Trauma can include a vast array of past experiences along with present-day ailments, emotions, and conditions. These situations trigger distress within the nervous system. This is why it’s important to treat trauma as a nervous system disorder instead of only as a mental illness. Having a comprehensive treatment plan that heals the effects of trauma within the nervous system sets a strong foundation for lasting recovery.
Why Trauma Is a Nervous System Disorder
Conditions like post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) have historically been treated as mental illnesses. Unfortunately, this classification does not address the full scope of trauma and its lasting effects. Post-traumatic stress is also a nervous system disorder. It is important to understand the way trauma impacts both the mind and the body.
The Fight-Or-Flight Response
When a traumatic event occurs, the body can have a nervous system response known as “fight-or-flight.” This is considered to be a classic response that was developed in humans for survival advantages. However, this response can become dysregulated in many individuals who have experienced trauma.
After a traumatic event occurs, individuals may feel fear, anxiety, and a host of other difficult emotions as a natural part of the fight-or-flight reaction. These emotions can happen as a result of any type of trauma, including natural disasters, grief, abuse, persistent yelling, bullying, and more.
According to MedlinePlus, the fight-or-flight response can cause changes in the body, such as “the release of certain hormones and increases in alertness, blood pressure, heart rate, and breathing.” Even though most people will recover naturally from these symptoms, people with PTSD continue to experience them over time. MedlinePlus mentions that some PTSD symptoms can start in the future or even “come and go over time.”
Chronic Dysregulation
Usually, the fight-or-flight response has a natural beginning and an end. Those who have experienced trauma, however, may stay stuck in a state where the response is activated. The nervous system can become dysregulated, with various stress and other hormones being released continuously.
According to a 2011 study in Dialogues in Clinical Neuroscience, a cardinal feature of people with PTSD is “sustained hyperactivity of the autonomic sympathetic branch of the autonomic nervous system.” This state is evidenced by “elevations in heart rate, blood pressure, skin conductance, and other psychophysiological measures.”
Sometimes, a person will not even realize that what they’re experiencing is a delayed or persistent response to past trauma. This can lead individuals to develop chronic conditions like anxiety or even substance use disorder (SUD).
Treating Trauma as a Nervous System Disorder
Since trauma is both a nervous system disorder and a mental health condition, it’s important to have innovative treatment options to support conditions like PTSD. A trauma-specific program like ours at The Guest House helps people heal trauma by addressing the body alongside the mind and soul.
Treatment centers are trending toward using holistic and somatic therapies to heal trauma. These therapies are meant to complement traditional modalities like talk therapy and can help heal trauma as a nervous system disorder.
For many people, traditional treatments leave a lot to be desired. This is where holistic remedies and complementary and alternative medicines (CAM) come in. Modalities like somatic therapy, breathwork, and eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) are highly effective in helping people regulate their nervous systems. Utilizing these modalities can create a lasting foundation for trauma recovery.
Healing Trauma as a Nervous System Disorder at The Guest House
One of our core beliefs here at The Guest House is that trauma should be treated as a nervous system disorder and not just as a mental illness. This is especially important because some people who have experienced trauma will also go on to develop mental health conditions and SUD. Our trauma-specific program was designed to help those people comprehensively heal their minds, bodies, and souls as one.
A Variety of Therapeutic Modalities
Another core belief at The Guest House is that everyone experiences trauma in their own individual and unique way. This is why our individualized regimens include an extensive selection of therapies that allow people to explore the methods that work best for them.
Our wide range of holistic modalities, along with traditional therapies, are here to help people regulate their nervous systems and build solid foundations for long-lasting recovery. For example, somatic therapy at The Guest House includes a blend of techniques to help people release trauma stored in the body. We also offer other mind-body therapies like meditation and conscious connected breathwork. These modalities teach clients how to feel safe and grounded in their bodies after years of fight-or-flight. As they regulate their nervous systems, clients regain inner peace.
No matter what a person’s trauma may have looked like or how it has affected their life, there is a place for them to find deep healing at The Guest House.
Traditionally, trauma has been treated as a mental health condition utilizing modalities like talk therapy. Unfortunately, that approach only scratches the surface of how trauma can be treated. In recent years, more studies have shown that trauma is also a nervous system disorder and should be treated as such. Here at The Guest House, one of our core beliefs is that trauma treatment should consider the mind, body, and soul. Our trauma-specific program is dedicated to helping you overcome trauma along with any other conditions that may have stemmed from it, like addiction. We offer a cutting-edge blend of therapies to help you regulate your nervous system and build a foundation for lasting recovery. Call us at (855) 483-7800.