It is Thursday morning and I have a call with the VA therapist this afternoon. THe plan is to discuss the first three chapters of this book with her and see what adjustments need made and what next steps might be.
I just finished Chapter 3 of the workbook yesterday. Like all the other chapters, it was a quick read. However the exercise at the end was a little different as you will see.
The third chapter speaks to Dr. Kolk using brain-imaging technology in the early 1990's to study what happens to the brain during flashbacks.
I don't really have flashbacks persay, but do have memories that come back to me. Sometimes they are vivd in nature. I can sometimes even smell the helicopter fuel from the crashed copters. It is weird. Would those be considered flashbacks? I guess that is something I need to ask the therapist.
I also learned that physical exercise and activity is good for channeling built up adrenaline. It was also written that social connection and interaction are also reassuring for the body under stress. Key takeaways from this chapter were:
- Flashbacks activate on the right side of the brain which is the emotional side. Flashbacks shutdown the left side of the brain which is the logical side. This is what supposedly makes the flashback feel like it is really happening.
- A wave of adrenaline is released when the emotional brain reponds to the threat by preparing the body for fight or flight.
- This alarm signal can be ignored occasionally by the concious mind, however this cannot go on forever. Eventually there is a build up of hormones that erupt in physical illness forcing the mind to take action.
In the exercise for this chapter I am to answer one question and draw and diagram. I will share the diagram further below.
Reflect on your current habits. How can they be improved, and what other habits can you embrace?
I am fairly stagnant for the most part. I am not very active, although I do walk on the walking pad I have, but not as much as I should. I am also very isolated and stay at home alot.
I think it would be very beneficial for me to start getting out more like when the wife goes out to the store or just for a short walk around the block when it gets warmer. It would also be beneficial to get out more so that I can interact with people more often. Even when I can't get out, I should pick up the phone and interact via the phone or even on Discord or something.
On a sperate piece of paper draw an outline of the brain. On the right side write down all the emotions and sensations you feel when distressed. On the left side write down all the messages your rational mind might tell you.
The point of the last exercise was to make one more midnful of how the brain works. The drawing is the image below. (Yeah, it look more like a butt than a brain). I wasn't feeling very reflective of the trauma at the time, so it is somewhat blank. I will fill it in more later when I have time to reflect more, which I hate doing because it makes me think about that day.
Body Keeps The Score Workbook
The Body Keeps the Score Workbook Chapter #1
The Body Keeps the Score Workbook Chapter #2
Thanks for reading,
Joe
Notes:
-All content is mine unless otherwise annotated.
-Images are my own unless otherwise noted.
-Photos edited using MS Paint and/or iPhone SE.
-Page Dividers from The Terminal Discord.
