In January, we have focused on how mindfulness, prayer, and meditation can help complex trauma survivors climb from the pit of despair into the sunshine of healing.
In this last piece, we shall examine the neuroscience behind mindfulness, prayer, and meditation plus tie up any loose ends.
Changes in the Brain from Complex Trauma
Childhood trauma often leaves its victims with damages to the regions of the brain that control emotions, memory, and reasoning. These brain regions include the amygdala, the hippocampus, and the prefrontal cortex.
The amygdala is the area of the brain that controls our fight/flight/freeze responses and, because of repeatedly being triggered from trauma in childhood, becomes overactive. This hyperactivity leaves adult survivors always afraid and easily triggered by environmental stimuli and producing panic, fear, and anxiety.
The hippocampus is responsible for memory consolidation and storage. When a young developing brain is awash in stress hormones from traumatic stimuli, the ability for the person to consolidate and store memory is damaged. This can leave adult survivors with memory gaps in their childhood and sometimes impaired memory for adult events as well.
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For more information on CPTSD, including resources and materials to help in healing and living with Complex PTSD symptoms, head over to CPTSDfoundation.org.
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