17th April 2013

Link reblogged from Ginger's Guide To Life & Other Important Stuff with 13 notes

Ginger's Guide To Life & Other Important Stuff: Why the mind replays traumatic events →

survivorsupport:

• When we are frightened, we remember things very clearly.
• Although it can be distressing to remember these things, it can help us to understand what happened and, in the long run, help us to survive.The flashbacks can be seen as replays of what happened. They force us to think about what has happened so we might be better-prepared if it were to happen again.
• It is tiring and distressing to remember a trauma. Avoidance and numbing keep the number of replays down to a manageable level.
• Being ‘on guard’ means that we can react quickly if another crisis happens. We sometimes see this happening with survivors of an earthquake, when there may be second or third shocks. It can also give us the energy for the work that’s needed after an accident or crisis.

• Adrenaline is a hormone our bodies produce when we are under stress. It ‘pumps up’ the body to prepare it for action. When the stress disappears, the level of adrenaline should go back to normal. In PTSD, it may be that the vivid memories of the trauma keep the levels of adrenaline high. This will make a person tense, irritable, and unable to relax or sleep well.
• The hippocampus is a part of the brain that processes memories.  High levels of stress hormones, like adrenaline, can stop it from working properly – like ‘blowing a fuse’.  This means that flashbacks and nightmares continue because the memories of the trauma can’t be processed. If the stress goes away, and the adrenaline levels get back to normal, the brain is able to repair the damage itself, like other natural healing processes in the body. The disturbing memories can then be processed and the flashbacks and nightmares will slowly disappear.

Source: survivorsupport