The biochemistry of trauma
A few years ago, I was walking on my property with my fur babies when I heard a crackling sound and looked up to see a massive tree branch falling to the ground behind me. My mini-daschund (Oscar) was standing underneath. Before I had time to react, it hit the ground with a thump so loud that I felt the vibrations and for a moment my mind couldn't register whether he'd been crushed. Then Oscar took off faster than I've ever seen him move and sought solace under my deck. When he eventually emerged a few hours later, he laid his head on my leg and just collapsed with an exhausted sigh. That night I had to carry him upstairs to bed because the effort of going up the stairs was too much for him. He tried one step and gave up. Fortunately, by the following morning the shock had worn off and he was fine.
A few months later, there was a storm and a loud thunderous boom echoed through the house. Oscar's back legs collapsed beneath him. He couldn't walk and he just looked up at me, whimpering. He was able to walk again when I took him to the vet the following day, and fortunately, they couldn't find a physical problem. I told them that I thought it was PTSD, that the thunder reminded him of the tree hitting the ground, and she looked dubious, said she'd never heard of it happening before, but didn't completely dismiss the idea.
I'm sticking with the PTSD theory and I want to break this down for you so that you can make potential comparisons with events that may have happened to you or you've witnessed.
1. The trauma of the tree falling down created a surge of adrenaline allowing his little legs to get as far away as possible.
2. He sought solitude and felt safer in the initial aftermath being away from me and my other fur babies.
3. He was so exhausted when he finally resurfaced that he couldn't even summon up the energy to crawl onto my lap. Just his head on my leg and a shuddering sigh.
Side note: I was waiting for him when he eventually emerged, but imagine: what beliefs and behaviours could have been formed if I hadn't been?
4. The rest of that evening, as the shock, trauma and adrenaline left his system, he was very quiet and withdrawn.
5. The biochemical reactions left him so drained of energy that he couldn't manage the stairs.
6. The next day he was back to normal.
7. A few months later, there was a thunderclap so close that it made the house shake.
8. Oscar was reminded of the sound and vibration of the tree trunk falling, his nervous system went into disarray, and he temporarily froze to such an extent that his hind legs collapsed beneath him.
9. Fortunately, the next morning he was fine.
Have you ever experienced or witnessed a shock or trauma so severe that it created a biochemical reaction in your body? How did it change your thoughts, feelings or behaviours? How long did it take you to recover? Do you think you really recovered, or is the trauma lurking beneath the surface, ready to wreak havoc on your system with the right triggers?
Picture what it must be like to live with constant trauma. In an abusive work or home environment. In a war zone. In prison. Picture the biochemistry of someone exposed to that level of stress, shock and trauma on a regular basis. Imagine not feeling as though you have somebody or people there to support you. Do you think they'd be walking down the street smiling? Ready to trust? See everything through the eyes of unconditional love? Or do you think they'd be cautious? Reserved? Waiting to be attacked? It's not a pleasant topic, but an important one, especially if you're a healer or thinking of becoming one. To develop and embody the virtues of compassion and empathy, you need to be able to see beyond what's being presented and consider how and why the person in front of you is thinking, feeling, behaving the way they are. That's the only true pathway to love. I'm not talking about unconditional love, but a love that acknowledges the reality of the journey that the person in front of you is going through, seeing their true potential and holding space for them to discover their own beauty and power if they come to you for help. If they don't come to you for help? Smile and keep moving. Sometimes a smile sparks an internal revolution.
