Trauma affects the brain, especially the prefrontal cortex, amygdala and hippocampus. Ongoing trauma is associated with “lasting change in these brain areas” (Bremmer, 2006). When there is a potential threat, the amygdala sends an instant message to the hippocampus, activating …
Tag: Brain
Meditation And The Brain
This research paper is an oldie but a goodie. I love it because it shows how the body is directly linked to the mind. When people do less with their minds, their brain tissue responds, and certain brain areas change …
Understanding Empathy
Empathy is the ability to understand how others are feeling and show compassion towards them. It is the ability to imagine what someone else’s life is like, to stand in their shoes and feel what they feel, from their point …
EMDR & The Brain
My experience of EMDR therapy and the brain is that there is a kind of unraveling that occurs. The brain is allowed to flow freely and link different times and events to come to the resolution it needs. I am …
Your Brain Can Sabotage Your Relationship Without You Knowing.
Your Brain Can Sabotage Your Relationships Have you ever felt that you are in negative overdrive? Every little thing your partner does is driving you crazy, and you only seem to focus on what they are doing wrong. The reticular …
How We Can Work Top-Down with The Brain to Heal Trauma
The American Psychiatric Association (APA) recommends the use of psychotherapy in the form of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) to treat PTSD (APA, 2010). CBT is a process that helps you to change your thoughts and replace them with more positive …
A Bottom-Up Approach to Trauma
In therapy there are two approaches to trauma. Both refer to the order of areas of the brain being addressed in the therapy. The first is top-down, and the second is bottom-up. When our brains grow in utero the brain …
How Trauma Affects the Brain
Trauma affects the brain, especially the prefrontal cortex, amygdala and hippocampus. Ongoing trauma is associated with “lasting change in these brain areas” (Bremmer, 2006). When there is a potential threat, the amygdala sends an instant message to the hippocampus, activating …