Brain Damage by Susan L.

  In a conversation the other day someone shared a recent discovery regarding PTSD. Apparently there is actual damage to the brain brought on by traumatic events. The damage is usually in an area of the brain near the base of the skull where the neck joins. Could that be why there is such a quick, physical response to triggers? This research is just in its infancy so there's much more to be learned.
  This is wonderful news!
  It's not all in our heads!
  This explains why triggers set off flashbacks, anxiety, panic, or mood swings. It explains why traumatic events can sometimes alter a person's personality just like a stroke might. It explains how responses to external influences generate automatic responses even if those responses may not be logical at the time or even necessary.
  It's wonderful news as well because the brain is an amazingly flexible piece of equipment. It can be taught. It can recover or at least, be rewired.
  However, treatment must be mindful of the huge emotional impact trauma has. It must be sensitive to the complex and often confusing thought patterns formed as a result of trauma. It must not regard PTSD as a simple physical issue because the scars run deep.
   As for myself, there is much to be celebrated: the healing, the growth, the freedom found. I wonder...the couple of times there has been a massive paradigm shift in thinking, (thank You, Lord)there was an actual physical sensation in my head. Perhaps that was the birth of new neural pathways.
  "So when they were filled, He said to His disciples, "Gather up the fragments that remain, so that nothing is lost."" Jn 6:12