Trauma, Differentiation and Integration, and Neuropsychology | The Recovery Expert

I found this article to be very enlightening. It explains how intrusive thoughts happen. I am not so certain about the effectiveness of the suggested treatment. It seems that is the best treatment that current science can offer. However, I am very appreciative of the scientific study that went into this and am optimistic that progress is being made in the treatment of C-PTSD.

[CANDC]

Thanks unguy for the update.

[brownhare]

Originally Posted by unguy

Trauma, Differentiation and Integration, and Neuropsychology | The Recovery Expert

I found this article to be very enlightening. It explains how intrusive thoughts happen. I am not so certain about the effectiveness of the suggested treatment. It seems that is the best treatment that current science can offer. However, I am very appreciative of the scientific study that went into this and am optimistic that progress is being made in the treatment of C-PTSD.

This is really interesting to me Unguy and thanks for the link.
I'd like to offer that as well as talking therapy I decided to try Shotokan Karate as a way to reintegrate my mind and body connection.

The Katas that we practice require an enormous amount of mental focus on the body and this is something that I found my traumatic experiences had undermined to a massive degree.

Either my mind was dragging my body with it tired, hungry, thirsty but my mind was so stressed and compartmentalised I wasn't noticing.

An example might be me doing eight hours of straight study whilst dying for the loo or a drink and only noticing after standing up and finding myself with pins and needles, a back that wouldn't move and light headed from not eating for an entire day.

Or

My body getting startled or shocked into a flight or fight reaction so severe that my mind collapsed into brain freeze and just followed the body in terms of shouting 'AAArgh.' I was regularly leaping into the air with all my hair standing on end or my heart feeling as though it was going to burst out it's chest after a car backfired or a door slammed or some totally harmless person came around a corner too quickly.

Doing Katas in Karate means focussing so closely on the body with the mind that the two start working together again. I can't believe how beneficial this has been in regulating the mind body dissociation I was experiencing daily.

Since I have been doing this I am finding that my affect regulation is improving and it seems to be working on a mind body level in places that the talking therapy doesn't reach.

I was actually going to start a thread about this and ask if anyone else had found martial arts to be helpful in reconnecting the body with the mind in a way that begins to address the mind/body fight that complex trauma seems to create. But your thread and link really made this unnecessary because I think what the paper says kind of points to this 'disconnect' in the brain as being a real thing after a series of traumatic events.

I went into Karate from the perspective of regaining control over my mind and body, but I never expected it to lead me to experience a situation where mind and body begin to balance again and work with each other rather than dragging each other in opposite directions all the time.

It's been quite extraordinary as a previously abused woman to go into martial arts expecting to find the power coming from an ability to defend myself from threats. But what I have discovered is that it is teaching me that I can neutralize the threat that is in my own head, and surprisingly effectively once my mind and body are in synch. I think this is due to the plasticity of the brain that the article talks about.

I am guessing that the mental and physical training that is all about intricate movement and breathing, is making new pathways in my brain and these are overwriting the unhealthy reactions with calmer and more reality integrated responses.

To me that is worth a million external opportunities to win a fight. My daily fight with trauma has always been between my body and my mind, both misreading the reality of what is needed and working against each other rather than together and I have not been able to stop that or medicate it away. (believe me I have tried that)

Your article really explains why this is working for me and I WAS wondering and marvelling because the effect of Shotokan kata training has been very quick and very profound in producing affect regulation. It integrates my mind and body in a way I have never experienced before.

I would definitely recommend anybody considering this as a thing to help with complex trauma to give it a go. But I would say that it is the none contact kata training that concentrates on movement, mind and breathing that has come up trumps for me. Also that I have a very humble and gentle as well as immensely physically and mentally powerful Sensei. I think this is important for trauma survivors.

I'm fairly certain that a more aggressive and contact oriented Sensei would not have been great for me as I thrive on his calm and none macho approach to martial arts training. I do participate in the contact but this comes after we have worked through the katas to be in a calm and centred place as individuals.

Great post thank you

[Out There]

I feel martial arts could be good and have looked at them a little. Thanks for this.