How trauma works

As events happen in our lives, there are different nervous system responses we can have to it. What makes an event traumatic isn't the nature of the event itself, but rather our reaction to it. For example: When someone slaps you in the face, it's possible that you yell at that person, potentially reacting in a similar way (i.e. slapping them back). That would be a fight response, and a reaction made from what's known as a sympathetic nervous system activation. Another possible reaction would be for you to start crying, and to run away - that's your flight response, and would also be allocated within the realm of sympathetic nervous system responses.

If you've had several experiences like that, however, and potentially in a situation where you weren't able to run away, or strike back, it's possible that your nervous system goes into shut-down. In TVM, we call this going into a dorsal state, which plays out in the realm of your parasympathetic nervous system - usually known as the system that holds the "rest & digest" state of being. And while it may physically look like your body is at rest - slow heartbeat, calm breathing - there is another side to it that you might be familiar with: You're not really there. You're disconnecting.

What happened?

In short, your nervous system is protecting you the best way it can. Because the other avenues of securing survival (fighting the threat off, or running away from it), it simply shut those reactions down. Another name for this state is "freeze": Like a hunted down animal might eventually just drop to the ground, pretending like it's dead to avoid certain death.

The difference here is that, rather than getting up once the perp is gone, shaking off the event and moving on with your life, due to outer circumstances (like, say, the perp living in your household, and still being around, meaning the threat of this event happening again is always present), the event gets stuck, eventually becoming internalized. So when something similar happens for example years after you've left that house, even though the outer circumstances might be very different, your response will be the same.

Now this may be an event where you would say: "Yeah, well, but this is really traumatic!" But it can be the same for virtually anything.

Say when you were little, you really hated the smell of roses. When you smelled your first rose, and thought it was gross, you went crying to your mom, but because she really loves roses, she tries to convince you otherwise, and maybe even tells you you're wrong. She might even get upset with you!

Not having your experience validated and being made felt like you're wrong in that moment, by someone you love may lead to you internalizing this event. And maybe this happens a few times, and with different people. So, with time, every time you smell roses, rather than being able to "shake off" the still unpleasant sensation and move on, you'll feel like you're wrong, and that maybe something is wrong with you. And eventually you'll go past any rose bush or florist feeling anxious or upset, without really knowing why.

Because the other thing that can happen with trauma is that, because the emotional response feels too intense for your nervous system (i.e. it's not sure that you can survive to feel those emotions), it might actually erase the memory of that event happening.

So, when you start working with your nervous system to allow the body to release those traumatic events, what you'll also be releasing is a) the trauma response (i.e. the irritation you feel every time someone holds a rose under your nose, not allowing you to say: "Sorry, I just really don't like roses!") and b) the energy that it takes your nervous system to hold on to that memory. Imagine all that work it takes to hold on to something unpleasant for such a long time!

In our sessions, we're re-building that muscle of your nervous system by switching it safely - and with the support of our friend oxytocin - into a sympathetic state, and out again. So eventually, your body will learn that being in that state is a survivable event, and will allow those things that it hid away in the memory of your cells to be released. To "shake it off," essentially.

What does this mean? – It means that with TVM, we’re using different techniques to communicate with the body to allow it to bring safety back to your nervous system, and to return your overall being to a state of regulation that is our natural birth right. In the process of doing so, we’re releasing any traumatic events that got stuck in your body, freeing up space, resources, and even releasing physical symptoms that resulted from those events to leave you with more energy and wellbeing. What's more, with TVM, the cognitive revisiting of traumatic events is unnecessary, as your body will release the physical manifestations of your trauma at its own pace, and when it's ready.

To learn more about the underlying principles and how TVM works, please visit the Integrated Somatic Institute.

Resolving Trauma with TVM