When someone experiences a trauma they go into immediate shock.
This is very similar to hypnosis. Under hypnosis a person is more
suggestible and tends to remember everything that occurred while
in that state, even if it is on a subconscious level. Because of
this a person, when abused, will remember vividly everything about
what it was to feel like a victim and they will also remember everything
about what it is like to be an abuser.
When an event
is traumatic and confusing enough, we tend to internalize it in
a futile attempt to control or master it. In some cases a victim
will subconsciously embrace the victims’ role and will tend
to be drawn towards abusers and feel sorry for them. Others embrace
the abusers role and then act it out on others. Some people do a
bit of both.
This tendency
is the origin of Freud’s repetition compulsion. It is a misguided
attempt at the concept of mastery. When we cannot master a task
we become obsessed with the task until we figure out what we have
done wrong and thereby solve the problem. Concept of mastery is
one of the major ways that human beings learn.
A repetition
compulsion however, is simply doing the same thing over and over
again. A person who has been abused often feels at fault for the
abuse and therefore subconsciously chooses abusers even when consciously
trying to pick a kind and healthy person. This is healthy learning
gone awry.
To understand
the dynamics of trauma and post traumatic stress disorder one has
to understand how the three brains and the body work. The Cerebrum
and Prefrontal Cortex are the human part of the brain and operate
by rational thought. This brain is linear and causal and therefore
if something is explained to this part of the brain and a person
agrees then they will follow those directions voluntarily. It is
the conscious part of our brain. This is the part of our brain that
traditional psychotherapy or talk therapy is aimed at. The Limbic
system is an older part of the brain that is similar to all mammals’
brains. It is made up mostly of chemicals called Neurotransmitters
that help us think and feel, but not necessarily on a logical basis.
The third brain
is the Medulla Oblongata and is located at the base of the skull.
It is a brain which we share with all Reptiles. It deals with instincts
and unconscious processes. It is definitely not rational in the
way it thinks.
All the cells
in the body are connected and are capable of body memory and therefore
are all minute brains. Candice Pert, the discoverer of Endorphins
and the Enkelphin System, postulates that our feelings are in some
way yet to be understood, involved with the Enkelphin System that
is located in every cell of our body. She believes that this web
of endorphins/feelings constitute a highly evolved, yet intricate
brain system. In a real sense each cell is composed of a primary
primitive brain. Often these brains work quicker than the others
that I have mentioned.
All the brains,
except the Human one, work on the basis of Pavlov’s dog or
conditioning. If something is repeated enough or is so powerful
in its effect that learning gets imprinted it becomes very hard
to dislodge it even when situations change.
That is why
feelings or habits change so slowly after the unconscious thoughts
have already changed. Without some kind of intervention to change
or block the stimulus/response dynamic, those more primitive brains
and the body often will lag 2-5 years behind the Cerebrum and at
times will remain active indefinitely. This is why people find it
so hard to change and are often confused and frustrated by their
inability to do so. This can make people who are quite intelligent
unable to fix a problem and they therefore conclude that they must
be stupid or lazy. That is not the case.
There are three
major ways to effect change quicker and less painfully than traditional
psychotherapy, which works for the most part only with the human
brain.
The first technique
is Hypnosis. Since people are more sensitive and suggestible under
hypnosis this is often an effective way to cut the stimulus/response
patterns. A clinician can ask the client to experience the past
painful experience with a greater sense of calm or with more effective
skills than they had as a child. This alters the experience of the
original trauma itself. Hypnosis can be quite beneficial, but does
not seem to be as helpful as some of the newer techniques listed
below. It appears that the newer models of therapy often produce
more congruence and longer lasting change than I have found with
hypnosis. It also takes longer and is less versatile.
The second way
is EMDR, which is an effective and quick way to deal with trauma
and is widely practiced. It is a new therapy that is fast and relatively
painless. It is based on the theory that REM or rapid eye movements,
which occur during dreaming, is the way that our brain shifts short-term
memory to long-term memory. Long-term memory doesn’t have
much emotion or immediacy connected to it. Clients hold the most
salient aspect of the trauma in their mind as the therapist moves
a couple of fingers of their hand in front of their face to induce
rapid eye movements. This seems to recreate the trauma and cause
a mini abreaction. After just a few sessions clients usually report
remembering the trauma without the emotion.
The third and
fourth way are sister therapies, but NET™ is by far the more
sophisticated, versatile, and effective. Neuro Emotional Techniques™
or NET™ was originally practiced by chiropractors and only
later taught to mental health therapists. It is still very difficult
to find a counselor proficient in this technique as yet. It is based
on Chinese medicine and the Acupuncture and Meridian Systems. It
allows a clinician to follow the body’s own present traumas
and feelings and discover whether these feelings might be related
to past traumas. It then enables a clinician to tap lightly on a
few points of the body around the spine and the toxic memory is
released. This allows the affected person to be more fully in the
present adult mode where effective action and change is easier to
initiate. If a persons’ adult abandonment feelings are complicated
by feeling the abandonment they felt when they were 10 years old,
a person will be less competent in the present situation. NET™
releases old and present traumas residing in the body quickly and
effectively.
TFT, or Thought
Field Therapy, which is also based on the Meridian System, is another
quick and painless therapy and more clinicians are trained in this
technique. It is not as versatile as NET™ and its diagnostic
abilities are limited in my opinion, but it relieves some fears
and phobias quite effectively by tapping on various acupressure
points.
All of these
“power therapies” seem to work to effect change on levels
other than the conscious plane. They are often quicker and more
effective than traditional forms of therapy. This is because they
focus on the more primitive brains, which are not usually reached
by older therapy models. I believe fully that insight is important
and this is often provided by traditional counseling, but change
is not as quick or complete without accessing the more fundamental
brains. This is done most efficiently by the newer therapies.
© 2003 Jef Gazley, M.S. www.asktheinternettherapist.com
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