Polyvagal Theory and the Long-Term Effects of Trauma
So far, I have shared information about the Polyvagal Theory and our nervous system responses in day-to-day interactions. In this blog, I will be exploring what happens to our nervous systems when we experience ongoing trauma. Consider this story:
An hour after John’s schizophrenic homeless sister was conserved, Dr Smith called him and said “Congratulations!” like he just won a big game, got married or graduated. John did not get his meaning. This situation, which has weighed so heavy on his heart for about 30 years, more than half his life, did not feel celebratory at all. Dr. Smith was speaking from his job’s lens - find the homeless who are sick and mentally ill and get them housing. “Job well done, Dr. Smith,” thought John. He truly meant that.
Their nervous system states: Dr Smith was in a socially connected, safe, productive state. John was shutting down.
Here is what John holds in his heart – “She is my sister, first friend, challenger, witness to my early life, and me, hers. We struggled against each other to be our sibling’s favorite, get attention from anyone in our family, find our own ways while walking so many shared paths. She was my laughter, introduced me to friends, music, art, and how to get ready for dances and big dates.”
His nervous system states: shut down in grief.
Is John happy she will be locked up and force-fed medication? Logic says it is certainly better than being homeless. She has the opportunity for food, shelter, and medical care. “Yes, I am grateful for this. But still, I have lost my sister.” “Oh no, she is still here” says a voice. John thought, “Yes, she is. She is ill, torn, broken, angry, smart, fighting, all while praying endlessly in a dream world of a religion that has not served her at all.”
His nervous system state: Mobilized in anger.
What Dr. Smith is missing is the long-term effects of loving a severely mentally ill person, sister, family member. This causes grief and trauma responses. John is not celebrating her placement. He is holding tight in his body, waiting for what will come next. He anticipates the phone calls, rants, curse words flying his way. His somatic response is tightening, bracing, hypervigilance, and shaking.
His nervous system state: a combination of shut down and mobilization, moving back and forth between anxious anticipation and depression.
This isn’t a one-time event, it is years of bracing, years of searching the internet for her obituary, jumping when a call comes from California, years of longing for his sister as he knew her, longing for “normal” shared life experiences, longing for his first friend. This isn’t a year of she was lost and now is found. It is years of heartache, grief, worry, longing.
His nervous system state: again, both mobilized and immobilized.
How does this ongoing, complex and developmental trauma impact John?
According to the NIH, “the effects of stress on the hypothalamic pituitary adrenal axis (HPA) and the autonomic nervous system have long been studied and the regulation of these systems has been referred to as ‘allostatic load.’ This refers to the wear and tear on the body in response to repeated cycles of stress.”
Long term nervous system responses that move us to shut down or mobilization tend to create patterns of dysregulated thoughts, behaviors and physiological consequences.
In the body, we may experience tension, chronic musculoskeletal pain, hypertension, obesity and cardiovascular disease. Our thoughts tend to become distorted as well. Deb Dana says, “The story follows the state,” meaning that most of the thoughts we have in relation to our emotions are informed by our neuroception of the world around us: are we emotionally and relationally safe and connected to another?
When we feel alone, afraid, anxious, lonely, we may have thoughts that try to explain away those feelings.
These thoughts usually center around “I am wrong/bad,” or “They are wrong/bad.” These polarizing statements are usually not 100% accurate. Some pattern into behaviors in search of comfort and connection. Trauma usually impedes our ability to connect with others, the behaviors can look like addictions to anything – shopping, alcohol, drugs, porn, food or television. Other behaviors include spending too much time alone, sarcasm, being loud and obtrusive or quiet and withdrawn. This might seem hopeless or overwhelming.
There is hope! Rooted Compassion offers a variety of ways to help process and heal trauma. These include:
Really good therapists 😊
A somatic approach to therapy – understanding that trauma lives first in the nervous system
The use of expressive arts in session
Walk and Talk therapy in the beautiful Sharon Woods Park
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
Embodiment therapies, including drama therapy and yoga
A polyvagal approach to therapy
Simple, yet powerful psychoeducation about trauma and its impacts
Simple, yet powerful psychoeducation about what we can do to heal!
Click here to schedule with one of our highly skilled, trauma therapists: www.rootedcompassion.com/contact
References:
McFarlane, Alexander C. “The Long-Term Costs of Traumatic Stress: Intertwined Physical and Psychological Consequences.” World Psychiatry : Official Journal of the World Psychiatric Association (WPA), Feb. 2010, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2816923/.
Photo Credit:
Amy Stenger-Sullivan (she/her/hers) is a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor-Supervisor, trainer and CEO of Rooted Compassion Counseling and Consulting, LLC. As a Certified Trauma Responsive Counselor, Amy understands and applies knowledge of interpersonal neurobiology, Polyvagal Theory and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR). Amy is an EMDR Certified Therapist. She specializes in utilizing and teaching about the nervous system to help people move into post-traumatic healing and growth.
The Rooted Compassion team is made up of a group of counselors who have a variety of specialties in order to best serve our clients. We recognize that every person has his/her own personal and unique life experiences and that one modality will not work for every client. Listed below is a summary of our counselors’ specialties at Rooted Compassion:
Emotional Freedom Techniques
Grief Counseling
Somatic Focused Counseling
EMDR
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Dialectical Behavior Therapy
Mindfulness-Based Practices
Trauma Responsive Care Techniques
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
Drama Therapy/Expressive Arts
If you are interested in learning more about what Rooted Compassion is all about, please contact us today, look through our website, or find us on Instagram and Facebook.
Rooted Compassion Counseling is Ohio’s leading practice for trauma therapy through the lens of the nervous system. Our focus is to walk alongside clients as they heal from depression, anxiety, trauma, grief and/or loss. If you or someone you know are seeking to explore and build an inner sense of calm and safety, please contact us today. We would love to help you to find a counselor and counseling techniques that will guide you on your mental health journey to healing.
