Part 4 - Neurobiology of Trauma - Three Brain Networks
Plus the Missing Link
This is the last in the series on The Neurobiology of Trauma. These articles are just a few of my take-aways and not meant to replace the course.
I have left a lot out of the three-hour course to create four articles. I’m not getting into the areas of the brain. I didn’t mention the roles of cortisol and adrenalin. You can get a lot more out of the course. I’m giving you a sample, my perspective. Take it for what it is worth.
The course discussed three brain networks. The default network deals with how we are feeling, memories and thoughts for the future. The salience network deals with what is most important - right now. The executive network is the thinking part. During trauma one or more networks become disconnected. The goal of therapy is to integrate all three networks.
Using a mindfulness slogan was mentioned. The slogan was, “Ah I understand now.” The idea was to stop when we feel stressed and repeat the slogan.
Key to that process from my perspective is that YOU must catch yourself feeling stressed and YOU must remember the slogan. Then YOU must repeat it.
That seems trivial. However, think of it from the standpoint of Newtonian physics. Remember nothing moves or changes without an outside force. Where does the force come from that causes your brain to change? It comes from YOU.
When YOU realize you are feeling stressed, YOU are beginning to take control. When YOU remember the slogan, YOU are changing your brain. When YOU say the slogan, you are changing your brain again.
In my opinion, it is using YOUR power that causes the integration. YOU somehow exert the force that changes your brain.
R. W. Stephenson wrote a chiropractic text in 1927. He said that force is the missing link between intelligence and matter. It is the missing link because nobody thinks about it. We talk about the brain changing, but we don’t look for the forces causing the changes. Does the brain simply change itself? Do environmental forces cause changes in the brain? I don’t think that is a helpful way of thinking. If either of those is true, then we have no control. YOU change your brain because YOU are the intelligence.
The brain/body can malfunction and fail to respond to intelligence. Sometimes chiropractors can help correct the malfunction. Sometimes input from a therapist may be helpful. Sometimes drugs may be helpful. However, key is learning to take control and change your brain. That is what happens with mindful meditation. YOU integrate your brain. Learning to stop your thinking and change your mind is the most powerful thing you will ever learn.
Look around you and you will see many people who are upset. They can’t sleep. They are worried. They aren’t happy. They can’t control their brains/minds. Imagine if they could sit and control their minds.
When I was a kid, when we were mad, we were taught to count to ten. Why? It helps us get control of our brains. We were taught to walk a mile in someone else’s shoes. Why? By thinking from someone else’s perspective, it helps us reprogram our brains.
Think about what has happened to you. Get help to reconnect or integrate your brain. Along the way, learn to take control as much as possible.