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Epigenetics, Biology, and the Traumatized Mind
Posted on February 27, 2015
In this post I want to continue our examination of the mind, building on the definition I proposed last week: The human mind is a relational, environmental, and biological emergent phenomena that has the power to regulate the flow of energy and information. I want to start to tackle how the mind emerges from relational, environmental, and biological factors. To start down this path, we have to understand the role of genetics.
The environments in which we live and the relationships we have within those environments directly impact how our genes express themselves and create our biology through a process called epigenetics. To simplify a very complex process, our biological self (including the brain) is determined by which genes are activated in our DNA. The genes we need to thrive in certain environments are expressed, while those we do not need are left dormant.
We are born with a large range of mental, psychological, and physical potential. Variables in the environment tell our DNA which of these potentials give us the best chance to survive and thrive in these realities. This happens rapidly in childhood and continues, at a slower pace, throughout our lives.
This expression of genetic potential can be greatly impacted by traumatic events, especially when the trauma is continuous over long periods of time (i.e. complex trauma). The constant presence of a threat creates an environment of fear and uncertainty. Our DNA and biology are well-equipped to handle this reality, but the biology needed to survive traumatized environments comes at a great cost.
When a threat is constantly present, more energy and information flows through the emotional and fear-based parts of our brain, specifically the amygdala. This provides the traumatized person the emotional resiliency and energy necessary to survive the pain and psychological impact of the traumatic event. The traumatized brain has less activation (and actually less mass) in the executive areas of the brain, including the prefrontal cortex, that allow for strategic, abstract, and logical thought.
The cost of this overdevelopment and utilization of the fear systems comes at the expense of the biological structures that support the mind. This can be devastating, as the individual loses the ability to control the flow of energy and information throughout their biological systems, including the brain. Without treatment, they can remain in this biological state of survival and reactivity and struggle to logically and strategically engage their life and their environment.
This inability to regulate emotions and thinking makes it nearly impossible to succeed in school, healthy relationships, and the workplace. Without an opportunity to heal, the traumatized person will often find themselves in dangerous situations that reflect their traumatic past, because that is what they think is normal. Without the structures, relationships, and environments that can support the mind, they often find themselves going from one bad relationship to the next and living in dangerous situations and environments.
Unfortunately, many of our clients have lived their entire life in poverty, stress, and failure. As a society, we like to blame the individual for their situation. Epigenetics challenges this position. (For more information on the interaction between poverty and genetics check out this past post.) A key step to healing is helping our clients build the capacity to regain control of the energy and information flowing through their biological systems.
To do this, we need to help clients reestablish the relational, environmental, and biological components that allow healing to happen. In the next couple of weeks, we’ll examine each of these in more detail. My question for you this week is: How has the environmental and relational history of your clients impacted their current functioning? See if you can connect present struggles to this history. When we do this, we can appreciate the challenges facing our clients and it hopefully helps us to see what they need to overcome their painful past
Epigenetics, Biology, and the Traumatized Mind
Posted on February 27, 2015
In this post I want to continue our examination of the mind, building on the definition I proposed last week: The human mind is a relational, environmental, and biological emergent phenomena that has the power to regulate the flow of energy and information. I want to start to tackle how the mind emerges from relational, environmental, and biological factors. To start down this path, we have to understand the role of genetics.
The environments in which we live and the relationships we have within those environments directly impact how our genes express themselves and create our biology through a process called epigenetics. To simplify a very complex process, our biological self (including the brain) is determined by which genes are activated in our DNA. The genes we need to thrive in certain environments are expressed, while those we do not need are left dormant.
We are born with a large range of mental, psychological, and physical potential. Variables in the environment tell our DNA which of these potentials give us the best chance to survive and thrive in these realities. This happens rapidly in childhood and continues, at a slower pace, throughout our lives.
This expression of genetic potential can be greatly impacted by traumatic events, especially when the trauma is continuous over long periods of time (i.e. complex trauma). The constant presence of a threat creates an environment of fear and uncertainty. Our DNA and biology are well-equipped to handle this reality, but the biology needed to survive traumatized environments comes at a great cost.
When a threat is constantly present, more energy and information flows through the emotional and fear-based parts of our brain, specifically the amygdala. This provides the traumatized person the emotional resiliency and energy necessary to survive the pain and psychological impact of the traumatic event. The traumatized brain has less activation (and actually less mass) in the executive areas of the brain, including the prefrontal cortex, that allow for strategic, abstract, and logical thought.
The cost of this overdevelopment and utilization of the fear systems comes at the expense of the biological structures that support the mind. This can be devastating, as the individual loses the ability to control the flow of energy and information throughout their biological systems, including the brain. Without treatment, they can remain in this biological state of survival and reactivity and struggle to logically and strategically engage their life and their environment.
This inability to regulate emotions and thinking makes it nearly impossible to succeed in school, healthy relationships, and the workplace. Without an opportunity to heal, the traumatized person will often find themselves in dangerous situations that reflect their traumatic past, because that is what they think is normal. Without the structures, relationships, and environments that can support the mind, they often find themselves going from one bad relationship to the next and living in dangerous situations and environments.
Unfortunately, many of our clients have lived their entire life in poverty, stress, and failure. As a society, we like to blame the individual for their situation. Epigenetics challenges this position. (For more information on the interaction between poverty and genetics check out this past post.) A key step to healing is helping our clients build the capacity to regain control of the energy and information flowing through their biological systems.
To do this, we need to help clients reestablish the relational, environmental, and biological components that allow healing to happen. In the next couple of weeks, we’ll examine each of these in more detail. My question for you this week is: How has the environmental and relational history of your clients impacted their current functioning? See if you can connect present struggles to this history. When we do this, we can appreciate the challenges facing our clients and it hopefully helps us to see what they need to overcome their painful past
[…] First, basic brain science demonstrates the impact of stress and trauma associated with poverty. The more stress in one’s life, the less able they are to access their logical brain. If this stress and the related struggles for survival dominate their lives over longer periods of time, it will structure the brain in a way to promote survival at the expense of the realization of the person’s genetic potential. […]
Zovoo Zov. Suuri, Tom Neelt hiisen hunii huvid ooirin ner tor, ashig sonirhol, oor yu bdgiin bodohoosoo iluu Ene Muu heden MONGOL-chuudiig eroos ene MONGOL gej zuiliig bodood bgaag, huleegeed, uchir nachiriig ni ehleed oorsodod ni oilguulah geed bgaag chine oilgohgyu bish oilgoj bgaa bhaa zarim neg Homo Mongolus -uud. Odoo uuraa barj suusnaas taniig oilgoh, huleej avah heden saihan zaluus tsugluulaad ene talaar iluu huchtei, tolovlogootei, buh chiglel, arga zamaar, niigemiinh ni heseg buleg, nas, bolovsrol, yu bgiin ter buhend ni tohirson tovshind olon yanzaar hurgeh heregtei bh. Tegehgyu bol Mongolchuud yum oilgohdoo jaahan taaruu geheesee iluu tanii bichsen, yarisan ARAI HUNDDEED bh shig bna da.
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Good to hear your country has more sense than Canada and the U.S.A. have!. The women were healthy looking in the pictures, you’re right there, so I appreciated that too. I think most models are naturally thin but end up having to starve/eat less than they’d like to in order to fit into the designer’s clothes. It wouldn’t kill the fashion designers to make the clothes a bit bigger though, would it? Then the poor models wouldn’t have to under eat and be unhealthy.
you aren’t invested. You’re all talk. No action. Joel Runyon makes it pretty clear here exactly why “free consulting” is such a crock, because seriously, it