This is the continuation of the blog post series by guest writer Lenore Hall. Read the first post here.
High stress levels that accompany trauma, defined by experience that overwhelms an individual’s coping capacity (Briere & Scott, 2013), result in many forms of dissociation or disconnection between thoughts, behaviors, sensations, and emotions. This seriously impacts mental/emotional health causing conditions such as PTSD, where symptoms of stress remain problematic after the trauma is past: “Nothing fixes a thing so intensely in memory as the wish to forget it” Michel de Montaigne (Cozolino, 2010, p.80). In essence, the legacy of trauma disrupts a person’s sense of who they are, including their memory, their ability to recognize danger, to take care of and nurture their body, to control their impulses and to have satisfying, mutual relationships (Vermilyea, 2000).
Our genes determine fundamental aspects of brain anatomy and how neurons initially link together, but equally important are our experiences that create unique connections, molding the basic structure of each unique brain. It is not so much as experience versus biology, or nature versus nature, but in fact, experience shapes brain structure. Experience is biology! How we treat our children changes who they are and how they will develop; nature needs nurture (Siegel & Hartzell, 2014). Our experiences matter.
Experiences that connect us as humans also build positive brain connections! Experiences where we feel safe and understood, where there is empathy and respect for choices made, no matter what age. Even very young children need to make choices for themselves (age appropriate) and learn from the consequences of their choices. Furthermore, within our learning environments, experiences that capture the child’s interest, enthusiasm and motivation are crucial and an ongoing challenge for learning specialists. But the first step is always the need to feel safe within the learning environment.
To summarize, close relationships across our life span shape us. Connection to others enriches our lives by promoting neural integration which support a healthy mind. Disconnection from others disrupts neural integration and the ability to learn, grow and thrive. From this understanding it is imperative that our learning environments understand the fundamental impact of connecting relationships, disconnection and trauma on the child’s ability to learn. The best news from neuroscience it that it is never too late to learn, for all ages. We can change the way our brain patterns developed, through practices of self-reflection and mindfulness, which is a whole other chapter on using the body’s calming, poly-vagal system to counteract the sympathetic, fight/flight alarm response.
-Lenore Hall, psychiatric nurse
References:
“Principles of Trauma Therapy” Briere, J.N. & Scott, C. 2013
“The Opposite of Worry” Cohen, L.J., 2013.
“The Impact of Trauma on the Brain” Louis J. Cozolino, 2005.
“The Neuroscience of Psychotherapy. Healing the Social Brain” Louis J.Cozolino, 2010.
“The boy who was raised as a dog: And other stories from a child psychiatrist’s notebook” Bruce D. Perry, 2007.
“Relationships within the Workplace” Rousseau, 2016 (Lecture, Brisbane, AUS.
“The Power and Purpose of the Teenage Brain” Siegel, D.J., 2013.
“Parenting from the inside out” Siegel, D.J & Hartzell, M. 2014.
“Growing beyond Survival. A self-help toolkit for managing traumatic stress” Vermilyea, E.G, 2000.
