Emotional Shock Recovery

Emotional Shock Recovery

Emotional Shock Recovery

Treating the Trauma in our Relationships

With Mindfulness and Body Integration Ellen Katz, MS, LMFT

2012 IAMFT Conference

Treating the Trauma in our Relationships

With Mindfulness and Body Integration Ellen Katz, MS, LMFT

2012 IAMFT Conference

Why are we talking about this?!!Why are we talking about this?!!

Newly emerging understanding of neuroscience, energy medicine, the bio-physiology of trauma,

mindfulness and reconnection with traditional indigenous medicine

is evolving into a new paradigmof human relationships, communication and healing.

Emotion is information. It has meaning. It can be intentionally tracked, generated, contained, directed and

utilized.

I believe we need to language this – to create a map that helps us conceptualize and engage what we are

learning – so that we can give it away.

This power is the power of choice. -- Ellen Katz

Newly emerging understanding of neuroscience, energy medicine, the bio-physiology of trauma,

mindfulness and reconnection with traditional indigenous medicine

is evolving into a new paradigmof human relationships, communication and healing.

Emotion is information. It has meaning. It can be intentionally tracked, generated, contained, directed and

utilized.

I believe we need to language this – to create a map that helps us conceptualize and engage what we are

learning – so that we can give it away.

This power is the power of choice. -- Ellen Katz

Let’s play with the dynamic qualities of our process!

♫ ♬ ♫♪♩ ♫

Let’s play with the dynamic qualities of our process!

♫ ♬ ♫♪♩ ♫

Integration ♫Creativity Receptivity

Presence Breath ♫ Inter-connectedness

Sensing ♫ Emotional Intelligence

Intuition Data Instinctive Wisdom

Heart-Based Wisdom

Integration ♫Creativity Receptivity

Presence Breath ♫ Inter-connectedness

Sensing ♫ Emotional Intelligence

Intuition Data Instinctive Wisdom

Heart-Based Wisdom

Before we start… Let’s get connected.

Deeply being with ourselves in this moment, let’s breathe.

Taking five slow, gentle, deep inhales – each time pausing and then exhaling equally as slowly and mindfully, watch the breath, and pay attention to the

body’s response.

Notice how pausing impacts you.Is there a sense of expansion?

Are you aware of physical sensations?How does silence feel?

Notice how pausing impacts you.Is there a sense of expansion?

Are you aware of physical sensations?How does silence feel?

Non-Judgment / Equanimity / Neutral Mind

Wu Wei = Open Curiosity

Non-Judgment / Equanimity / Neutral Mind

Wu Wei = Open Curiosity

One of the most challenging - and rewarding - gifts of mindfulness is cultivating the ability to be present.

Softly witnessing our thoughts – as passing clouds, cresting waves, pulsing currents of energy that

emerge and dissipate – allows us to begin to identify with being

the observer of our thoughts.

This is the conscious alternative to being affronted randomly by habituated thought impulses!

One of the most challenging - and rewarding - gifts of mindfulness is cultivating the ability to be present.

Softly witnessing our thoughts – as passing clouds, cresting waves, pulsing currents of energy that

emerge and dissipate – allows us to begin to identify with being

the observer of our thoughts.

This is the conscious alternative to being affronted randomly by habituated thought impulses!

Mindful, Integrated BreathMindful, Integrated Breath

• Continuous Flow Breath, which engages the abdomen, solar plexus and chest, rhythmically and gently opening, pausing briefly, releasing and pausing briefly, is the integrated, complete breath.

• This breath regulates our systems and creates internal coherence between brain (nervous system) and heart.

• Let’s practice!

• Continuous Flow Breath, which engages the abdomen, solar plexus and chest, rhythmically and gently opening, pausing briefly, releasing and pausing briefly, is the integrated, complete breath.

• This breath regulates our systems and creates internal coherence between brain (nervous system) and heart.

• Let’s practice!

The Interrupters: Shock and Trauma

The Interrupters: Shock and Trauma

Two phenomena can cross-wire, over-ride or short-circuit our basic fluid, self-

restoring nature to be responsive, resourceful, resilient and

creative.

These are shock and trauma. Let’s explore them now.

Two phenomena can cross-wire, over-ride or short-circuit our basic fluid, self-

restoring nature to be responsive, resourceful, resilient and

creative.

These are shock and trauma. Let’s explore them now.

Trauma is “a breach in the protective barrier against stimuli

leading to feelings of overwhelming helplessness.”

-- Sigmund Freud, from Lectures and Beyond the Pleasure Principle,

International Psycho-Analytic Press, 1922

Trauma is “a breach in the protective barrier against stimuli

leading to feelings of overwhelming helplessness.”

-- Sigmund Freud, from Lectures and Beyond the Pleasure Principle,

International Psycho-Analytic Press, 1922

“Shock begins the moment when we are confronted with an experience so stunning

that our body/mind system is overwhelmed.”

- S. Mines, We are All in Shock

Shock is cumulative, which is its biggest danger.

We carry it in our memory – conscious and unconscious.

It becomes less threatening to our health when it is exposed, addressed, understood,

relieved and released.

“Shock begins the moment when we are confronted with an experience so stunning

that our body/mind system is overwhelmed.”

- S. Mines, We are All in Shock

Shock is cumulative, which is its biggest danger.

We carry it in our memory – conscious and unconscious.

It becomes less threatening to our health when it is exposed, addressed, understood,

relieved and released.

Sample Shock TriggersSample Shock Triggers

- A baby separated from his or her mother at birth

- A child in need of attention who is ignored by busy parents

- Witnessing the death of a friend or loved one

- Losing a body part, a child, or your possessions in a natural disaster

- A baby separated from his or her mother at birth

- A child in need of attention who is ignored by busy parents

- Witnessing the death of a friend or loved one

- Losing a body part, a child, or your possessions in a natural disaster

Trauma strikes and wounds; Shock shatters us.

Protective Reactions to TraumaProtective Reactions to Trauma

When threat, provocation, deprivation or invasion is sensed, all organisms engage these survival responses to

self-protect and/or restore their systems:

1. fight - Hyperarousal2. flight - Constriction3. freeze - Dissociation4. “feigned fatality” – Freezing

associated with the feeling of helplessness(full systemic shut down).

When threat, provocation, deprivation or invasion is sensed, all organisms engage these survival responses to

self-protect and/or restore their systems:

1. fight - Hyperarousal2. flight - Constriction3. freeze - Dissociation4. “feigned fatality” – Freezing

associated with the feeling of helplessness(full systemic shut down).

“The terminology regarding shock and trauma is in flux… which represents growth,

evolution and needed change.” - S. Mines

• From the medical perspective, trauma typically refers to a wounding or bodily injury (ie. trauma to an area of the body)

• Shock typically refers to a nervous system condition that radically lessens or even eliminates the ability to feel sensation.

• Trauma then tends to be specific, where shock tends to be more global. Shock can be more difficult to track, more unpredictable and insidiously involved in seemingly unrelated aspects of our lives.

• Shock occurs when an experience overrides all our healthy coping mechanisms. Our normal, balanced neurological and endocrine responses to threat become confused, fragmented and distorted.

• We are designed to process trauma by immediately accessing the limbic-reptilian brain. It takes us through the process needed to release the energetic charge initiated by the traumatic event. This can be externally facilitated in an orderly way through re-scripting, EMDR, Holographic Memory Resolution, Somatic Experience and other modalities.

• The overriding and extreme nature of shock is an all system

alert.

• We want to recognize symptoms of shock as they arise. They will be expressed through the Autonomic Nervous System (ANS): either the Parasympathetic (PNS), Sympathetic (SNS) or both.

• Shock occurs when an experience overrides all our healthy coping mechanisms. Our normal, balanced neurological and endocrine responses to threat become confused, fragmented and distorted.

• We are designed to process trauma by immediately accessing the limbic-reptilian brain. It takes us through the process needed to release the energetic charge initiated by the traumatic event. This can be externally facilitated in an orderly way through re-scripting, EMDR, Holographic Memory Resolution, Somatic Experience and other modalities.

• The overriding and extreme nature of shock is an all system

alert.

• We want to recognize symptoms of shock as they arise. They will be expressed through the Autonomic Nervous System (ANS): either the Parasympathetic (PNS), Sympathetic (SNS) or both.

Shock Trauma• Shock trauma - when an external force

ruptures the protective container of our experience, creating a turbulent vortex.

• There is an intense loss of life-energy following the rupture, creating a trauma vortex.

• Survivors often succumb to getting “sucked back” into the vortex or attempt to avoid the breach by staying distanced from any possible triggers.

-- Levine, Waking the Tiger

The Physiology of Trauma and Shock The Physiology of Trauma and Shock

• Trauma is expressed in the body through excited or repressed autonomic nervous system activity (ANS) via the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems (SNS and PNS).

• The 10th cranial nerve (the vagus nerve) originates in the brain stem and its fibers extend into the colon. It immediately impacts all ANS functioning, including heart rate, blood pressure, hormone secretion, respiration, perspiration, digestion, peristalsis and organ and glandular restriction and activation.

• Trauma is expressed in the body through excited or repressed autonomic nervous system activity (ANS) via the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems (SNS and PNS).

• The 10th cranial nerve (the vagus nerve) originates in the brain stem and its fibers extend into the colon. It immediately impacts all ANS functioning, including heart rate, blood pressure, hormone secretion, respiration, perspiration, digestion, peristalsis and organ and glandular restriction and activation.

The Autonomic Nervous System responses form patterns and generate our Pain Body –

our energetic constellation of cumulative Shock.

Common Indicators of Shock

S. Mines, We Are all in Shock, p. 61-62Sympathetic Dominance Parasympathetic Dominance

Rapid blinkingReddening of the skinEdgy laughterFidgetingProfuse sweating in social situationsCompulsive talkingMuscular hyper-tonicityEmotional outburstsExaggerated startle; long durationLaughing as describing charged situationSudden heat in bodyDarting eyesEnvironmental hypersensitivityOver-responsiveness

Whitening of skinVery little blinking (staring)Sudden flattening of affectAmnesia of eventsLoss of affect describing charged situationParalyzed speech when stressedColdness of limbsAgoraphobiaNeeding to stand far away from others to feel safeUnresponsivenessHypothalamic (bulging) eyesHypo-tonicity (flaccidity) in muscles

A Brief Review of the Brain by looking at its Evolution

A Brief Review of the Brain by looking at its Evolution

• The primitive reptilian brain develops in the 1st trimester in utero.

• The mammalian or limbic brain develops in the 2nd trimester.

• The neocortex begins developing in the 3rd trimester. • The prefrontal lobes develop in the final stages of the

last trimester and during the first two years of life. They have a second growth spurt during mid-adolescence, and may continue to develop throughout the first three decades of life.

-- Moore and Persaud, The Developing Human, WB Saunders,1998

-- Larsen, Human Embryology, Churchill Livingstone, 1997

Brain Review – Continued, Part 2Brain Review – Continued, Part 2

The Basal Ganglia at the top of the neck, at entrance to base of the skull, is responsible for continuity and survival. It’s the receiving station for sensory messages from skin via spinal cord and sends info directly to the reptilian brain. They form the primitive brain; they use present tense, speak through behavior and contain the neural machinery for preservation. Unconscious and instinctual. Let’s put a hand behind our neck at the base. Be still. Breathe. Notice what happens.The limbic, mammalian brain is about feeling and memory, including the amygdala, thalamus, olfactory bulbs and hippocampus. Emotional Intelligence. Relationships, including affection, desire, attraction and sexuality; memories of relationships. Put a hand on your solar plexus, be still, breathe and notice what happens. Now add a hand on your heart. Notice what happens.

The Basal Ganglia at the top of the neck, at entrance to base of the skull, is responsible for continuity and survival. It’s the receiving station for sensory messages from skin via spinal cord and sends info directly to the reptilian brain. They form the primitive brain; they use present tense, speak through behavior and contain the neural machinery for preservation. Unconscious and instinctual. Let’s put a hand behind our neck at the base. Be still. Breathe. Notice what happens.The limbic, mammalian brain is about feeling and memory, including the amygdala, thalamus, olfactory bulbs and hippocampus. Emotional Intelligence. Relationships, including affection, desire, attraction and sexuality; memories of relationships. Put a hand on your solar plexus, be still, breathe and notice what happens. Now add a hand on your heart. Notice what happens.

Brain Review Continued, Part 3Brain Review Continued, Part 3

Heart-Mind AttunementHeart-Mind Attunement

The All-important Adrenals - Sympathetic Shock

The All-important Adrenals - Sympathetic Shock

• The adrenals: two glands (3-5 g each) located above the kidneys each with two separate functions: outer (cortex)secretes adrenal steroids cortisol, DHEA, aldosterone, and inner (medulla) – secretes adrenaline and epinephrine and norepinephrine. (Cortisone, adrenaline & DHEA = the three adrenal stress hormones.)

• Adrenal hormones are secreted in cycles (circadian rhythms). When functioning is dysregulated it affects all body functions including sleep, immune activity tissue repair, bone health joint function, responses to inflammation and bacteria, skin regeneration, thyroid function, allergic response and stress tolerance.

• The medulla of the adrenal glands is an extension of the sympathetic nervous system. Increases heart rate, constricts blood vessels, dilates the bronchioles, increases blood glucose and metabolic rate, inhibits gastrointestinal activity, dilates pupils of the eyes. If the distress signals can’t be regulated, the result is hyperactivity, hypervigilance and an inability to rest at appropriate times. Associated with Sympathetic Shock.

• The adrenals: two glands (3-5 g each) located above the kidneys each with two separate functions: outer (cortex)secretes adrenal steroids cortisol, DHEA, aldosterone, and inner (medulla) – secretes adrenaline and epinephrine and norepinephrine. (Cortisone, adrenaline & DHEA = the three adrenal stress hormones.)

• Adrenal hormones are secreted in cycles (circadian rhythms). When functioning is dysregulated it affects all body functions including sleep, immune activity tissue repair, bone health joint function, responses to inflammation and bacteria, skin regeneration, thyroid function, allergic response and stress tolerance.

• The medulla of the adrenal glands is an extension of the sympathetic nervous system. Increases heart rate, constricts blood vessels, dilates the bronchioles, increases blood glucose and metabolic rate, inhibits gastrointestinal activity, dilates pupils of the eyes. If the distress signals can’t be regulated, the result is hyperactivity, hypervigilance and an inability to rest at appropriate times. Associated with Sympathetic Shock.

Parasympathetic Shock (PS)Parasympathetic Shock (PS)

• PS is the repression of secretions, including glucocorticoids, inability to deal with stressors.

• Withdrawal, fatigue, isolation and overall appearance of lowered vitality. Impacts immune response and metabolism.

• The PSR presents as disconnected, shut down, avoidant, removed, resistant and often defeated. Symptoms resemble depression.

• PS is the repression of secretions, including glucocorticoids, inability to deal with stressors.

• Withdrawal, fatigue, isolation and overall appearance of lowered vitality. Impacts immune response and metabolism.

• The PSR presents as disconnected, shut down, avoidant, removed, resistant and often defeated. Symptoms resemble depression.

Sympathetic and Parasympathetic Shock

Sympathetic and Parasympathetic Shock

• Sympathetic: presents as active, reactive, aggressive, and physical. Metaphor is fire.

• Parasympathetic: presents as repressed, diminished interaction, overwhelmed by stressors, trance-like, blank, disconnected. Metaphor is ice.

• Both responses are designed to keep things away and reveal/discover nothing.

• Sympathetic: presents as active, reactive, aggressive, and physical. Metaphor is fire.

• Parasympathetic: presents as repressed, diminished interaction, overwhelmed by stressors, trance-like, blank, disconnected. Metaphor is ice.

• Both responses are designed to keep things away and reveal/discover nothing.