Dr. Clair Goldberg and Doctoral candidate, Lucie Ritchie, break down how the impacts of trauma shift the brain’s (and the nervous system’s) functioning toward a survival state. The two discuss why traumatic impacts are not the survivor’s fault by exploring unconscious changes that impact personality, embodiment, and the sense of self — all in an effort to survive.
Embodiment can be a significant challenge for those with complex trauma because their brains and nervous systems develop in the context of insecurity or danger. This reinforces brains to find strategies to survive which often looks like disconnecting from the conscious knowledge of persistent threat to instead dive deeper into hypotheses and strategies to better protect themselves – this is survival mode.
Learn about the default mode network, the salience network, and how Neurofeedback can help shift functional changes in the brain to help anchor you in your sense of self.