Woah! Getting the shout out in the heart of this excellent article was thrilling, and definitely a boost to my dopamine levels! A friend of mine, who is a self-taught expert on oxytocin and PTSD says this is an important rabbit hole to go down, as one role of oxytocin is in forgetting - e.g. the oxytocin rush of having baby next to a mothers skin after the birth plays a role in forgetting the trauma and pain of the birth. The oxytocin circuits are regulated by the endocannabinoid system, which, according to the article https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/the-endocannabinoid-system-essential-and-mysterious-202108112569 also has this role: "The role that the ECS plays in forgetting also opens up opportunities for the treatment of PTSD, a condition in which there are unpleasant, intrusive memories that people can’t help but remember, and that cause a whole syndrome of troublesome and dangerous symptoms related to the pathological remembering." - so the more oxytocin you can stimulate perhaps the better.
You had me at "endocannabinoid" system because I'm going to be diving into the natural medicines for our trauma *soon* and I had NO idea oxytocin also has a huge role in our endocannabinoid system - I'm going down all the rabbit holes, now - thank you for that, it's very exciting when I look forward to doing research!
I especially am curious about trauma-bonded intimate relationships with sex and sexual pleasure as a means of power, control, and captivity. This is curious, that oxytocin has such a profound influence on our memories, as well. I wonder how much that might have to do with witnesses to crime not being super accurate when they're asked to recall the perceived perpetrator's appearance and clothing - witnessing a violent crime can be quite traumatic and cause PTSD itself....fascinating.
I definitely shouted you out in the podcast, too. You deserve it - it's clear how much work you put into your research and work, and that you have a fundamental understanding on the more abstract side of scientific thinking.
Interesting on the weaponization of sex angle... not something that is often talked about... intrigued to see what you write on that one. On the not remembering the details of a crime, as I understand it this is the opposite of forgetting - it is that some part of traumatic memories get written into implicit memory - are stored in the body, as what we call "body memories" - where they are sequestered away and hidden (from the brain) and from being processed and remembered explicitly, awaiting the day we are in a safe enough, loving relationship for these to be processed and integrated with the rest of traumatic memory which were stored in the brain. Here are some choice words from the excellent book by Bonnie Badenoch on this:
"When potentially traumatic experiences occur and then embed, the implicit aspects are wisely sequestered in the amygdala-centric circuitry and the body, awaiting arrival of the support needed to disconfirm and integrate them. In this way, the fullness of emotional and bodily distress is held away from conscious awareness much of the time, although still available to be touched and awakened later by internal and external events."
"In general, it appears that at the onset of stress, explicit memory may encode more strongly with amygdala activation (greater emotion) and the concomitant rise in cortisol until both reach levels that block encoding and/or retrieval. This may leave people with implicit-only memories of highly stressful events, not only from early childhood but also from later traumatic experiences, which impairs the formation of a coherent autobiographical memory stream...."
Badenoch, Bonnie. The Heart of Trauma: Healing the Embodied Brain in the Context of Relationships (Norton Series on Interpersonal Neurobiology) (p. xii). W. W. Norton & Company. Kindle Edition
I'm glad you are taking care of yourself. I hope you get filled up with rest and inspiration!
"The good news is, we can train our brains to hear and become aware of more of the positive stuff while still holding space for the negative undertones that do, unfortunately, color our actual reality."
I love the word undertones, especially as I'm diving more deeply into watercolor painting again. Holding space for the undertones is allowing and allowing in my experience is the first step in setting us free from the binds of our issues.
I got some goosebumps when you said you're getting back into watercolors. My wife has been doing art as a profession for the past 2 years or so and to watch her blossom into that has just been an incredible thing to watch. It's very moving, and quite inspiring, to me that you are going back and being who you truly are - that's so fucking badass.
I can't wait to see what you create - I am just astounded by your talent. And your very, very kind soul.
I hope you realize how much your kindness strengthens the wind in my sails and helps to soften old hurts.
And I love the idea of stepping into my badass self! I'm going to pull that into my being more.
Wow oh wow that your wife is a professional artist. The strength, courage, and vision that takes is inspiring. Does she have a website or instagram she would want to share?
Wow, you hit the mail on the head again! I so appreciate your weekly writing because it’s a good reminder that I’m normal. I found myself nodding my head and saying yes, yes, yes! Thanks again Adrian!
Woah! Getting the shout out in the heart of this excellent article was thrilling, and definitely a boost to my dopamine levels! A friend of mine, who is a self-taught expert on oxytocin and PTSD says this is an important rabbit hole to go down, as one role of oxytocin is in forgetting - e.g. the oxytocin rush of having baby next to a mothers skin after the birth plays a role in forgetting the trauma and pain of the birth. The oxytocin circuits are regulated by the endocannabinoid system, which, according to the article https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/the-endocannabinoid-system-essential-and-mysterious-202108112569 also has this role: "The role that the ECS plays in forgetting also opens up opportunities for the treatment of PTSD, a condition in which there are unpleasant, intrusive memories that people can’t help but remember, and that cause a whole syndrome of troublesome and dangerous symptoms related to the pathological remembering." - so the more oxytocin you can stimulate perhaps the better.
Holy shit, Gary, this is crazy!
You had me at "endocannabinoid" system because I'm going to be diving into the natural medicines for our trauma *soon* and I had NO idea oxytocin also has a huge role in our endocannabinoid system - I'm going down all the rabbit holes, now - thank you for that, it's very exciting when I look forward to doing research!
I especially am curious about trauma-bonded intimate relationships with sex and sexual pleasure as a means of power, control, and captivity. This is curious, that oxytocin has such a profound influence on our memories, as well. I wonder how much that might have to do with witnesses to crime not being super accurate when they're asked to recall the perceived perpetrator's appearance and clothing - witnessing a violent crime can be quite traumatic and cause PTSD itself....fascinating.
I definitely shouted you out in the podcast, too. You deserve it - it's clear how much work you put into your research and work, and that you have a fundamental understanding on the more abstract side of scientific thinking.
Interesting on the weaponization of sex angle... not something that is often talked about... intrigued to see what you write on that one. On the not remembering the details of a crime, as I understand it this is the opposite of forgetting - it is that some part of traumatic memories get written into implicit memory - are stored in the body, as what we call "body memories" - where they are sequestered away and hidden (from the brain) and from being processed and remembered explicitly, awaiting the day we are in a safe enough, loving relationship for these to be processed and integrated with the rest of traumatic memory which were stored in the brain. Here are some choice words from the excellent book by Bonnie Badenoch on this:
"When potentially traumatic experiences occur and then embed, the implicit aspects are wisely sequestered in the amygdala-centric circuitry and the body, awaiting arrival of the support needed to disconfirm and integrate them. In this way, the fullness of emotional and bodily distress is held away from conscious awareness much of the time, although still available to be touched and awakened later by internal and external events."
"In general, it appears that at the onset of stress, explicit memory may encode more strongly with amygdala activation (greater emotion) and the concomitant rise in cortisol until both reach levels that block encoding and/or retrieval. This may leave people with implicit-only memories of highly stressful events, not only from early childhood but also from later traumatic experiences, which impairs the formation of a coherent autobiographical memory stream...."
Badenoch, Bonnie. The Heart of Trauma: Healing the Embodied Brain in the Context of Relationships (Norton Series on Interpersonal Neurobiology) (p. xii). W. W. Norton & Company. Kindle Edition
I'm glad you are taking care of yourself. I hope you get filled up with rest and inspiration!
"The good news is, we can train our brains to hear and become aware of more of the positive stuff while still holding space for the negative undertones that do, unfortunately, color our actual reality."
I love the word undertones, especially as I'm diving more deeply into watercolor painting again. Holding space for the undertones is allowing and allowing in my experience is the first step in setting us free from the binds of our issues.
Gosh, you're so right, Renee.
I got some goosebumps when you said you're getting back into watercolors. My wife has been doing art as a profession for the past 2 years or so and to watch her blossom into that has just been an incredible thing to watch. It's very moving, and quite inspiring, to me that you are going back and being who you truly are - that's so fucking badass.
I can't wait to see what you create - I am just astounded by your talent. And your very, very kind soul.
I hope you realize how much your kindness strengthens the wind in my sails and helps to soften old hurts.
And I love the idea of stepping into my badass self! I'm going to pull that into my being more.
Wow oh wow that your wife is a professional artist. The strength, courage, and vision that takes is inspiring. Does she have a website or instagram she would want to share?
Wow, you hit the mail on the head again! I so appreciate your weekly writing because it’s a good reminder that I’m normal. I found myself nodding my head and saying yes, yes, yes! Thanks again Adrian!
You're so welcome, Chris! Thank you for reading - I can't tell you how much I value your support in my endeavor