My initial background is in the biological sciences. I therefore LOVE to learn how the mechanics of the brain and body interact with how we experience the world. Trauma is a huge component of this interaction. What we are learning is that essentially, traumatic experiences overwhelm our brain’s ability to process them, so they get stored wherever there is room (which is sometimes in kind of weird, confusing places.) The memories associated with these experiences therefore never truly get sorted, and so in some sense we are always living in that traumatic moment in time. How extremely painful!

We therefore develop all SORTS of nifty tools to help us cope with this ongoing discomfort. The problem is that sometimes these tools, while helping us short-term, can cause their own problems. For example, using eating disorder behaviors or substances to “numb out” helps us cope with the pain of unresolved trauma, but affects our health and leaves us numb to all the rest of our lives as well.

Viewing things through this lens can be incredibly helpful. You are able to go from “why do I keep doing this thing that I hate that I am doing?,” to “what purpose might this behavior be serving?” We can then work together to take that information and look to get that need met in other ways.