Podcast Summary
Understanding Dissociation: A Protective Response on a Spectrum: Dissociation is a natural response to overwhelming experiences, but it can lead to feelings of guilt and disconnection. By recognizing the spectrum of dissociation and its importance, we can begin to heal and stay present in our lives.
Dissociation is a protective response on a spectrum that separates us from our bodies in response to overwhelming experiences. It can manifest in mild ways like daydreaming or autopilot driving, or in severe forms such as losing large chunks of time or even multiple personalities. Dissociation is a natural response of the body and nervous system to keep us safe, and it's important to remember that there's nothing wrong with experiencing it. However, it can lead to feelings of guilt and grief when we're unable to remember significant experiences or moments in our lives. By understanding the spectrum of dissociation and the importance of being present in our bodies, we can begin to heal and reconnect with our emotions and memories. If you're struggling with dissociation, consider seeking support and resources to help you stay connected and present in your life.
Protective mechanism of the brain and nervous system: Dissociation is a complex response to overwhelming stimuli, involving memory fragmentation, identity confusion, and bodily symptoms, as a survival mechanism activated by the thalamus and interoceptive system.
Dissociation is a protective mechanism of the brain and nervous system, which disrupts the normal integration of various aspects of our psychological functioning as a response to overwhelming stimuli, be it emotional or physical. This disruption can manifest in various ways, such as memory fragmentation, identity confusion, or even bodily symptoms. The brain's decision to block out certain stimuli is a survival mechanism, activated when the thalamus deems the information too threatening for our cognitive mind to process. The interoceptive system, which allows us to sense what's happening inside our body, also plays a role in dissociation as a protective response to severe stress or trauma, especially during childhood when other coping mechanisms may not be available. Overall, dissociation is a complex phenomenon that serves to keep us regulated, safe, and alive in the face of overwhelming experiences.
Understanding our interoceptive system and its impact on stress response: Practicing mindfulness and body awareness techniques can help improve interoceptive accuracy, reducing unnecessary stress and panic responses.
Our interoceptive system, which helps us understand and feel sensations inside our body, can become less accurate when we experience frequent dissociation or disconnection from our bodies. This loss of interoceptive accuracy can lead to the brain predicting unnecessary threats based on bodily sensations, priming us for a heightened stress or panic response. This response is an adaptive mechanism, as our bodies are wired for survival and have learned to prepare for potential threats based on past experiences. However, when these predictions occur in the absence of actual danger, it can negatively impact our well-being. To retrain our interoceptive system and improve our interoceptive accuracy, it's essential to practice mindfulness and body awareness techniques, such as deep breathing, progressive muscle relaxation, and meditation. By focusing on the present moment and reconnecting with our bodies, we can strengthen the neuropathways associated with interoception and improve our ability to accurately interpret our bodily sensations.
Dissociation: A Natural Coping Mechanism Gone Awry: During trauma, dissociation helps protect us, but when it persists in non-threatening situations, it can hinder our ability to feel, move, interpret, process, and remember, due to an overactive amygdala and thalamus and reduced blood flow to the prefrontal cortex.
Dissociation is a natural coping mechanism during traumatic events, but it becomes problematic when the body continues to react as if the environment is still threatening, even when it's not. This reaction is due to an overactive amygdala and thalamus, which can lead to interoceptive inaccuracy and a shutdown of the prefrontal cortex. When this happens, memories and emotions may not make it to the frontal lobe, and the body may reduce blood flow to the frontal lobe and increase it to the survival brain. This results in an inability to act from higher order thinking systems, feel, move, interpret, process, and remember things when in a dissociative state. It's important to understand that dissociation is a normal response to trauma but seeking help when it continues to occur in non-threatening situations can be beneficial.
The impact of stress on our nervous system and cognitive function: Stress can lead to learned reactions, a hyperactive amygdala, dissociation, and body disconnection. Prioritize physical health through proper nutrition and supplements to support the nervous system.
Our nervous system's response to stress can lead to learned conditioned reactions that impact cognitive function, memory, and emotional processing. This can result in a hyperactive amygdala, which can hijack our experience and process everything through a fear state. This can create muscle tension and a sense of being disconnected from our frontal lobe. It's important to remember that this is a learned response, and it's possible to create new reactions to triggers by working with the nervous system and providing new stimuli. Additionally, body dysmorphia, or feeling disconnected from our bodies, can be a result of dissociation, which can be a coping mechanism for early childhood trauma or other forms of boundary violations. It's essential to recognize these patterns and work towards healing and reconnection. Furthermore, taking care of our physical health through proper nutrition, such as adding Athletic Greens into our daily routine, can support our nervous system and overall well-being. This supplement provides essential vitamins, minerals, and probiotics that cover nutritional bases, support a healthy gut microbiome, improve mood, regulate inflammation, and add immune support. By prioritizing our physical health, we can better support our nervous system and overall well-being.
Dissociation: Disconnecting from Emotions and Pain: People with complex PTSD may dissociate, disconnecting from emotions and pain, leading to dangerous situations and maladaptive avoidance behaviors. Practicing interoceptive skills can improve interoceptive accuracy and overall resilience.
Dissociation, a common experience among individuals with complex PTSD, involves a disconnection from both emotional and physical sensations in the body. This disconnection can lead to an inability to accurately feel and respond to pain signals, be it emotional or physical. As a result, individuals may find themselves in dangerous or abusive situations, unaware of the severity of their circumstances. Additionally, avoidance behaviors, such as social media use, eating, or self-sabotage, are highly linked to dissociation and can be a maladaptive response to the stress and anxiety associated with complex PTSD. When in a dissociated state, individuals are often unable to make cognitive decisions or evaluate their situations effectively, leading to a cycle of avoidance and disconnection. It's important to note that interoceptive accuracy, the ability to accurately sense and respond to internal bodily signals, can go both ways. While dissociation impairs interoceptive accuracy, practicing interoceptive skills can help improve it and increase overall resilience and presence in one's life.
Reconnecting with our bodies through vagus nerve training: Vagus nerve training can help reconnect us with our bodies, but everyone's experience is unique. Find what works best for you and approach the process with patience and self-compassion.
Our bodies send us signals of stress and discomfort, but sometimes we may ignore them due to past experiences or learned behaviors. This can lead to a lack of awareness and connection to our bodies. On the other hand, overreacting to these signals can also be detrimental. To address this, we can use various tools and techniques to help us reconnect with our bodies in a safe and manageable way. Vagus nerve training is one such technique that can be used to bring us back into our bodies and start to retrain our interoceptive system. However, it's important to remember that everyone's experience is unique, and what works for one person may not work for another. Sometimes, instead of activating the vagus nerve, we may need to upregulate the sympathetic system by moving and doing intentional, precise movements to bring more fuel and activation up towards the frontal lobe. The key is to find what works best for you and to approach the process with patience and self-compassion.
Assessing the impact of practices on nervous system health: Test neuro-somatic intelligence tools, focus on input systems, and create new outputs to potentially change perception and improve vagus nerve health. Not every recommendation works for everyone, so cultivate a diverse toolkit and assess the impact of each practice.
Assessing and reassessing the impact of various practices on our nervous system is crucial for promoting positive change. Neuro-somatic intelligence tools, such as tongue circles, vocal scales, and gargling water, can be used to improve vagus nerve health. However, it's essential to test these recommendations before and after implementation to determine if they are beneficial for your nervous system. Change at the nervous system level can be instantaneous, and your body can provide feedback through range of motion and movement capability. Not every recommendation will work for everyone, so it's essential to cultivate a diverse toolkit of exercises to work with your nervous system. Additionally, individuals with body dysmorphia may benefit from training their visual system, as studies have linked visual deficits to this condition. By focusing on input systems and creating new outputs, individuals can potentially change their perception of themselves and the world around them. This concept is related to sensory and motor homunculus, which are visual representations of the areas of our body that our brain prioritizes in terms of sensory or motor input. By understanding this concept, we can appreciate the power of training various systems to experience the world differently.
Exploring our unique expression through nervous system healing: Improving sensory input systems can reduce threat level, enabling safer self-discovery and expression
Our nervous system plays a crucial role in how we perceive and respond to the world around us. When our nervous system is in a heightened state of threat, it can lead to protective responses that limit our capacity for expression and self-acceptance. These responses can stem from deficits in our sensory input systems, which can make information unclear and threatening to the brain. By working to rehab these deficits and improve the function of our interoceptive, proprioceptive, visual, and balance systems, we can reduce the threat level in our nervous system and make it safer to explore our own unique expression. This process of healing and self-discovery can be intimidating as it challenges deeply ingrained societal expectations and requires us to confront and dismantle internalized oppression. However, the alternative of staying in a state of constant self-criticism and adherence to societal norms can be equally harmful and stressful. Therefore, it's essential to have tools and resources to support the nervous system and make the journey towards self-acceptance and embodiment a safe and manageable process.
Understanding Dissociation and Its Impact on Embodiment: Dissociation hinders embodiment by disrupting emotional, physical, and intellectual connection. During peak experiences, it can be triggered, hindering true emotional processing and expression. To overcome dissociation, practices that help us feel safe, relax our nervous systems, and process emotions healthily are essential.
Embodiment is crucial for our overall health and well-being, as it allows us to fully express and feel our emotions in a connected way. However, many people, especially those who have experienced trauma, struggle with dissociation, which hinders embodiment. Dissociation can manifest in various forms, including emotional, physical, and intellectual. During peak somatic experiences, such as those induced by breathwork or plant medicine, dissociation can be triggered due to the sudden release of repressed emotions. Intellectual dissociation, specifically, involves overthinking and intellectualizing experiences instead of feeling them in the body and mind. While intellectualization can be helpful in some situations, it can also hinder true emotional processing and expression. To overcome dissociation and fully embody our experiences, it's essential to have tools and practices that help us feel safe, relax our nervous systems, and process emotions in a healthy way.
Our bodies protect us with coping mechanisms like dissociation: Our innate wisdom prioritizes survival and safety, but coping mechanisms like dissociation can become maladaptive if they hinder healing. Learn new tools to move beyond them with Brain Based Wellness.
Our bodies and nervous systems have an innate wisdom to protect us, which can manifest as dissociation or other coping mechanisms. These strategies are not inherently bad, but they can become maladaptive if they hinder our progress in healing. Survival and safety are our brain and nervous system's top priorities, and everything else builds on that foundation. Dissociation, like binge eating and addiction, can be a protective response in challenging situations. However, it can be beneficial to learn new tools to move beyond these coping mechanisms when they no longer serve us. The Brain Based Wellness community offers resources and support to help train your nervous system to be more resilient and handle stress effectively. Remember, survival comes first, and everything else is a bonus.