...in which the past is experienced in the present moment.
Yes, you heard me right – this is not science fiction – trauma is a time distortion! One of the most shocking revelations we’ve learned from neuroscience is that the parts of our brains that can tell time do not communicate with the more primitive survival parts – what we often refer to as the “animal” and “lizard brains.”
Our survival instincts work about the same today as they did for our ancestors 100,000 years ago.
So what does this time distortion thing even mean? Take a moment to notice the various stimuli around you right now. What do you see? Notice the temperature, if there is an aroma around you, any sounds, a flavor in your mouth...
These stimuli were all just background noise until you consciously checked in with them, right now, in the present moment. But when we experience something really scary or upsetting, our brains can catalog these otherwise irrelevant stimuli so that when we find ourselves in danger again, our bodies can set off alarm bells that hijack our brains, leading us to engage in “fight/ flight/ freeze/ fawn” behaviors – the very same behaviors we used to survive the trauma itself.
Once a stimulus is encoded as threatening, it can continue to effect us even decades later.
These behaviors are normal reactions to traumatic stimuli and are designed to keep us safe, whether or not they work very well. That’s why it can feel scary to drive down the street where you were in a car accident a few months ago, why the sound of a train can be triggering to a tornado survivor, or why sex can feel overwhelming for a survivor of sexual trauma. Once a stimulus is encoded as threatening, it can continue to effect us even decades later. Trauma describes an experience that leads to us to experiencing the past in the present moment – there’s your time distortion!
In fact, evolutionary records indicate that our survival instincts work about the same today as they did for our ancestors 100,000 years ago. We can imagine the kinds of threats humans experienced back then, and the necessity those survival instincts played in helping our ancestors survive. But reactionary behaviors often get in the way of our present-day lives, affecting our relationships, career, ability to relax, and more.
There is good news.
You can teach your body to unlearn what it has learned, and how to respond more effectively to the present moment by rewiring your brain with therapy, mindfulness exercises, and other healing modalities. If you’re ready to take your trauma recovery to the next level, you can schedule a consultation or appointment with me here.
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