How Trauma is Stored in the Body & Its Impact 🧠

Understanding Trauma's Impact Through Polyvagal Theory (7min Read)

TL;DR Summary:

• Polyvagal theory shows how trauma affects nervous system

• The vagus nerve is a key communication pathway between the brain and body

• Ventral vagal branch manages safety, dorsal vagal triggers "shutdown"

• Trauma disrupts regulation between safe, mobilized, immobilized states

• Linked to mental and physical health issues

• Therapies promote safety by recalibrating the nervous system

• Highlights mind-body connection in trauma recovery

• Supporting survivors aids healing

Welcome Back!

Imagine our body as the world’s greatest supercomputer, constantly scanning our environment for potential threats. 

This supercomputer is our nervous system, and its software has been written and rewritten by our life experiences. 

For many trauma survivors, a traumatic event – be it a car accident, natural disasters, or even childhood trauma – can leave lasting imprints, not just on their minds but on this very supercomputer, affecting their mental health, physical health, and emotional health. 

​If you've ever jumped at a sudden noise or felt an overwhelming urge to flee a situation, you've experienced the power of your nervous system.

Polyvagal Theory offers a new lens through which to understand and address the impact of trauma, and this is what we will be exploring in depth today!

​Delving into the Nervous System

At the heart of our reactions, whether they are emotional reactions or physical reactions, is the nervous system. 

It governs everything from our heart rate to our breathing. Polyvagal Theory adds depth to our understanding. 

Instead of the simple 'flight response' model, the theory suggests a more layered approach to how our body reacts to stressful situations and trauma.

Traditionally, our understanding was that the nervous system had a binary response: the "fight or flight" mode, activated in response to immediate danger, and the "rest and digest" mode, for times of safety. 

Polyvagal Theory, however, presents a third, more nuanced response – the freeze response. 

The Vagus Nerve: Our Body's Communication Highway

To understand this nuanced response to a traumatic experience, we need a reminder of what the Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) is!

Picture the autonomic nervous system (ANS) as a bustling control room, with switches and levers that adjust our heart rate, digestion, and more. 

At the center of this is the vagus nerve, which acts like the central communication line between your brain and body.

Traditionally, it was believed that our body's stress response system was a simple two-way toggle between "fight or flight" (SNS) and "rest and digest" (PNS). 

However, the Polyvagal Theory paints a more intricate picture.

Unraveling the Vagus Nerve: Two Branches, Two Responses

Stephen Porges emphasizes the crucial role of the vagus nerve within Polyvagal Theory. 

Its two branches, the ventral and dorsal, play significant roles in how one processes traumatic experiences. 

These two branches are thought of as "complexes" because they involve so many different nerves and so many different connection points throughout our body. 

1. Ventral Vagal Complex (VVC): This is our social connection wire. Think of the times you've exchanged smiles with someone or felt comfort in a friend's presence. Your VVC was active, ensuring you felt safe and socially connected.

2. Dorsal Vagal Complex (DVC): This takes us back to our primal roots. Remember hearing stories of animals playing dead in the face of danger? That's the DVC in action, a shutdown response to overwhelming threats.

   

The ventral, associated with social connections, can be disrupted in trauma survivors, making social interactions a source of anxiety rather than comfort. 

The dorsal, on the other hand, can thrust one into a 'shutdown' state, where the individual feels immobilized or disconnected from reality. 

Imagine Sarah, who recently escaped an abusive relationship, a type of trauma I see every day... 

Whenever she hears loud noises, her DVC might activate, making her freeze. 

It's a protective mechanism, a lingering shadow of past traumas.

​The Polyvagal Ladder: Climbing Through Responses

Our body responds to stress in a graded manner, much like climbing a ladder. 

The first rung is the VVC, trying to navigate the situation socially. If that doesn't work, we escalate to the SNS, our body's alert system. 

If all else fails, we go into the DVC mode.

Let's consider the brain's role. The amygdala, an almond-shaped cluster in our brain, plays a pivotal role in processing emotions. 

When a trauma survivor like Sarah hears a triggering sound, her amygdala might light up, signifying a threat, even if she's in a safe environment. 

This can lead to an overwhelming rush of memories, emotions, and stress hormones linked to the trauma.

The ANS: Our Automatic Protector

The ANS, constantly scanning the environment, categorizes experiences into:

• SAFE: A serene moment, perhaps reading in a cozy corner or laughing with friends.

• Mobilized (Fight/Flight): Think of someone suddenly cutting you off in traffic, making you swerve.

• Immobilized (Freeze): Like when you hear devastating news and you can't move or think.

These ANS states aren't just survival modes. They are our daily navigators. 

When kids play, their ANS blends safety and mobilization, joyfully active yet secure. 

Or consider a deep conversation with a loved one, where you feel both immobilized by the intimacy yet entirely safe.

Trauma's Ripple Effects

​At its core, trauma affects our inner perception. The event itself isn't the trauma, but our body's response is. 

The prevalence rate of traumatic experiences is alarmingly high. For instance, adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) have shown direct correlations with future health issues, from heart disease to mental illness. 

Research suggests that if a person had faced more than six ACEs, their life expectancy could potentially be reduced by 20 years.

It's important to remember that not all traumatic memories are from shocking events. 

Even ongoing chronic stress, a modern-day plague, can mimic the impact of a traumatic event and its emotional distress.

And come with physical symptoms such as chronic pain and heart attacks and mental disorders like anxiety disorders and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

This also allows us to look at a medical issue like high blood pressure in a different light.

While it might seem purely physical, there's an underlying narrative of a dysregulated ANS due to previous trauma that can lead to this rise in blood pressure. 

So, remember, the effects of trauma don't just manifest in one's mental health they also manifest in physical well-being.

Rekindling Safety: Healing the Nervous System

Here lies the beacon of hope: we can rewire our ANS.

​The path to healing is neither short term nor linear, but it is possible, I've seen it with my own clients! 

​Connection plays a pivotal role. 

When we surround ourselves with empathetic individuals, our ANS mirrors their state of calm, helping us feel safe

​Modern therapies, rooted in the Polyvagal framework, focus on rebuilding this sense of safety. 

Bessel van der Kolk, a peer of Dr. Porges, has often mentioned the importance of the mind-body connection in trauma therapy.

Body-first approaches like trauma-informed yoga or martial arts can help in processing stored trauma in muscle memory, giving a new meaning to the term "muscle tension".

Similarly, therapies like eye movement desensitization (EMDR), Internal Family Systems (IFS), and somatic experiencing (SE), a body-first approach, target the nervous system directly, recalibrating the body's initial reactions to trauma.

​All of these methods have garnered scientific evidence for their efficacy in treating trauma survivors, with more research coming out every day! 

Mindfulness meditations, deep breathing, and even spending time in nature can also serve as powerful tools to mend our fractured nervous system. 

No specific treatment works for every person, but I've found that often times the first step in healing is understanding. 

Recognizing how a traumatic event can alter our very physiology, from blood pressure fluctuations to immune system weaknesses, can guide us on the best route to recovery. 

Whether it's unresolved trauma from sexual abuse or untreated past trauma from a natural disaster, having trauma-informed family members, and therapists/coach can make all the difference as survivors rediscover their true Self.

Building An Empathetic World

The impact of trauma goes far beyond psychological distress and difficult emotions; it drills into our very physical body, affecting our nervous system, which in turn plays an important role in almost all our body's functions. 

From serious health conditions like heart disease to the intricacies of memory storage processes and brain development, trauma leaves no stone unturned.

Understanding the Polyvagal Theory doesn't just give us insights into our nervous system. It unveils the profound connection between our past traumas and our present state. 

As communities, by supporting trauma survivors and fostering safe spaces, we can hope to build a more connected, empathetic world.

To all the brave souls embarking on this journey of healing, know that each step you take reverberates, inspiring countless others.

And to those eager to learn and support, your empathy can light the path to recovery for many. 

Together, we can transform trauma narratives into tales of resilience and hope.

And as always, until next time… Live Heroically! 🧠

Supporting Research:

• Porges, S. W. (2011). The polyvagal theory: Neurophysiological foundations of emotions, attachment, communication, and self-regulation. New York, NY: W. W. Norton & Company.

• Saxe, R., & Porges, S. W. (2012). The polyvagal theory: implications for clinical social work. Clinical Social Work Journal, 40(4), 370-381.

• Goldman, S. L., & Porges, S. W. (2018). The polyvagal perspective on trauma and dissociation. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy, 10(3), 309-318.

• Fosha, D. (2020). The polyvagal theory in clinical practice: The mindful path to emotional resilience (2nd ed.). New York, NY: W. W. Norton & Company.

• van der Kolk, B. A. (2014). The body keeps the score: Brain, mind, and body in the healing of trauma (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Viking.

• Mate, G. (2018). When the Body Says No: The Cost of Hidden Stress. Vintage Canada.

• Anda, R.F., Felitti, V.J., Bremner, J.D., Walker, J.D., Whitfield, C.H., Perry, B.D., Dube, S.R. & Giles, W.H. (2006). The enduring effects of abuse and related adverse experiences in childhood. European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience, 256(3), 174-186.

• Payne, P., Levine, P.A. & Crane-Godreau, M.A. (2015). Somatic experiencing: using interoception and proprioception as core elements of trauma therapy. Frontiers in Psychology, 6.

• Lanius, R.A., Paulsen, S.L. & Corrigan, F.M. (2014). Neurobiology and Treatment of Traumatic Dissociation: Towards an Embodied Self. Springer Publishing Company.