Deep brain reorientation
- Thread starter Claire29
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Weemie
MyPTSD Pro
I took a read over the actual paper he published on it where he describes the neurological structures responsible for pre-affective and affective responses (or "shock" as he refers to it). And he's... on the right... track? (It's like that article @OliveJewel showed me a while back.)
Like yes, technically these systems do play a role in this, but that role is so broad that it's impossible to assign a meaning to them in such a concrete way as "holding trauma." The parts of our brain that "hold" trauma (that is, store the memory of said trauma and identify it as traumatic) are not located in the brain stem. They are in our cerebral cortex, which is higher order and which is why narrative exposure therapy and EMDR are among the most effective trauma therapies.
The systems do play a significant role in orienting to threats in our environment, but they're also extensively involved in both sexual activity and the perception of pain (particularly the raphe system) as well. But what strikes me as odd about this whole thing, is that he only says that he encourages his patients to pay attention to the tension that arises from recalling a traumatic event.
It does not say anything about actually addressing that affective shock. Because even if you manage to release the tension in your muscles consciously (I find myself doing this like, hundreds of times a day with my shoulders, which are permanently f*cked up and painful from constantly being tense and out of place) -> it does not solve any of my problems. It's my belief that the "top-down" approach he describes is as necessary to healing as the "bottom-up" approach.
I have never had any success whatsoever with purely somatic-based therapies. My brain views them as so inherently threatening that I will punch a motherf*cker, I will yell at you if you don't respect my boundaries, I will throw shit in your office and kick over tables and chairs. Before I do "deep breathing" and "mindfulness." Reason being that as soon as my brain goes into threat-mode, even simulated threat mode, I become almost blindingly aggressive in response.
&& for whatever reason, "focusing on my body" makes my brain activate fight-or-flight. And you don't have to guess which one I fall back on.
(And given that he has identified that the population he intends to work with are clients with attachment disorders... I'd be very interested to see that outcome.) I'm not convinced that as he's laid this out, it is a fully complete therapeutic practice. And it's worth noting that on clinicaltrials.gov, this therapy is only in the posited stage right now; meaning they have not begun studying it and are actually just recruiting participants for the clinical trials to determine efficacy over placebo now.
Like yes, technically these systems do play a role in this, but that role is so broad that it's impossible to assign a meaning to them in such a concrete way as "holding trauma." The parts of our brain that "hold" trauma (that is, store the memory of said trauma and identify it as traumatic) are not located in the brain stem. They are in our cerebral cortex, which is higher order and which is why narrative exposure therapy and EMDR are among the most effective trauma therapies.
The systems do play a significant role in orienting to threats in our environment, but they're also extensively involved in both sexual activity and the perception of pain (particularly the raphe system) as well. But what strikes me as odd about this whole thing, is that he only says that he encourages his patients to pay attention to the tension that arises from recalling a traumatic event.
It does not say anything about actually addressing that affective shock. Because even if you manage to release the tension in your muscles consciously (I find myself doing this like, hundreds of times a day with my shoulders, which are permanently f*cked up and painful from constantly being tense and out of place) -> it does not solve any of my problems. It's my belief that the "top-down" approach he describes is as necessary to healing as the "bottom-up" approach.
I have never had any success whatsoever with purely somatic-based therapies. My brain views them as so inherently threatening that I will punch a motherf*cker, I will yell at you if you don't respect my boundaries, I will throw shit in your office and kick over tables and chairs. Before I do "deep breathing" and "mindfulness." Reason being that as soon as my brain goes into threat-mode, even simulated threat mode, I become almost blindingly aggressive in response.
&& for whatever reason, "focusing on my body" makes my brain activate fight-or-flight. And you don't have to guess which one I fall back on.
(And given that he has identified that the population he intends to work with are clients with attachment disorders... I'd be very interested to see that outcome.) I'm not convinced that as he's laid this out, it is a fully complete therapeutic practice. And it's worth noting that on clinicaltrials.gov, this therapy is only in the posited stage right now; meaning they have not begun studying it and are actually just recruiting participants for the clinical trials to determine efficacy over placebo now.
whiteraven
MyPTSD Pro
This.
OliveJewel
MyPTSD Pro
I am very curious about this, though it might be derailing the topic to talk about it in this thread. I will try to either write about it in my diary or start another thread.
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