This NICABM free webinar series has been so informative. I’m taking notes like crazy so other trauma survivors can learn about this research. However, I can only type so fast. If you want more than my notes they are available – but not free here. And, he’s author of Mindsight: The New Science of Personal Transformation where I imagine there’s lots of information as well.

My Notes and Paraphrasing of Dan Siegel’s Brilliant Work as Described on 11/11/2014 Webinar

Photo Credit: Margaret Bellafiore

First, according to Siegel, trauma is broad and people use it in different ways. “Trauma, as a term as a term often used to mean overwhelming experience.” However, he’d also include neglect as a trauma to the developing brain. As an attachment researcher he sees neglect (repeated and intense) as a trauma too.

First thing to say about brain is that it’s complex. So many different parts. The overall system working by system flowing through many differentiated parts. Integration happens in the links. When integrated – optimally functioning.

FACES ACRONYM  

F = Flexibility (or when not linking inflexible)

A = Adaptive (or when not linking maladaptive)

C = Coherent (holds well together under dynamic systems over time) or when not linking incoherent)

E = Energized (vital) (either depleted or excessively aroused when not linking)

S = Stable (equanimity) (when not linking, instability or repeating negative patterns)

My reading of research. “Trauma brains impairs integrative functioning in the brain.” If it’s well developed, they won’t link well. That’s most global way to describe is to say integration impaired in the brain.

Have to ask about context, development, age of person, what was person like before trauma.

Photo Credit: Margaret Bellafiore

Emotional memory, like fear of a dog, perceptional memory (hear with ears, see with eyes) vs. procedural motor memory (feeling of wanting to run but not being able) and fourth bodily sensations, feeling in body (ex. of dog teeth in muscles)

Age is huge. Those regions that are developing (when trauma or traumatic neglect occur) have most vulnerability.

If neglected or abused (developmental) (neglect as in absence of nurturing) and active forms of abuse (sexually invaded, emotionally torn apart – active overwhelming events) – these together form developmental traumas. If 1 or 4 or 7, the timing is crucial, because windows of growth are different at different life spans.

Trauma in general terms leads to 2 chemical reaction

1. Secrete cortisol (blocks hippocampus) with extended release it’s neurotoxic (regions trying to grow and connect may be inhibited but cortisol secreted for long periods of time can be destroy synpases and existing neurons especially during developmental periods and also can happen in combat soldiers)

2. High levels of adrenalin. Adrenalin increases encoding of implicit memory

Adrenaline secretion increases coding. Coding stronger because of high adrenalin.

In contrast, cortisol secreted blocks hippocampus which is usually performing integrative role and assembles building blocks of implicit memory and factual and episodic memory (autobiographical memory – feeling a sense of the past, being reminded).

I think trauma impairs memory systems by blocking integrative role to take implicit puzzle pieces weaving facts and implicit memories. It can explain flashbacks and all post-traumatic stress symptoms. What’s laid down is not tagged with a sense of the past. Explain flashback, avoidance, intrusive emotional memory, intrusive bodily sensations, perceptual things that flood people. People thought it nutty to look to the brain. To me, it made sense (in the 80’s). In last decades know more about integrative regions of brain. Trauma impairs integrative growth or functioning in brain depending on developmental period.

Martin Teicher, documented in brain scans how those with developmental trauma – showing structural impact, depending on times of abuse was related to what was developing at time of neglect/trauma. Important finding is that neglect is as or more impactful as overt abuse. And severe lack of them, not just not talking about feelings, but neglect.

When I was in medical school learning neuroscience. If you kept certain stimuli away from brain it didn’t grow as well. Certain vulnerable periods. This brain not just driven by genetics (though important). Experience fills in the foundation.

If brain deprived of what it needs – that is a form of trauma.

LAYERS

In general, most useful clinically to think of layers rather than forms of memory. Won’t see it written that way in research literature. Layers is a way to teach it to clinicians and patients.

Even in utero, implicit memory available for encoding. In 3rd trimester, brain encoding and storing and they can be retrieved. This is the way we believe memory of all sorts happens.

Layers, up until 18 mos. of post-birth, only happen to encode implicitly and not explicitly. One part of brain matures enough at around that age, the hippocampus can start taking emotions, perceptions, motor movement, bodily and to prime the brain to get brain ready to respond.

As adults, we’re constantly encoding implicit memories. You don’t need to pay attention with consciousness. This is what people don’t know in general public.

With attention, streaming of energy flow, some attention in consciousness, non-focal.

Implicit Memory & Example of Riding a Bike

When you store implicit memory and retrieve it (say from 12 mos. of age), retrieval doesn’t have the feeling, when it comes into awareness, of being something from the past. 

Implicit memory, in pure implicit memory form, it’s in the here and now.

Gave ex. of riding a back. Every time you get on bike, you have reactive implicit coding for pedaling, steering, balancing. You are conscious you are riding a bike but you aren’t saying, I remember. I remember. I remember. My mother taught me. No, you’re just riding. We’re always referencing implicit emotional and procedural memories. That happens with trauma as well. So the traumatic memories feel very now and in the present as well.

Disassociation is Dis – Association

Dis-Association: Usually associated things are now not linked. That which used to be linked is no longer linked. What I believe happens is the brain literally becomes fragmented. No longer linking parts. As attachment researcher, disorganized attachment – research demonstrated, we know at least one source of dissociation (and there may be others), but one of maybe several sources is disorganized attachment.

When Siegel was a first year resident, one of first long-term patients had what was then called Multiple Personality Disorder. I was immersed in caring for her. What was so striking, the main faculty didn’t believe that dissociation existed.

When you are given an experience, as a young person (infant) which have the elements of caregiver being source of terror (severe neglect).

Dis-Association is one of  most severely disabling, clinically what we know, it’s completely curable. That has been shown. the beautiful thing. We now know and learned in last decade, brain incredibly plastic. Clinical interventions need to be framed in context of neuroplasticity.

Unsolvable Paradox.

Brain stem wants to get away from source of terror but mammalian source has drive towards caregiver. You can’t go towards and away from and towards the same object, with body, therefore brain fragments.

That’s what causes dissociation.

Disorganized attachment.

The dis-association is from having unresolved fear, that goes on, hard time thinking clear under stress, difficulty in relationships, all coming from non-integrated brain.

It’s not always, they have a vulnerability to having brain become fragmented (feel unreal, numb to body, memory lapse). These are all from impaired integration in the brain.

Good News is that it is COMPLETELY TREATABLE!

I think it’s important to say that for me, one of the risks of glorifying knowledge of the brain, is that people will begin to believe the statement that the mind is what the brain does. That statement has huge negative implications for clinical fields. I’m always concerned.

If you want to know about the mind (interpersonal neurobiology is my field), I want to caution you to reducing the mind to the brain activity will make it less likely you’ll connect with patient in full and deep way they deserve, said Siegel.

Impaired integration in whole body is source of ill health. To be effective (as clinician) you should be able to detect chaos and rigidity. Wherever integrated impaired is unhealthy. It’s our job to know about integration, relationally and in body.  Integrative area for trauma.

Hippo (integrative), Corpus Collosus (right and left) and pre-frontal cortex (primarily up and down) – these three areas that Martin Teicher most severely impacted (not doing well or damaged). If working with person with a new trauma (car accident, going to war) and they also have developmental trauma – we want to look at that.

Can psychotherapy heal a person and prevent those things (impacts on health via Kaiser study) Siegel wonders. He answered with “We don’t know.”

Can our clinical work can support change epigenetic modifications in brain, can we hope to block passage to sperm/egg. Some preliminary data, hopeful, in general.

More Research

• Epigenetics. Michael Meaney. Negative effects early on has changes, goes along with Kaiser study early on (). You can inherit epigenetic imprints of grandparents that influence neural development (like famine/Holocaust).
• After retreat in mindfulness, Barbara Frederickson work shows what you do with your mind, changes epigenetic molecules. Helps prevent inflammatory diseases. What you do with your mind (even after day long retreat), helps certain forms of inflammatory diseases.
• https://www.facebook.com/drdansiegel