Podcast Summary
Understanding Dissociation: A Protective Response: Dissociation is a complex response to overwhelming experiences, resulting in a disconnection between different aspects of consciousness, identity, memory, and perception. By recognizing and addressing dissociation, individuals can become more present and able to learn and grow towards their desired lives.
Dissociation is a complex phenomenon where a person experiences a disconnection between different aspects of their consciousness, identity, memory, and perception. It's a protective response learned when it becomes too overwhelming to stay present in the body. Dissociation can manifest in various ways, from feeling detached from reality during daydreaming to losing connection with one's sense of self and memory. It's essential to understand the causes and effects of dissociation to begin the healing process. By recognizing and addressing dissociation, individuals can become more embodied, present, and able to learn and grow towards their desired lives. It's important to remember that dissociation exists on a spectrum, and while some forms may be positive, such as daydreaming, chronic dissociation can hinder personal growth and development.
Protective response to overwhelming stimuli leading to chronic dissociation: Dissociation, a response to stress, can be rewarding in the short term but harmful in the long term, leading to complex trauma symptoms and difficulty identifying physical sensations in the body.
Dissociation is a protective response of the nervous system that can become chronic, leading to difficulties in identifying and feeling physical sensations in the body. This response can develop due to overwhelming stimuli or chronic stress during childhood development, creating a well-worn path for dissociation that becomes easier and faster to access over time. Dissociation can be rewarding in the short term by allowing individuals to push through stress and perform at high levels, but if left unaddressed, it can lead to harmful states in the body and perpetuate complex trauma symptoms. It's important to recognize the spectrum of dissociation and the ways in which it can impact our lives, as well as the importance of developing awareness and regulation of physical sensations to heal from its effects.
The Thalamus: Gatekeeper and Director of Sensory Information: The thalamus processes all incoming sensory data except for smell, prioritizes information based on survival needs, and influences memory, emotions, and learning. Disorders with high dissociation may involve thalamic alterations.
Our brain's thalamus plays a crucial role in dissociation by acting as the gatekeeper and director of sensory information. This complex structure in the middle of our brain processes all incoming sensory data except for smell, deciding what deserves our attention and what gets to reach our higher order thinking systems. The thalamus prioritizes information based on its perceived importance for our survival, shaping our conscious experience and affecting our memory, emotions, and ability to learn. Research suggests that disorders characterized by high dissociation, such as depersonalization or derealization disorder, dissociative identity disorder, and the dissociative subtype of PTSD, may have brain alterations related to the thalamus. While the precise mechanisms remain elusive, understanding the thalamus's role in dissociation can provide valuable insights into this complex phenomenon.
The Thalamus and Interoception: Processing Emotions and Bodily Sensations: The thalamus, a key brain region for emotional processing, interacts with the limbic system and interoceptive information from the vagus nerve to create emotional experiences and physiological reactions. Poor interoceptive awareness can lead to dissociation, impacting our ability to accurately interpret and respond to bodily sensations and emotions.
The thalamus, a critical component of the brain, plays a significant role in processing emotional signals and interoceptive information, which contributes to dissociation. The thalamus interacts with the limbic system to create emotional experiences and physiological reactions. Interoception, the brain's ability to interpret signals from within the body, is closely linked to the vagus nerve and plays a crucial role in understanding dissociation. Poor interoceptive awareness can lead to depersonalization and dissociation, which can impact our ability to accurately interpret and respond to our bodily sensations and emotions. The vagus nerve, which is responsible for relaying 80% of information from the body to the brain, is a key aspect of interoception and is deeply connected to the interoceptive system. Dissociation can lead to deficits in the interoceptive system, making it harder to accurately interpret and respond to signals from the body, and can also result in hypersensitivity when the system is not adequately stimulated.
Understanding our interoceptive system and insular cortex: The interoceptive system processes internal body signals, while the insular cortex is the primary processing center for these feelings. Past experiences shape how our brain interprets these signals, affecting our mood, emotions, cognition, and sense of self.
Our nervous system plays a crucial role in how we perceive and respond to sensory information from within our bodies. When our interoceptive system, which processes these internal signals, is underactive or hypersensitive, it can lead to heightened emotions, hypervigilance, or dissociation. The insular cortex, a deep fold within the brain, is the primary processing center for internal body feelings and has functional connections with other areas, including the amygdala, which plays a role in perceiving threat. Our brain interprets these signals based on past experiences and generates predictions about our responses, which can impact our mood, emotions, cognition, and sense of self. Therefore, understanding the role of our interoceptive system and insular cortex in processing internal signals can help us develop strategies for managing our responses to these sensations and promoting overall well-being.
Understanding our brain's plasticity can help prevent dissociation: Through intentional training, we can create new neural pathways and reshape our nervous system to feel safe with incoming stimuli and be present in the moment
Our experiences shape our brains and nervous systems, and understanding this can help us intentionally train ourselves to respond differently to stimuli and prevent dissociation. Our brains and nervous systems are neuroplastic, meaning they are constantly adapting to our environment and experiences. These adaptations can lead to patterns of dissociation, but with intentional training, we can create new pathways and reshape our nervous system to feel safe with incoming stimuli and be present in the moment. By communicating with our nervous system in the language it understands (sensory inputs), we can help our brain interpret information safely and reduce dissociation. This is a skill that can be intentionally developed, and as we consistently practice these techniques, we can train ourselves to respond differently to stressors and prevent burnout. If you're a coach, therapist, or healer looking to bring these tools into your practice, consider enrolling in the Neuro Somatic Intelligence program.
Training the nervous system for safety: Intentionally stimulate and regulate senses to help brain process info, prevent dissociation. Assess right amount of stimulus for each individual, relying on body signals for healing.
Understanding the workings of the nervous system is important, but not the same as actively working with it. Dissociation, a common experience for those dealing with complex trauma, can be addressed by intentionally training the sensory inputs to make them safer. This involves direct sensory stimulation and regulation, allowing the brain to accurately process information and prevent dissociative states. It's crucial to assess and reassess the right amount of stimulus and change for each individual, as pushing too hard can lead to further dissociation. Healing from dissociation often requires slowing down and relying on the body's signals, rather than just intellectual understanding. Remember, the goal is to create positive adaptation and new experiences, not to overload the nervous system and reinforce old patterns.
Working directly with the nervous system for emotional processing and safety: Intellectual understanding isn't enough; engage in practical work like somatic therapy or using regulation tools to address the body's responses for emotional growth and safety.
Understanding emotional processing and cultivating safety within requires working directly with the nervous system, not just intellectual understanding. Many people get stuck in research and education but need to engage in practical work, such as somatic therapy or using regulation tools. The speaker's personal experience shows that relying solely on intellect led to health consequences and unchanged behaviors. Additionally, spiritual bypassing and dissociation can hinder the embodied experience, especially in peak somatic experiences like meditation or astrology. The nervous system records every experience and patterns our behavior, so it's essential to address the body's responses to truly make changes.
Cultivating Presence in Our Bodies: Practicing presence in our bodies through intentional nervous system activities enhances emotional expression, processing, and overall well-being. Disconnecting can lead to repressive behaviors and dissociative experiences. Staying present during healing activities maximizes their success.
Cultivating presence in our bodies through intentional nervous system practices is essential for emotional expression, processing, and overall well-being. Disconnecting from our bodily sensations can lead to repressive behaviors, emotional suppression, and dissociative experiences. Presence, on the other hand, allows us to fully engage with our emotions, feel their power, and understand the truth of how we're feeling. This not only helps us process and express emotions effectively but also enhances our relationships and overall perception of the world. Additionally, being present during healing activities is crucial for their success. By focusing on the sensations in our bodies and staying engaged with our experiences, we can make the most of our efforts towards emotional and physical growth.
The importance of being present for healing and relationships: Engaging fully in healing practices and relationships can positively impact telomeres and nervous system communication, while dissociation can have negative effects. Learn to be present through practices at rewiretrial.com.
Being present in our bodies is crucial for experiencing the full benefits of various healing practices and building healthy relationships. Our telomeres, which indicate our biological age and health, can be positively impacted through activities like sauna use and meditation, but only if we're fully engaged and not in a state of stress or dissociation. Similarly, when using neuro tools to repattern our responses or being present in relationships, our nervous systems communicate and respond to each other at a subconscious level. If we're not present, it can have negative effects, similar to neglect or abandonment. Dissociation is a learned skill for adaptation, and we can also learn the skill of presence through practices like those offered at rewiretrial.com. These practices help us change the way we're wired, reframe negative predictions, and build stronger connections. Join us there for live and on-demand classes specifically related to the outputs of Complex PTSD, including dissociation.
Re-releasing foundational episodes from season 3: Listeners can deepen their understanding of the neuroscience behind stress response, relationships, and internal connections before season 4 explores specific outputs of the nervous system impacting chronic health and mental health outcomes.
The creators of this podcast will be re-releasing foundational episodes from season 3 to help listeners better understand the neuroscience behind stress response, relationships, and internal connections before diving into season 4. The focus of season 4 will be on specific outputs of the nervous system that contribute to chronic health and mental health outcomes. Listeners are encouraged to engage with the podcast on social media and stay tuned for more informative and educational content. The podcast covers complex topics related to traumatic experiences and sensitive subjects, but it is not intended to replace professional medical advice. If you are in immediate danger in the United States, please call 911 for mental health services, and refer to the full disclaimer in the show notes for specific resources.