In this series, I dig a little deeper into the meaning of psychology-related terms. This week’s term is polyvagal theory. Polyvagal theory was developed by Dr. Stephen Porges in 1994 to describe how the nervous system relates to the environment. The vagus nerve The name polyvagal theory comes from the multiple circuits that involve the …
In this series, I dig a little deeper into the meaning of psychology-related terms. This week’s term is the window of tolerance. The window of tolerance was first described by psychiatrist Dr. Dan Siegel in 1999. It’s used to describe levels of arousal, both psychological and physiological (and no, not sexual). The window represents the …
A few years ago I was thinking about applying for a nursing job with a sexual assault support team, so I decided to learn more about the body’s biological fight/flight/freeze response to trauma. What I found out was really interesting, so I thought I’d share. The amygdala’s response The amygdala is a primitive part of the …
The Neurobiology of Traumatic Fight/Flight/Freeze Read More »
The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk is perhaps one of the best-known books about trauma, particularly early life trauma. It’s been on my to-be-read list for quite a while, and I’ve finally managed to get around to it. This is a hefty book. The digital version that I was reading weighed …
Let’s think about the phrases “it’s just anxiety” and “it’s all in your head”. Let’s unpack them and consider them in terms of what we know about the brain and the body.
