"Why do these kinds of experiences create such a painful and long-lasting effect? The answer lies in very old structures in the human brain, called the amygdala and the hippocampus. These are nestled within the temporal lobe, which manages sensory input, speech and language, and memory formation and association. Memories are formed, stored and contextualized by the hippocampus. The amygdala is tied to our emotions, particularly those felt in fearful, life-or-death situations.
"The hippocampus' job is to remember the context of the situation and the amygdala ensures the longevity of that memory, especially the emotional memory," says Harold Burke, a faculty associate in ASU's College of Health Solutions. "It's not just the context of the visual and audio cues, but the emotional experience of fear."...
"A secondary system, which takes longer to kick in, lasts longer and aids the body's recovery. The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, or HPA axis, is a conglomerate of structures throughout the body that responds to highly stressful situations by releasing the hormone cortisol.
"Cortisol is incredibly beneficial to both the body and mind in small, measured doses. But with chronically stressful situations, cortisol becomes more of a problem than a solution....
"To make matters worse, the job of the hippocampus and amygdala together is to not just remember that exact, specific situation, but to remember things that are similar to it....
"While both therapy and medication can be effective, Burke believes that PTSD demands a holistic approach to treatment in which different health professionals work closely together...."
http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-07-ptsd-explore-treatment.html
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