Boston-based psychiatrist Bessel van der Kolk has researched the area of post-traumatic stress and neurobiology extensively since the 1970s, and sheds new light on what helps with recovery from trauma.
In his book, “The Body Keeps the Score” he reviews two important studies of trauma treatment research programs.
- In? ?the? ?first,? ?the? ?traumatised person? ?and? ?their? ?brain? ?is? ?compared? ?with? ?their? ?state? ?before? ?the? ?trauma (find our more about what it means to be traumatised, here).?
- ?In? ?the? ?second,? ??a researcher? ?compares? the ?traumatised? ?with? the ?non-traumatised? ?brain ?via? ?neuro-imaging?? ?studies.? ?
Via these? ?two? ?evidence? ?bases,? ?van? ?der? ?Kolk? ?demonstrates? ?the? ?human? ?brain’s? ?natural? ?balance? ?state, most? ?recently? ?termed? ?the? ?Default? ?State? ?Network? ?or? ?DSN.? ???This? ?DSN? ?is? ?found? ?now? ?to? ?be? ?vital,? ?as? ?it can? ?moderate? ?all? ?those? ?hypervigilant? ?systems? ?to? ?achieve? ?a? ?’Calm? ?Brain’? ?mode?.
For? ?99%? ?of? ?us?, ?our? ?Default? ?State? ?Network? ?runs? ?down? ?the? ?midline? ?of? ?the? ?brain? ?(van? ?der? ?Kolk’s “Mohawk? ?of? ?Self? ?Awareness”).? ??
The Calm Brain
?Researchers? ?have? ?found? ?that? ?a? ?lightly? ?active? ?DSN? ?is? ?a? ?condition of? ???a? ?healthy? ?resting? ?(calm)? ?brain.? ?
However? ?for? ?it? ?to? ?be? ?at? ?optimum,? ?it? ?has? ?to? ?be? ?in? ?a? ?Goldilocks state – that is,? ?not? ?too? ?active? ?and? ?not? ?too? ?dulled.? ?It? ?seems? ?to? ?achieve? ?this? ?when? ?it? ?thinks? ?of? ?nothing? ?in particular? ?and? ?just? ?allows? ?things? ?to? ?be,? ?in? ?the? ?present? ?moment.?
?Most? ?people? ?move? ?into? ?this? ?state whenever? ?they? ?pause,??? ?deep? ?breathe,? recline? ?or? ?otherwise? ?relax. Not? ?surprisingly,? ?this? ?is? ?what? ?ancient? ?traditions? ?similarly? ?describe? ?as? ?meditation,? ?or? ?benefits? ?of meditative? ?practice.? ?
What? ?amazed? ?van? ?der? ?Kolk? ?is? ?that? ?in? ?a? ?series? ?of? ?neuro-imaging? ?studies,? ?it was ?found that? ?those? ?with? ?long? ?term? ?post-event? ??trauma? ?(mainly? ?PTSD? ?or? ?childhood? ?trauma), ?when? ?asked? ?to think? ?of? ?nothing,? ?failed? ?to? ?activate? ?their? ?Default? ?Network? ?State.? ?The? ?DSN regions? of the brain ?remained? ?dimmed? ?on? ?scan? ?results.
The Effect of Trauma on the Brain
This? ?is? ?relevant? ?to? ?trauma? ?recovery? ?and? ?healing, as ?Dr?? ?van? ?der? ?Kolk? ?noticed? ?many? ?of? ?his? ?post trauma? ?patients? ?(when? ?not? ?in? ?flight,? ?fight? ?or? ?flee? ?mode)? ?were? ?going? ?through? ?their? ?days? ?numbed out,? ?that? ?is,? ?devoid? ?of? ?purpose? ?and? ?feeling??.? ?Van? ?der? ?Kolk? ?surmised? ?that?? ?when? ?the? ?DSN ?goes? ?dead,? ?so? ?does? ?our? ?sense? ?of? ?self – leading the person to no longer be ?both purposeful? ?and? ?emotionally? ?balanced.? ?
Sure? ?enough,? ?when? ?his? ?patients? ?were? ?examined? ?they? ?also had? ?more? ?than? ?their? ?share? ?of? ?darkened? ?areas.
Researchers? ?discovered? ?the?? ?DSN? ??is? ?also the? ?processing? ?relay? ?switchboard? ?that??? ?integrates? ?our many? ?bodily? ?sensations? ?(touch,? ?sight,? ?smell,? ?sound,? ?taste,? ?etc)??? ?and? ?tells? ?us? ?where? ?we? ?are located? ?spatially.? ?People? ?with? ?a? ?deadened? ?DSN? ?have? ?a? ?deadened? ?sense? ?of? ?sensation, and are often ?‘just? ?surviving’? ?in? ?a? ?somber? ?amotivational? ?state.? ?Dr?? ?van? ?der? ?Kolk? ?noted? ?this zombie-like? ?behaviour? ?was? ?? ?common? ?in? ?his? ?chronic? ?PTSD? ?patients.
[box title=””]“If? ?we? ?want? ?to? ?change? ?posttraumatic? ?reactions,? ?we? ?have? ?to? ?access? ?the? ?emotional? ?brain and? ?do? ?“limbic? ?system? ?therapy”? ?[ie]? ?repairing? ?faulty? ?alarm? ?systems? ?and? ?restoring? ?the emotional? ?brain? ?to? ?its? ?ordinary? ?job? ?of? ?being? ?a? ?quiet? ?background? ?presence? ?that? ?takes? ?care of? ?the? ?housekeeping? ?of? ?the? ?body,? ?ensuring? ?that? ?you? ?eat??,? ?sleep,? ?connect? ?with? ?intimate partners,? ?protect? ?your? ?children? ?and? ?defend? ?against? ?danger. ? ?- World? ?Expert? ?on? ?Trauma,? ?Dr? ?Bessel? ?van? ?der? ?Kolk,? ?in ?The? ?Body? ?Keeps? ?the Score.[/box]
Thus? ?we? ?are? ?looking? ?at? ?a? ?two-pronged? ?approach? ?to recovery from trauma.??? ?First? ?the? ?alarm? ?system? ?(limbic? ?system) must? ?be? ?reset? ?so? ?it? ??doesn’t? ?sound? ?off? ?randomly? ?or? ?inappropriately?.
Secondly?, ?the? traumatised individual ?has? ?to? ?learn? ?to? ?calm? ?the? ?brain? ?even? ?if? ?the? ?alarm? ?system? ?is? ?correctly reset.? ?The? ?calming? ?of? ?the? ?brain? ?is? ?where? ?meditation? ?comes? ?in.??? ?Apparently,? ?in? ?its? ?most? ?structured and? ?studied? ?form? ?(Mindfulness? ?Based? ?Stress? ?Reduction)?, ?it? ?is? ?probably? ?the? ?single? ?best intervention? ?that? ?can? ?be? ?used? ?for? ?recovery? ?from? ?trauma.
Evidence? ?in? ?van? ?der? ?Kolk’s? ?book? ?strongly? ?suggests? ?that? ?if? ?you? ?are? ?traumatised, you will likely ?benefit from the? ?OPPOSITE? ?of? ?what? ?most? ?therapists? ?attempt? (?which? ?is? ?talk-based? ?therapy, whether? ?CBT,? ?or Solution? ?Focussed? ?or? ?IPT? ?or? ?whatever).? ?? ?
Instead? ?he urges therapists? ?to? ?use? ??non talk therapies. He? ?and? ?many? ?other? ?leaders? ?in? ?stress? ?and? ?trauma? ?research? ?have? ?credited? ?Mindfulness? ?Based (ie? ?structured)? ???meditation? ??(also? ???called? ?Mindfulness? ?Based? ?Stress? ?Reduction or MBSR)? ?as? ?THE? ?premier method? ?to? ?promote? ?recovery? ?from? ?trauma? ?and? ?traumatic? ?stress? ?conditions.
Such? ?structured? ?meditation? ?for? ?stress? ?reduction? ?is? ?a? ?topic? ?that? ?has? ?been? ?well? ?researched? ?now ?for? ?about? ?45? ?years?, ?at? ?leading? ?research? ?institutions? ?around? ?the? ?world.? ?
In addition,? ?with? ?the? ?arrival? ?of? ?advanced? ?neuro-imaging,? ?study? ?design? ?and? ?EEG? ?signal? ?processing, we? ?can? ?now? ?see? ?conclusive? ?proof? ?of? ?the? ?recovery? ?capabilities? ?of? ?structured? ?meditation.
How Mindfulness and Meditation can help with Trauma Recovery
Below? ?is? ?just? ?a? ?? ?subset? ?of? ?findings,? ?relayed? ?recently? ?in? ?both? ?van? ?der? ?Kolk? ?as? ?well? ?as? ?Forbes Magazine.? ?These? ?directly? ?relate? ?to? ?the? ?use? ?of? ?structured? ?meditation? ?in? ?trauma? ?recovery.? ?(Other modes? ?of?intervention? ?can? ?also? ?be? ?found? ?to? ?work?, ?but? ?MBSR includes? ?meditation? ?as? ?well? ?as? ?a? ?host? ?of? ?the? ?other? ?interventions).
Meditation? ?Practice? ?can? ?Lead? ?to? ?Volume? ?Changes? ?in? ?Key? ?Areas? ?of? ?the? ?Brain related? ?to? ?Stress? ?(Forbes?)
A? ?researcher? ?at? ?Harvard? ?Medical? ?School,? ?Sara? ?Lazar,? ?PhD,? ?ran? ?a? ?series? ?of? ?studies? ?each? ?using eight? ?weeks? ?of? ?the? ?above? ?Mindfulness Based? ?Stress? ?Reduction? ?(MBSR).? ???
To? ?many? ?researchers’ surprise? ?MBSR? ???was? ?found? ?to? ?increase? ?cortical? ?thickness? ?in? ?the? ?hippocampus,? ?which? ?governs learning? ?and? ?memory. ?It? ?also? ?impacts? ?positively? ?the? ‘?Mohawk? ?of? ?Self?-?Awareness’? ?(mentioned above)? ?which? ?provides? ?stability? ?in? ?emotional? ?self-regulation? ?and? ?self-referential? ?processing (awareness? ?and? ?sense? ?of? ?Self).
?In? ?addition,? ?the? ?Harvard? ?team? ?found? a ?reduction? in ?brain? ?cell? ?volume? ?in? ?the? ?amygdala,? ?the? ?earlier mentioned? ?‘red? ?alert’? ?centre.? ?Lazar? ?stated:? ???“The? ?brain? ?changes? ?matched??? ?the? ?participants’ self-reports? ?of? ?their? ?stress? ?levels,? ?indicating? ?that? ?meditation? ?not? ?only? ?changes? ?the? ?brain,? ?but? ?it changes? ?our? ?subjective? ?perception? ?and? ?feelings? ?as? ?well.”
Positive? ?Meditation? ?Effects? ?Carry? ?Over? ?into? ?Daily? ?Moods? ?
Lazar’s? ?team? ?found? ?that? ?after? ?meditation? ?training? ?(up? ?to? ?4? ?months? ???later),? ?changes? ?which occurred? ?in? ?the? ?above- mentioned? ?brain? ?areas? ?were? ?linked? ?to? ?participants’? ?later? ?reports? ?of? ???their psychological? ?wellbeing.? ?So? ?the? ?meditation? ?induced? ?changes? ?rippled? ?out? ?into? ?the?ir ?daily lives? ?as? ?well.? ?They? ?improved? ?in? ?mood? ?and? ?subjective? ?wellbeing.
Meditation? ?Reduces? ?Anxiety? ?—? ?and? ?Social? ?Anxiety
While? ?many? ?people? ?start? ?meditating? ?for? ?its? ?benefits? ?in? ?stress? ?reduction,? ??research?? ?has? ?also? ?shown that? ?structured? ?meditation,? ?in? ?contrast? ?to? ?attending? ?to? ?the? ?breath? ?only,? ?can? ?reduce? ?generalised anxiety? ?(called? ?GAD)? ???and? ?sometimes? ?specific? ?anxieties.
For? ?example? mindfulness? ?meditation? ?has? ?demonstrated? ?healing? ?powers? ?for? ?experiences? ?of social? anxiety? ?disorder,? ?which? ?is? ?often? ?found? ?in? ?sufferers? ?of? trauma.
Forbes? ?Magazine? ?also? ?reported? ?on? ?a? ?Stanford? ?University? ?team? ?which? ?found? ?that? ?structured meditation? ?(the? ?main? ?part? ?of? ?? ?MBSR)??? ?brought? ?about? ?changes? ?in? ?brain? ?regions? ?involved? ?in attention,? ?as? ?well? ?as? ?relief? ?from? ?symptoms? ?of? ?social? ?anxiety.
MBSR? ?(Meditation)? ?Effects? ?Rival? ?Those? ?of? ?Antidepressants? ?for? ?Depression & Anxiety
Both? ?Forbes? ?and? ?Van? ?der? ?Kolk? ?report? ?that? ?the? ?efficacy? ?for? ?MBSR? ?Structured? ?Meditation? ?rivals? ?that of? ?antidepressants.?
?While? ?many? ?researchers’? ?articles? ?and? ?monographs? ?describe? ?findings? ?on relative? ?efficacies? ?of? ?meditation? ?vs? ?antidepressants,? ?they? ?still? ?often? ?end? ?with? ?“further? ?research? ?is needed”? ?(science? ?being? ?innately? ?biased? ?to? ?be? ?cautious? ?and? ?often? ?swayed? ?by? ?other? ?agendas, those? ?of? ?investors,? ?pharmaceutical? ?companies? ?and? ?other? ?institutions.)? ?? ?
However in my clinical opinion, the? ?vast? ?weight? ?of? ?the? ?evidence? ?now? ?clearly? ?indicates? ?that? ?structured meditation? ?is? ?a? ?safe? ?and? ?effective? ?alternative? ?to? ?pharmaceuticals.? ?
?I? ?started? ?to? ?use? MBSR in therapy ?five? ?years ago, and find it very rewarding as a practitioner when clients return with positive feedback about structured meditation, and how it has helped them to better handle memories of trauma.
Meditation? ?Reduces? ?Activity? ?in? ?the? ?Brain’s? ?“Me? ?Centre”
Forbes? ?reports? ?that? ?structured? ?meditation? ?helps? ?expand? ?the? ?idea? ?of? ?‘me’?? ?(the? ?‘ego’)? ?? ?to? ?the greater? ?world,? ?which? ?expansion? ?in? ?itself? ?seems? ?to? ?confer? ?health? ?benefits.
As? ??reporter? ?Alice? ?Walton??? ?put? ?it, “Since? ?mind-wandering? ?is? ?typically? ?associated? ?with? ?being? ?less? ?happy,? ?ruminating,? ?and? ?worrying about? ?the? ?past? ?and? ?future,? ?it’s? ?the? ?goal? ?for? ?many? ?people? ?to? ?dial? ?it? ?down.? ?Several? ?studies? ?have shown? ?that? ?meditation,? ?through? ?its? ?quieting? ?effect? ?on? ?the? ?DSN,? ?appears? ?to? ?do? ?just? ?this.”
This? ?is? ?highly? ?useful? ?for? ?trauma? ?recovery? ?because? ?as? ?mentioned? ?above?, ?when? ?previously traumatised? ???individuals? ?retrain? ?their? ?brains? ?(their? ?DSNs)? ?to? ?that? ?‘sweet? ?spot? ?of? ?Calm? ?Mind’ they? ?then? ?find? ?they? ?live? ?and? ?breathe? ?easier? ?on? ?a? ?moment? ?to? ?moment?,?? ?daily? ?basis.
Post? ?training,? ?trauma sufferers? ?find? ?they? ?have??? ?more? ?tolerance? ?for? ?themselves,? ?for delays? ?and? ?setbacks,??? ?and? ?for? ?the? ?people? ?around? ?them.?
?Most? ?relevant? ?to? ?this? ?article,? ?they become? ?less? ?susceptible? to ?the? ?upwelling? ?of? ?vivid? ?memory? ?images,? ?emotions? ?and? ?beliefs? ?that often? ?plague? ?the? ?traumatised.? ?The? ?fight-flight switches? ?start? ?working? ?properly.
In? ?addition? ?they? ?are?? ?de-conditioning? ?the? ?centrality? ?of? ?their? ?ego-based? ?me,? ?and? ?as? ?this? ?happens they? ?begin? ?to? ?see? ?themselves? ?as? ?connected? ?to? ?a? ?greater? ?(safer)? ?world.? ?And? ?as? ?a? ?follow? ?on from? ?this? ?(or? ?maybe? ?just? ?a? ?corollary),? ???they? ?start? ?to? ?find? ?purpose? ?and? ?can? ?move? ?toward? ?connecting with? ?people.
?Other? ?benefits? ?of? ?structured? meditation mentioned by both Forbes? ?and? ?Van? ?der? ?Kolk? ?mention include maintaining ?healthy? brain ?functioning ?as? ?it? ?gets older? ?(?thus? ?retard?ing ?or? ?preventing? ?dementia? ?type? ?diseases);? ?and? ?with? ?only? ?a? ?few? ?days? ?of? ?good training, ?improvements? ?in? ?concentration? ?and? ?attention can be mentioned.? ??
These? ?findings? ?apply to? ?the? ?majority? ?of? ?us,? ?with? ?or? ?without? ?previous? ?trauma.
Summary
World? ?trauma? ?expert? ?Dr? ?Bessel? ?Van? ?der? ?Kolk? ?has summarised? ?the? ?case? ?for? ?going? ?beyond? ?talk-based? ?therapy? ?with? ?the? ?use? ?of? ?meditation,? ?body movement? ???and? ?mindfulness? ?based? ?therapies.? Structured? ?meditation? ?and? ?in? ?particular? ?MBSR? ??have? ?been? ?shown? ?to? ?speed? ?the? ?pace? ?of? ?recovery, and? ?even? ?promote? ?better? ?quality? ?of? ?life? ?for? ?traumatised? ?individuals.
My? ?experience? ?and? ?those? ?of? ?a? ?growing? ?number? ?of? ?therapists? ?indicates? ?it? ?is? ?time? ?to? ?break? ?free? ?of the? ?dominance? ?of? ?talk-based? ?therapies?, ?and? ?start? ?employing? ?structured? ?meditation? ?and mindfulness? ?based? ?therapies? ?as? ?not? ?just? ?adjuncts,? ?but? ?first? ?lines? ?of? ?intervention,? ?in? ?our? ?work? ?with traumatised individuals.
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References:
- Van? ?der? ?Kolk,? ?B.? ??The Body Keeps the Score: Brain Mind and Body in the Healing of Trauma. Viking? ?Press,? ?2014.
- Kabat-Zinn,? ?J.? ?? ??Mindfulness? Meditation:? Cultivating the Wisdom of? Your Body and Mind?? ? (CD-rom).? ?Simon? ?&? ?Schuster? ?Audio.? ??www.SimonSaysAudio.com
- Walton,? ?Alice? ?(contributing? ?Writer),? ?Forbes? ?Magazine,? ??7? Ways? Meditation Can Actually Change The Brain. Section:Pharma and Healtcare,?? 9? ?Feb? ?2015.
- Fadel Zeidan; Katherine T Martucci; Robert A Kraft; John G McHaffie; Robert C Coghill. Neural correlates of mindfulness meditation-related anxiety relief. Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, Volume 9, Issue 6, 1 June 2014, Pages 751–759, https://doi.org/10.1093/scan/nst041