I went to the 25th Annual Psychological Trauma
conference put on by the Trauma Justice Institute in Boston two weeks ago. I wish I could report on everything that was presented
but that would be impossible. There were
a lot of neuroscientists and chemists showing graphs and reading statistics and
by the end of the second day of the three day conference a number of us were
shuffling around looking brain dead. It
is a good thing we were still walking, though, because one of the important
points I wrote down was “as long as you are mobilized, you can’t shut down.”
Stephen Porges said this when he was talking about the
polyvagal response ( you can go here for a fairly clear explanation) and I was really
struck by the statement. He was trying
to make clear the imperative for movement in times of stress in order to
decrease the risk of dissociation (from zoning out to full blown shut
down). Biologically, our bodies need to
move in order to regulate. According to
Dr. Porges, our system is constantly monitoring the environment to determine whether
or not it is safe (more so for trauma survivors) and when the system is
overwhelmed it shuts down. Movement
helps keep the system regulated.
As someone who has been diagnosed with Fibromyalgia and who
has developed an understanding of the effects of trauma on the body, I had
developed a theory that the nervous system’s response to trauma was the cause
of the fibromyalgia. This theory was
validated at the conference by Dr. Porges and there seems to now be more
evidence being published.
According to Richard Boyd at http://www.energeticsinstitute.com.au/page/fibromyalgia.html
“ Pain studies have shown that incomplete pain
signals in the body can cause them to be re-sent and even amplified.
Fibromyalgia sufferers appear to have a pain signaling problem that is of this
nature. The Vagus nerves have been shown to have “communication problems” when
traumatised. This is conjecture but a possible framework under which
Fibromyalgia exists without showing causes and origins. It may turn out to be a
nervous system “network” problem.”
So why am I bringing this to your attention? As advocates we meet a lot of survivors who
complain of pain issues and who also dissociate at various levels. They are often highly medicated and/or finding ways to retreat from the
psychological and emotional pain that are non-productive and reduce physical
movement. The findings that I mention
above bring home the point that any opportunity we can provide as domestic violence
shelter advocates or as facilitators of support groups to get people up and
moving can only increase survivors ability to manage their own trauma
responses. Yoga, tai chi, walking,
bicycling, dancing, and swimming are just a few of the ways to help reduce the
effects of stress. If someone is in a
lot of physical pain they may need to do gentle yoga or slow walking, but it is
still movement.
I would also, if you are able, take the opportunity to provide
support while on a walk. Is there
someplace safe and quiet where you can meet a survivor where you can walk and
talk at the same time? When trying to
help someone do an emotional safety plan for the weekend or after a court
hearing, recommend movement even if it is just going home where it is safe and
putting on some loud music and dancing around the house.
And finally, as advocates we are under a lot of stress. We don’t even have to be meeting with
survivors in order to be influenced by the trauma that they experience. After attending sessions on child abuse and
neglect and human trafficking at last week’s Attorney General’s conference, I
needed to be outdoors and moving in order to rid myself of the after effects. A walk in the woods or bicycling usually
helps. Movement has to be a part of our
self care plan as well.
