As Long As You Are Mobilized You Can’t Shut Down

I went to the 25^th 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.