Now that we have learnt about trauma in the last two posts. I am going to dive in a bit deeper to the Traditional Chinese Medicine side of things and explain how acupuncture can help someone who has been through a traumatic event.

There is actually a very significant overlap between Western and Eastern Medicine. Western psychologists call it ‘PTSD’ or ‘dissociative states’. Eastern practitioners call it ‘Shen disturbance’. But it doesn’t matter whether its diagnosed in Western Medicine or Eastern Medicine, the symptoms are the same.

• Disconnected from Here and Now
• Spacing out
• Lack of connection to ones self
• Memory distortions
• Unclear mind
• Dream disturbed sleep/ nightmares
• Insomnia
• Over/under reactions

In Chinese Medicine, trauma is stored in the ‘Lower Spirits’ this is the body and emotions as well as our instincts and autonomic nervous system (ANS). Many people don’t even remember a trauma, but acupuncture can help bring those memories up in a safe and healthy way. Emotions are not a bad thing, in moderation they are great – but it becomes a trauma when your body can no longer return to center by itself.

There are five spirits, each is connected to one Yin organ. They include the Heart(Shen), Spleen(Yi), Liver(Hun), Kidney(Zhi), and Lung(Po). You can think of the spirits as people; if the spirits experience fright/fear, they will scatter. And that is when a stressful event becomes a traumatic event in Chinese Medicine. Shen is the monarch of the spirits – I imagine it like a person strutting around, making sure everything is in place. When you experience a trauma, Shen leaves the Heart and then pretty much all chaos ensues. The other Spirits no longer have a guide so they don’t know what to do. They are kind of like sheep in that sense – they are comfortable following their leader, once their leader is gone no one knows what’s going on or what to do, so they go in all different directions. Once the Monarch (Shen) has left and the other four spirits have scattered, we have no sense of self and can not return to equilibrium – this is trauma in Chinese Medicine. Simply said, Shock scatters the Qi. The goal is the bring Shen back to the Heart and to return the body to equilibrium.

Acupuncture treatments can help someone work through a traumatic event in a variety of ways.

• It “Bypasses the frontal lobes to open a direct link to cellular memory…”.
• Balances the Autonomic Nervous System (for patients in hyperarousal).
• Supports Adrenals.
• Calms the Amygdalae.
• Releases endorphins.
• Allows energetic communication with the body through needles, sometimes talk therapy doesn’t help because the patient can’t/doesn’t’ want to recall the traumatic event. The needles can help a patient remember the event.
• Helps patients become more aware of self care and mindful self awareness.
• Helps patients develop positive relationship to body and touch.
• Helps with physical symptoms resulting in trauma such as; digestive disorders, anxiety, depression, muscle tension, insomnia, etc.

I am not going to go into the different possible treatments, because it is different for each patient. But if you have more questions about what a treatment would look like for you; please call or text me at 403-741-8898 or book a complimentary 15 minute consultation to find out more information.

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Additional Blog posts in Trauma Series

Trauma – Part 1: What is Trauma?

• Online February 1, 2018

Trauma – Part 2: Physical Symptoms of Trauma.

• Online February 8, 2018

Trauma – Part 4: Therapies other than Acupuncture.

• Online February 22, 2018

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Resources:

Trauma and Recovery in The Context of Chinese Medicine – Darren Tellier

Healing Trauma: A Five Spirit Approach – Lorie Eve Dechar

The Psyche in Chinese Medicine – Maciocia

When the Body Says No – Gabor Mate

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https://suicideprevention.ca/need-help/

https://www.albertahealthservices.ca/findhealth/results.aspx?type=service&id=25&locationCity=Stettler&radius=50#contentStart

Let’s talk a little about the connection between our physical bodies and trauma.

It took me a long time to make the connection between my low back pain and trauma that I experienced as a child. I was never physically harmed to cause back pain. But a series of events – mostly emotional – that made me feel unsafe are what triggered my low back pain. It wasn’t until just a few years ago that I really started to dive into the emotional healing aspect of my physical body. I had been feeling like I wasn’t able to reach the underlying issue of my back, the best way I can describe it is a glass barrier between me and the emotional trauma – I just couldn’t reach it to work through it on my own. So then, I started doing more acupuncture and energy work to help.

Too often it is thought that our mind and body are separate entities. Sometimes in the Western Medical world, if a patient has pain but there is no known pathology it can be suggested that they are ‘making up’ the pain or that ‘its all in your head’. Fortunately, this in not the case in Chinese Medicine. The mind, body, and spirit are interconnected; in order to heal one you need to be aware of all three.

Some common physical manifestations of latent trauma include:

• Digestive Disturbances
• IBS
• Anxiety
• Depression
• Sleep Disorders
• Chronic Pain
• Muscle Tension
• Emotional Stress
• Hyper-vigilance

Example: I have a patient who came in for acupuncture because she was experiencing severe muscle tension. As we went through her health history I discovered that she experiences anxiety as well. So I started to dig a bit deeper about when the anxiety started, it started at a very specific time in her life. I asked if she could remember any traumatic events that happened around her teen years. And not surprisingly, she did. She was assaulted by a man when she was in her teens. So even though muscle tension was her chief complaint, it and the anxiety were merely a manifestation of a significant trauma in her life. She had suffered from anxiety for years and was only prescribed medication – it was masking the real issue. Latent Trauma.

This example is unfortunately so common in patients that come in. Now, not all physical pain is trauma related. But for that stubborn pathology that you are experiencing and having no luck healing, it might be beneficial to look back over your past and figure out when it might have started and why. Sometimes it takes a trained professional or another set of eyes to make that connection.

It is also important to make sure you remember that if you do think your physical pain is trauma related, it isn’t your fault. You didn’t create this pain. It is simply your body’s way of coping. It is common for some people to not even know/remember they experienced a traumatic event because our brain blocks it out in order to survive. So please know that you did not do this to yourself.

Acupuncture can help decrease physical symptoms related to trauma in a few ways. It depends on the pathology – chronic pain and digestive issues are treated differently – but all the treatments will include some acupuncture points to help release the trauma and calm the mind, as well as the physical issue you are experiencing. When you come in for a treatment, I will discuss with you further what the treatment plan will look like specific to you. I will dive into it a bit more next week.

Additional Blog posts in Trauma Series

Trauma – Part 1: What is Trauma?

• Online February 1, 2018

Trauma – Part 3: Trauma in Chinese Medicine.

• Online February 15, 2018

Trauma – Part 4: Therapies other than Acupuncture.

• Online February 22, 2018

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Resources:

Healing Trauma: A Five Spirit Approach – Lorie Eve Dechar

Trauma and Recovery in the Context of Chinese Medicine; Interpretations of current Neuro-biological and Psychotherapy Models of the Traumatized Mind – Darren Tellier

The Psyche in Chinese Medicine – Maciocia

Broken Brain – Mark Hyman

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https://suicideprevention.ca/need-help/

https://www.albertahealthservices.ca/findhealth/results.aspx?type=service&id=25&locationCity=Stettler&radius=50#contentStart

Trauma.

What an intense word.

I have always been drawn to the psycho emotional aspect of people. I tend to find myself constantly asking “What situation from their past triggered this..?” I started really thinking about trauma a few years ago, and then took a couple courses related to TCM and trauma this past year. This, and the next three blogs, will be solely dedicated to trauma and everything triggered by/related to it (physical pain, PTSD, etc).

So many people experience a trauma in their life, some of which we can’t even remember. There are a variety of reasons why we might experience a trauma in our life. It doesn’t matter if it isn’t traumatic to the person next to you, if it is traumatic to you then it is a trauma. “Trauma is one of the most ignored and denied cases of human suffering, it can be masked by many things”. But let’s start with the absolute basics of trauma.

What is Trauma?

We have all heard of the fight or flight response our body automatically goes into during a stressful situation. But there is actually another response called the ‘Freeze Response’. The Freeze response is a response to a traumatic stress opposed to everyday stress which triggers the Fight or Flight Response. “When the fight or flight systems cannot be activated, escape is physically or relationally impossible, fight is not an option, or traumatic threat is prolonged…” this is when the Freeze Response comes into play. One thing I find quite interesting, is that during the Freeze Response, the victim can have a decreased sensation of fear or pain – it is almost as if our mind leaves our body at this traumatic time in ones life. Once the traumatic event is over, there may be some imprints left on the brain related to the trauma.

Essentially, the nervous system is unable to return to equilibrium after a threat. Interestingly enough, brain imaging has shown that changes have occurred in the amygdala along with other parts of the brain, body and nervous system after a traumatic event. The amygdala will actually grow new neurons, this will result in it becoming more sensitive to subtle cues that remind the person of the traumatic event they have experienced. From this, the person can experience an inability to decide on safe or unsafe situations, and even everyday decisions can become challenging. Once this change has occurred in someone’s brain, it can be difficult for them to distinguish between the event that happened in the past and an event that is separate but might trigger the past event. Simply, they are always living in a state of trauma because, to their brain, there is no differentiation in time between the traumatic event and present time. Have you ever noticed someone (or yourself) seemingly ‘overreact’ to an otherwise stress less situation – this could be a trigger for them/you and they/you are instantly back in the traumatic event.

A stressful event is most likely to be traumatic if:

1. It happened unexpectedly
2. You were unprepared
3. You felt powerless to prevent it
4. You were unable to move or do something to protect yourself
5. It happened repeatedly
6. Someone was intentionally cruel
7. It happened in childhood

Some common sources of trauma are the following:

• Physical Assault
• Rape
• Combat
• Sudden, unexpected death of loved one
• Domestic Abuse (physical/emotional/financial/psychological)
• Childhood Abuse (physical/emotional/financial/psychological)
• Motor Vehicle Accident

When it comes to trauma, it is important to keep in mind that the event does not have to happen to you directly in order for it to be traumatic. It can still be traumatic if you witnessed it or even learned about a traumatic event that happened to a loved one.

This is a heavy post, I know. It is a heavy subject. But the important thing to remember is that there are things you can do to help in your recovery.

Can Acupuncture help?

Yes. Very simply, Acupuncture can help. Not only can acupuncture help with the many physical symptoms of trauma but also with the actual trauma. Sometimes people experience a trauma that they don’t or can’t remember, acupuncture can help bring that trauma forward in order to work through it in a healthy way. Acupuncture can help by “bypassing the frontal lobes to open direct link to cellular memory – the wisdom and knowing of the body”.

If you have been through a traumatic event, or are recently dealing with the aftermath of a traumatic event – help is available.

Red Flags – Seek help from a mental health professional if you experience the following.

• Serious addiction (sex/drugs/shopping, etc)
• Eating disorders
• Persistent severe marital and/or sexual problems (more than 5 months)
• Severe/Chronic depression (more than 5 months)
• Grief of loosing a loved one that affects persons capacity to function (more than 1 year)
• Severe Insomnia/nightmares (more than 3 months)
• Flooding of traumatic memories
• Any Suicidal thoughts/impulses or other self destructive wishes/behaviour.

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.Additional Blog posts in Trauma Series

Trauma – Part 2: Physical Symptoms of Trauma?

• Online February 8, 2018

Trauma – Part 3: Trauma in Chinese Medicine.

• Online February 15, 2018

Trauma – Part 4: Therapies other than Acupuncture.

• Online February 22, 2018

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References:

Healing Trauma: A Five Spirit Approach – Lorie Eve Dechar

Trauma and Recovery in the Context of Chinese Medicine; Interpretations of current Neuro-biological and Psychotherapy Models of the Traumatized Mind – Darren Tellier

The Psyche in Chinese Medicine – Maciocia

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https://suicideprevention.ca/need-help/

https://www.albertahealthservices.ca/findhealth/results.aspx?type=service&id=25&locationCity=Stettler&radius=50#contentStart