2020, doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2020.607294

^[4] Yang, Jing et al. “Work-Family Segmentation Preferences And Work-Family Conflict: Mediating Effect Of Work-Related ICT Use At Home And The Multilevel Moderating Effect Of Group Segmentation Norms”. Frontiers In Psychology, vol 10, 2019. Frontiers Media SA, doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00834. Accessed 8 Nov 2021.

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5 Fascinating Facts About the Vagus Nerve

Araminta — Fri, 22 Oct 2021 05:28:37 +0000

The vagus nerve is the tenth cranial nerve and is the longest in the body. It is a large meandering nerve with numerous branches and gets its name from wandering like a vagabond.

The vagus nerve communicates with every organ in the body and oversees a range of vital functions. It passes through the gut, lungs, diaphragm, throat, inner ear, and facial muscles. It also controls our inner nerve centre and the parasympathetic nervous system, allowing for the regulation of our survival responses when faced with danger and threat.

Our ever-vigilant sympathetic nervous system activates our fight or flight response which floods the body with the stress hormones cortisol and adrenaline. The vagus nerve counteracts this evolutionary response by releasing the neurotransmitter acetylcholine and enzymes and proteins such as prolactin, vasopressin, and oxytocin, which all help promote calm and relaxation. Those with a strong and healthy vagus response are more likely to recover promptly from stress, injury, or illness.

Recent research demonstrates it is the missing link to treating trauma, anxiety disorders, and chronic inflammation, and can alleviate symptoms for numerous medical conditions.

Here are five facts about the vagus nerve you might not be aware of:

1. It Prevents Inflammation

Inflammation is a normal reaction to injury or illness. It is normally a local and temporary reaction which upon resolution, sees physiological and immune homeostasis restored. However, this natural inflammation response can be disrupted and result in persistent pro-inflammatory cytokine activity, which leads to excessive or chronic inflammation.^[1] Chronic inflammation underlies a range of medical syndromes, including rheumatoid arthritis, sepsis, auto-immune diseases, and inflammatory bowel disease.

The vagus nerve assists in preventing or neutralising these pro-inflammatory responses. Its positioning throughout the body’s major organs alerts the brain to the presence of these cytokines and, in response, produces anti-inflammatory neurotransmitters that regulate our immune response.

Numerous studies have evidenced that stimulating the vagus nerve significantly reduces inflammation. Implanted nerve activators have been used to motivate the vagus nerve which showed a drastic reduction, and even remission, in sufferers of rheumatoid arthritis, haemorrhagic shock, and other inflammatory syndromes.^[2]

2. It Creates Memories

The vagus nerve helps with the formation of memories. It carries sensory messages to and from the brain, and through the release of the powerful neurotransmitter norepinephrine into the brain’s amygdala region, memory formation and storage is strengthened. Norepinephrine additionally regulates arousal and feeling responses to emotional stimuli meaning that memories are rich and clear.^[3]

A healthy vagus nerve can not only help with creating positive memories it can also assist in coping with traumatic flashbacks or intrusive thoughts.

Recent studies have found that a regulated vagus nerve can alleviate cognitive functions in many neuropsychiatric conditions, including Alzheimer’s disease.^[4]

3. It Assists With Breathing

The vagus nerve directs your lungs to breathe through the activation of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine. This neurotransmitter is not only essential for our survival and for promoting beneficial oxygen levels in the blood and organs; it also promotes relaxation.

Those suffering from anxiety, stress, or trauma disorders such as PTSD remain on high alert, resulting in an inefficient release of acetylcholine and an inability to return to homeostasis. Building a strong mind and body connection with the vagus nerve will allow the body to relax and release trapped energy.

You can stimulate this vagus nerve response through breathing deeply. Taking regular deep breaths immediately relaxes the body as the vagus nerve can turn off the autonomic nervous systems fight or flight response which triggers the stress hormones cortisol and adrenaline.

4. It Controls Heart Rate

The vagus nerve controls heart rate through electrical impulses into specialised muscle and heart tissue. Acting as the body’s natural pacemaker, heart rate will be elevated when faced with a threat in order to prime the body for fight or flight, and the previously mentioned acetylcholine is vital for slowing the pace once the threat has passed.

The vagus nerve can also cause heart rate and blood pressure to drop when experiencing stress; this is known as vagal syncope. This is commonly experienced in those with phobias such as needles, the sight of blood, or flying, and a person may become weak, dizzy, or lose consciousness and faint.^[5]

5. It Initiates Relaxation

As we have discovered, the vagus nerve is key to our fight-flight-freeze response through its connection to the parasympathetic nervous system. This response triggers a high level of stress responses within the body, and if the vagus nerve mind-body connection is strong, the body can return to a state of calm homeostasis once the threat has passed.

The vagus nerve has two components that become activated during the flight-fight response:

The dorsal branch of the vagus nerve triggers our freeze response. This can cause tonic immobility, motor inhibition, and a general slowing down of bodily functions.
The ventral branch stimulates the rest and digest response, lowering stress and returning our body to calm.

These responses are often involuntary and subconscious, relating to our past experiences and perceptions of threat. The polyvagal theory, discovered by Dr Stephen Porges, proposes that the strengthening of the vagus nerve leads to the ventral vagal state in the ventral branch. This promotes calm, a sense of safety, positive connection to others, and allows for personal growth and freedom from triggers.

Conclusion

This fascinating nerve is a powerful tool in negotiating life’s challenges and adversities to help reduce stress and live a calm and positive life.

We can all work on naturally stimulating our vagus nerve with somatic experiencing techniques such as practicing mindful body awareness, altering the rhythm of our breath, and exploring yoga and gentle movement to create a greater connection between body and mind.

Sources:

[1] Pavlov, Valentin A., and Kevin J. Tracey. “The Vagus Nerve And The Inflammatory Reflex—Linking Immunity And Metabolism”. Nature Reviews Endocrinology, vol 8, no. 12, 2012, pp. 743-754. Springer Science And Business Media LLC, doi:10.1038/nrendo.2012.189. Accessed 16 Oct 2021.

[2] Koopman, F. A., Chavan, S. S., Miljko, S., Grazio, S., Sokolovic, S., Schuurman, P. R., et al. (2016). Vagus nerve stimulation inhibits cytokine production and attenuates disease severity in rheumatoid arthritis. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 113, 8284–8289. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1605635113

[3] ADELSON, RACHEL. “Stimulating The Vagus Nerve: Memories Are Made Of This”. Https://Www.Apa.Org, 2011, https://www.apa.org/monitor/apr04/vagus.

[4] Chang, Chun-Hung et al. “Brain Stimulation In Alzheimer’s Disease”. Frontiers In Psychiatry, vol 9, 2018. Frontiers Media SA, doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2018.00201. Accessed 16 Oct 2021.

[5] Jeanmonod R, Sahni D, Silberman M. Vasovagal Episode. [Updated 2021 Oct 7]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2021 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK470277/

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Always on Alert – How To Handle Hypervigilance

Araminta — Fri, 24 Sep 2021 04:36:43 +0000

Our bodies are constantly assessing our environment for threats. Most of this happens subconsciously as it would be both exhausting and overwhelming to continually check for danger forever.

In non-traumatised individuals, this happens throughout their lives and causes no ill effects. Their nervous systems respond appropriately to all levels of danger – they see it when it’s there and when it’s not, and they don’t feel the need to scan for it consciously.

However, the nervous systems of traumatised individuals are very different – they’re much more likely to be constantly on guard, scanning for the next threat. This state is called hypervigilance.

In this blog, we’ll explain what hypervigilance is and some healthy coping strategies you can employ to manage it.

What Is Hypervigilance?

Stephen Porges uses the metaphor of a ladder for our threat response. Before the most well-known responses, such as fight, flight, or freeze, comes hypervigilance – an extremely alert state where we’re actively looking out for danger. Our heart rate rises, adrenaline is released, our breathing becomes more shallow, and our muscles tense up.

Hypervigilance is one of the most common symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Constantly checking for danger is exhausting. On a physical level, our bodies weren’t designed to be under stress for long periods, and mentally it can be highly confusing and can distract us from our day-to-day activities. Completing work assignments or being emotionally present for our loved ones is difficult when our body is telling us to watch out for an attack!

As such, hypervigilance has a hugely detrimental effect on our personal lives. It can hold us back in our careers, prevent us from developing meaningful relationships, and stop us from sleeping properly.^[1] Symptoms present slightly differently in everyone, however some of the most common signs include:

Anxiety
Fear
Sweating
Feelings of paranoia
Dilated pupils
Agoraphobia
Increased startle reflex

What To Do About Hypervigilance?

If you’re suffering from PTSD or suspect you are, a professional diagnosis and treatment is always advised. While it would be fantastic to be able to heal our trauma by simply following certain steps and practices, it’s often far more complex than that.

However, there are certain activities you can do to bring yourself back into a resting state if you’re noticing symptoms of hypervigilance. Please note that the list below is not exhaustive – it’s important to find what works for you.

Sleep Hygiene

Sleeping properly is essential to every aspect of our health. However, hypervigilance makes this difficult – it’s hard to drift off when your body is telling you to watch out for danger.

This sets off a horrible cycle of feeling worn out due to lack of rest, exacerbating our existing problems. While there isn’t a guaranteed way of falling asleep on command, there are certain practices you can follow to make getting some better quality rest more likely:

Avoid screens for an hour before bed, especially video games.
Have a set time you wake up and go to bed – your circadian biological clock likes routine.
Exercise regularly, but not just before bed.
Don’t nap after the early afternoon.
Use your bed for sleeping – don’t bring your work laptop or phone with you!
Avoid heavy meals, alcohol, and caffeine before bed.

Exercise

Exercise is one of the best things we can do for hypervigilance. It’s not just about keeping our body supple, stretching out the muscles that tense up during hypervigilance, and working off the adrenaline energy. Exercise also releases feel-good endorphins that can boost our mood and overall sense of well-being.

Certain exercises, such as yoga stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system.^[2] This part is responsible for our rest and digest state and helps calm us down.

Remember To Breathe

When our bodies are getting ready for threat, our breathing becomes sharp and shallow as we attempt to take in as much oxygen as possible in case we have to fight or run away. We might not be able to control our heart rate or perspiration consciously, but we can control our breathing.

Studies have shown that deep, paced breathing correlates with activation in our insula, the region of the brain linked to bodily awareness, interoception, and pain processing. By breathing deeply and calmly, we can send a message back to our brain that we’re in a safe place.^[3]

Conclusion

It’s very easy to think of our nervous system as a one-way road. It sends the message we’re in danger or that we’re safe, and we respond accordingly. However, our nerves are actually information superhighways, with signals travelling both ways. By sending signals back to our brain that we’re safe, we can stop it from firing so many signals.

Although none of these activities are suggested as helping to heal trauma and PTSD, they are brilliant coping strategies for the symptoms that can blight our lives. They complement each other, are very accessible, and cost nothing – you’ve got nothing to lose by trying.

If you have a client or know of someone struggling to heal from psychological trauma, reach out to us at Khiron Clinics. We believe that we can improve therapeutic outcomes and avoid misdiagnosis by providing an effective residential program and outpatient therapies addressing underlying psychological trauma. Allow us to help you find the path to realistic, long-lasting recovery. For more information, call us today. UK: 020 3811 2575 (24 hours). USA: (866) 801 6184 (24 hours).

Sources:

[1] Wyk, M. V.. “The relationship between PTSD, hypervigilance and disordered sleep.” (2013).

[2] Khattab, Kerstin et al. “Iyengar yoga increases cardiac parasympathetic nervous modulation among healthy yoga practitioners.” Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM vol. 4,4 (2007): 511-7. doi:10.1093/ecam/nem087

[3] Haase, Lori et al. “Mindfulness-based training attenuates insula response to an aversive interoceptive challenge.” Social cognitive and affective neuroscience vol. 11,1 (2016): 182-90. doi:10.1093/scan/nsu042

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Four Lesser-Known PTSD Symptoms

Araminta — Sat, 11 Sep 2021 05:00:21 +0000

Post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, is a condition surrounded by many myths and misconceptions. Many people often link PTSD purely to war veterans. As the condition was only added to the DSM-III in 1980 – before this, it was known as shell-shock, soldier’s heart, and war neurosis – this could explain why.^[1]

Thankfully, medical science and public knowledge have developed significantly since the 1980s, and the words trauma and PTSD are now deeply embedded in the popular lexicon. Dr Bessel van der Kolk’s book The Body Keeps The Score is a bestseller year on year, and we’ve seen celebrities such as Paris Hilton talking about their own trauma recovery journey.

However, despite the growing awareness of PTSD’s existence as a condition, there is still much misinformation about its symptoms. People assume that PTSD means you must be haunted by nightmares and wake up screaming in the night. While these are both valid symptoms, PTSD is much more complex.

All humans react differently to trauma, and misunderstanding this is dangerous as it can be a barrier to reaching out for help. In this blog, we explore three of the lesser-known PTSD symptoms.

Body Dysmorphia

Obsessive thoughts about one’s appearance characterise body dysmorphia or body dysmorphic disorder (BDD). These usually centre on small, sometimes imagined flaws such as acne, body weight, body hair.

Whether the flaw exists or not is largely irrelevant – either way, it causes intrusive thoughts, which are highly distressing. Attempting to hide these perceived flaws can often impact people’s social, romantic, and professional lives.

BDD should not be confused with eating disorders such as anorexia or bulimia, although they can co-occur. The same can be said for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).

Body Dysmorphia and Trauma

As with many mental health conditions, it’s hard to draw a distinct causative line between trauma and BDD. However, one study found that a considerable majority (75%) of people with a BDD diagnosis had also experienced some form of trauma in their childhood.^[2] It seems that the most significant risk factor for BDD is emotional neglect – although physical and sexual abuse also ranks highly.

This is shocking but not surprising – as children, we tend to internalise things and assume they’re our fault. If we’re subjected to abuse by a caregiver – someone we’re meant to be able to trust – we think that somehow we’re at fault. It follows logically that if we grow up with the mistaken belief we’re inherently bad, our perception of our body could be affected.

It is also thought that BDD could function as a maladaptive coping disorder for the symptoms of PTSD, such as anxiety and depression. When we’re fixated on our perceived flaws, we’re distracted from our past.^[3]

Physical Pain and PTSD

PTSD shouldn’t just be thought of as another mental health condition. Brain scans can observe physical, structural changes in trauma survivors’ hippocampus and ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC).^[4] These parts of the brain are responsible for episodic memory and value-based decision making, which means trauma survivors often have trouble distinguishing between the past and the present.^[5]

This can lead to our bodies feeling like they are under threat, even when they aren’t. When under threat, our body sends out vast amounts of adrenaline, our muscles tense up, and we feel alert. However, we are only designed to be in threat response for a short time, so this puts a massive amount of stress on our bodies. Our muscles being tense all the time can lead to musculoskeletal problems, and poor sleep prevents us from healing and regenerating.

When we’re in threat response, our sensitivity to pain increases. This evolved initially to help us detect danger as soon as possible, but in the body of the trauma survivor, it can make existing and new conditions seem both unending and even more intense.

Withdrawing Socially and PTSD

Our whole evolution is designed to keep us away from danger – most people know about fight, flight, and freeze. However, it’s not common knowledge that socialising also helps us avoid threats – Prof. Stephen Porges’ Polyvagal Theory states that this is our first response to danger. After all, if the people around us like us, they won’t want to hurt us.

PTSD can cause us to cycle through this threat response faster than we should – trauma survivors often find themselves highly anxious or withdrawn in situations with people. This can be baffling for the trauma survivor, so it’s not uncommon for people to withdraw socially as a response.

Humans are not meant to be solitary creatures – being lonely puts a heavy burden on us emotionally, physically, and behaviourally.^[6] We naturally strive to connect with others, so it’s common to find people using maladaptive coping strategies, such as substance use when we feel unable to.

To Conclude

To foster a society where healing from trauma is normalised, it first needs to be understood. By dispelling some of the myths surrounding PTSD, you can also be a part of this much-needed change.

By increasing awareness of the myriad of symptoms that PTSD can cause, rather than the more dramatic effects displayed in popular media, hopefully, more people will reach out to get the help they deserve.

Sources:

^[1] Crocq, M A, and L Crocq. “From shell shock and war neurosis to posttraumatic stress disorder: a history of psychotraumatology.” Dialogues in clinical neuroscience vol. 2,1 (2000): 47-55. doi:10.31887/DCNS.2000.2.1/macrocq

^[2] Didie, Elizabeth R et al. “Childhood abuse and neglect in body dysmorphic disorder.” Child abuse & neglect vol. 30,10 (2006): 1105-15. doi:10.1016/j.chiabu.2006.03.007

^[3] Grant, Jon E, and Katharine A Phillips. “Recognizing and treating body dysmorphic disorder.” Annals of clinical psychiatry : official journal of the American Academy of Clinical Psychiatrists vol. 17,4 (2005): 205-10. doi:10.1080/10401230500295313

^[4] Bremner, J Douglas. “Neuroimaging in posttraumatic stress disorder and other stress-related disorders.” Neuroimaging clinics of North America vol. 17,4 (2007): 523-38, ix. doi:10.1016/j.nic.2007.07.003

^[5] Weilbächer, Regina A, and Sebastian Gluth. “The Interplay of Hippocampus and Ventromedial Prefrontal Cortex in Memory-Based Decision Making.” Brain sciences vol. 7,1 4. 29 Dec. 2016, doi:10.3390/brainsci7010004

^[6] Hämmig, Oliver. “Health risks associated with social isolation in general and in young, middle and old age.” PloS one vol. 14,7 e0219663. 18 Jul. 2019, doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0219663

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What Happens When We Suppress Our Natural Threat Response?

romana — Fri, 03 Sep 2021 06:17:09 +0000

The Role of the Nervous System

What is your purpose in life?

People have pondered this question for thousands and thousands of years, and it means different things to everyone. For some, it might be their families, and others might consider their occupation to be their true calling; however, for your nervous system, the answer is incredibly straightforward – its purpose in life is to keep us alive.

Humans have only started living in cities, towns, and even houses for a very short amount of time, especially when you consider how long we have been on this planet. And since we emerged from the primordial soup and moved through various stages of our evolution, our nervous system has been helping us to remain safe, procreate, and ultimately further our species.

Doing all of this in the wild isn’t easy – animals can’t afford to chill out, relax, and hope for the best. It’s a dog eat dog, fish eat fish, and snake eat snake world out there. If you’re not looking out for things that want to eat you, you’re sitting in the firing line. So, far before we became humans, we evolved ways of mitigating this risk.

If we had a reasonable chance of overcoming the predator, we would fight back, and if the odds were stacked against us, we would flee. Later, we started to freeze – we completely stopped moving, played dead, and hopefully, the predator stopped trying to kill us. Then, when an opportune moment arose, we could either fight back or run. Finally, we developed vigilance – the state of being aware of our surroundings and looking out for danger.

However, while our brains have become far more complex than they were hundreds of thousands of years ago when we were swimming around the ocean as fish and later taking the first steps onto dry land, much of our more primitive wiring remains.^[1]

The Perils of Being Self Aware

Our brain still constantly looks out for things that could harm us and tells us to fight, flee, or freeze. This all happens in the mammalian brain^[2] or limbic system. We don’t get much say in how the limbic system responds – it all happens subconsciously. And all animals, bar humans, follow these instructions without question. When they’re away from the threat, they shake to release the pent up energy build up in their bodies; however, humans can override this response with the most recently developed part of our brain – the neocortex.

When we became able to do this, we opened up the door to nervous system dysregulation. Don’t forget – we’re self-aware creatures.^[3] Animals don’t worry about looking silly – they just follow instructions from the nervous system.

Humans, on the other hand, definitely care about how they look. We have to navigate society and its complex social norms, and it might not be acceptable in certain situations to run away or play dead. We might not want to shake after a threat for fear of looking scared or even mad.

Physics and the Nervous System

When we suppress our natural threat response, we’re essentially overriding thousands and thousands of years of evolution. The Law of Conservation of Energy, also known as the First Law of Thermodynamics, states that energy cannot be created or destroyed – it just changes forms. So, when we don’t discharge the energy from the threat response, it becomes stored in our body, waiting to be triggered.

Our nervous systems want to discharge this energy and complete the cycle, and given the chance, it will attempt to. However, it didn’t evolve to consider our feelings – evolution didn’t happen with happiness in mind. When our nervous system is trying to complete this cycle, it can be extremely uncomfortable, and we can feel exactly as we did when we faced the original threat. We might feel anxious if we’ve been put into a vigilant state, shut-down or dissociated if we’ve entered freeze, and even angry or aggressive if we’re in fight.

Many of the mental health problems people are diagnosed with in modern times, such as anxiety, anger management issues, or dissociative disorder, are actually the result of nervous system dysregulation. Additionally, certain behaviours such as substance use or self-harm are often self-medicating this malfunctioning system.

Fortunately, nervous system dysregulation doesn’t have to be a life sentence. Therapies are available that can help us process this past baggage and free our nervous systems from the endless trigger-reaction-trigger-reaction cycle that can plague us. We can also learn to self-regulate. Certain activities such as deep breathing, cold showers, and stretching can bring our nervous systems back to its ideal resting state.

Modern medical science often thinks of the brain and body as two separate entities, with no consideration of the complex interplay between the two. Often, the answer lies within our history rather than just our heads.

Sources:

^[1] 2 You Didn’T Evolve To Be Happy – How To Hack Evolution To Find Your Bliss – Benjamin Fry”. Benjamin Fry, 2019, https://www.benjaminfry.co.uk/post/2-you-didnt-evolve-to-be-happy-how-to-hack-evolution-to-find-your-bliss/.

^[2] Porges, S W. “Orienting in a defensive world: mammalian modifications of our evolutionary heritage. A Polyvagal Theory.” Psychophysiology vol. 32,4 (1995): 301-18. doi:10.1111/j.1469-8986.1995.tb01213.x

^[3] Parker, S. T., Mitchell, R. W., & Boccia, M. L. (Eds.). (1994). Self-awareness in animals and humans: Developmental perspectives. Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511565526

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