Using Right Brain Activity to Build Resilience and Assist Recovery from Trauma

I went to a conference this past week and was reading Sandra Bloom’s book, Creating Sanctuary – Toward the Evolution of Sane Societies, on the plane and became a little discouraged as I was reading her chapter on Trauma Theory. I was particularly impacted by the following paragraph on pages 28 and 29:


“Evidence also exists that the massive secretion of neurohormones at the time of the trauma may deeply imprint the traumatic memory (Van der Kolk 1994, 1996c). The neuroscientist Le Doux (1992) has termed this ‘emotional memory.’ In studying the influence of fear in particular, he has shown that emotional memory appears to be permanent and quite difficult, if not impossible, to eliminate although it can be suppressed by higher centers in the brain (Le Doux 1992; 1994). This ‘engraving’ of trauma has been noted by many researchers studying various survivors (Van der Kolk 1994; Van der Kolt and Van der Hart 19931).”

This imprinting of the traumatic memory and the flooding of chemicals into the amygdale (doing center of the brain) appears to make it almost impossible for a survivor of trauma to be able regulate their emotions and they will continue to respond to life events and relationships as if the trauma is ongoing. If this is so, how can advocates possibly hope to be able to work with and assist survivors in making positive changes in their life?

Fortunately, the Self and Family Conference provided some answers so that I was able to return feeling less discouraged and more empowered.


Using Right Brain Activity

There were a number of speakers, including Stephanie Covington, Judy Crane of the Refuge, and Cardwell Nuckols who spoke on using right brain activities to calm down the spin cycle of the amygdale, move away from the constant interpretive cycle of the left brain, and empower the survivor by engaging them in activities in which they can gain some competence and make meaning out of their experience.

The left brain is responsible for trying to make sense of the world and the perception of self. For trauma survivors, trying to make sense out of trauma can keep them in a cycle of constantly responding to the world as if the trauma is ongoing. By engaging in right brain activities, i.e. art work (collages, painting, drawing), music (drumming, dancing), exercise (yoga, Tai Chi or Qi Gong) and writing (poetry and short stories), a person is able to engage the brain in other activities that generate competency, slow down the left brain activity that keeps them in constant hyperarousal.

Judy Crane of the Refuge (see links to the left) gave a couple of dramatic examples. She told the story of a woman who had been severely sexually abused by her grandmother when she was three years old. This woman was given the materials and support to create a figure out of soda cans and Marlboro cigarette packs (her grandmother smoked Marlboros and drank a lot of diet coke). The woman put pieces of paper in the cans that described how she felt. She was given permission to show her work and then she used Judy’s golf cart to flatten the cans. The work that went into the can sculpture enabled her to be able to create, move out of the left brain, and feel empowered.


Another client of Judy’s was using self cutting as a coping mechanism. She was given red and black paint and was encouraged to use this as a way to focus her pain rather than causing self injury as the self harm was disrupting to the other inpatients. Within a few weeks, the client had gone from cutting herself to creating significant art that showed her progression from hurting to healing.

There is a lot of research out there about the calming effects of yoga, Tai Chi, and even aromatherapy. I was also given information on Soul Collages (see link to the left) and integrative medicine (I hope to expand on this in the future).


The Healing Relationship

There is more and more evidence in the mental health field that the primary catalyst for healing in trauma survivors has little to do with the mode of treatment. It is the “therapeutic relationship.” In domestic violence and sexual assault work we can refer to it as the “healing relationship.” Being as genuine, empathic, and knowledgeable of the impact of trauma on survivors as we can, we can assist them in beginning the road to recovery. This is difficult to do in situations when the survivor is still being impacted by the activities of the abuser, but can open the gateway to slowing down the hyper activity in the left brain and increases their sense of safety and trust in the advocate.

Another note: Anyone Can Provide Trauma Informed Services

Stephanie Covington, PhD. was quick to discuss how any provider can be trauma informed. In addition to speaking around the country about her programs for women, trauma and recovery, she also has talked to other providers about how to be trauma informed. She has even met with her dentist’s office to discuss how they can be more trauma informed i.e. explaining to the patient in advance each move and being responsive to how the weight of the apron worn during x-rays could be triggering. The dental office changed their procedures to be more trauma informed and uses these procedures for everyone so there is no need to question patients about their trauma history.



The conference was very informative and I hope to write more over the next few weeks about what I learned from experts in the areas of trauma, substance abuse, and mental health.