Stress & Trauma

Watch

• The psychology of post-traumatic stress disorder - Joelle Rabow Maletis ↗TED-Ed
• How stress affects your body - Sharon Horesh Bergquist ↗TED-Ed
• Understanding PTSD's Effects on Brain, Body, and Emotions | Janet Seahorn | TEDxCSU ↗TEDx Talks
• Trauma on the Brain: The Neurobiological Effects of PTSD | Daisy Payton | TEDxMeritAcademy ↗TEDx Talks
• DR. GABOR MATE: THE 7 IMPACTS OF TRAUMA ↗Wholehearted
• How Trauma and PTSD Change the Brain ↗Therapy in a Nutshell

Read

• The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma ↗Essential reading for understanding trauma's pervasive impact on brain, mind, and body, and the path to recovery.Bessel van der Kolk
• Trauma and Recovery: The Aftermath of Violence—From Domestic Abuse to Political Terror ↗A seminal work defining the nature of psychological trauma and the stages of healing, from individual suffering to societal implications.Judith Herman
• Man's Search for Meaning ↗A profound testament to human resilience, demonstrating the power of meaning and purpose in surviving unimaginable suffering.Viktor Frankl
• When the Body Says No: Understanding the Stress-Disease Connection ↗Explores the intricate connection between emotional stress, trauma, and chronic physical illness, urging a holistic view of health.Gabor Maté
• Relationship of Childhood Abuse and Household Dysfunction to Many of the Leading Causes of Death in Adults. The Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Study.A groundbreaking epidemiological study revealing the profound, long-term health and social consequences of early life adversity.Vincent J. Felitti, Robert F. Anda et al.
• The Neurobiology of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: From Predisposition to RecoveryA concise overview of the neurobiological underpinnings of PTSD, offering insights into its mechanisms and potential therapeutic targets.Rachel Yehuda and Amy Lehrner

Voices to follow

• Bessel van der Kolk ↗His work profoundly explores how trauma reshapes both mind and body, advocating for holistic treatment approaches.Psychiatrist and trauma researcher; Medical Director, Trauma Center at Justice Resource Institute
• Gabor Maté ↗He compellingly links early childhood trauma and societal pressures to chronic illness and addiction in adulthood.Physician, author, and speaker specializing in addiction, trauma, and childhood development
• Judith Herman ↗A pioneering voice, she articulated the stages of trauma recovery and the concept of complex PTSD, shaping modern understanding.Psychiatrist and Professor of Clinical Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School
• Stephen Porges ↗His Polyvagal Theory offers a neurobiological framework for understanding the physiological responses to stress and trauma.Distinguished University Scientist, Indiana University; Professor of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina

Glossary

• AnxietyAnxiety is a feeling of worry, nervousness, or unease, typically about an event with an uncertain outcome. It's like stress but often involves more persistent feelings of dread or fear. For example, if you constantly worry about what others think of you, even in everyday situations, you might be experiencing anxiety.
• Coping MechanismsCoping mechanisms are the ways you deal with difficult feelings or situations. They can be healthy ways to manage stress or unhealthy habits that make things worse. For example, listening to music or talking to a friend are healthy coping mechanisms when you're feeling down.
• Fight-or-Flight ResponseThis is your body's automatic reaction to a perceived threat, preparing you to either confront the danger (fight) or run away from it (flight). It's an ancient survival instinct. For example, if a dog suddenly barks loudly at you, your heart might race, and you might feel a sudden urge to either stand your ground or quickly move away.
• Panic AttackA panic attack is a sudden, intense episode of fear that comes with strong physical symptoms like a racing heart, shortness of breath, dizziness, or feeling like you're losing control. It usually happens very quickly and can be very frightening. For example, someone might suddenly feel their chest tighten and struggle to breathe, even when there's no real danger present.
• PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder)PTSD is a mental health condition that can develop after someone experiences or witnesses a very shocking, scary, or dangerous event. People with PTSD might have flashbacks, nightmares, or severe anxiety long after the event. For example, a person who was in a serious car accident might later have nightmares about it and avoid driving.
• ResilienceResilience is your ability to bounce back and recover from tough times, challenges, or stress. It means being able to adapt and keep going even after experiencing difficulties. For example, if you fail a test but study harder and do better next time, you're showing resilience.
• Self-careSelf-care means taking deliberate actions to protect your own physical, mental, and emotional health and well-being. It's about making sure you look after yourself. For example, getting enough sleep, eating healthy food, or spending time on hobbies you enjoy are all forms of self-care.
• StressStress is how your body reacts when you feel pressured or threatened. It's a normal feeling that can make you feel worried or tense. For example, before a big exam, you might feel stress, causing your heart to beat faster and your palms to sweat.
• TraumaTrauma is a deep emotional wound caused by a very scary, shocking, or dangerous event. It can make someone feel unsafe and have lasting effects on their mind and body. For example, experiencing a natural disaster like a flood could be a traumatic event for someone.
• TriggerA trigger is anything (a sight, sound, smell, or even a thought) that reminds someone of a past traumatic event and can cause strong emotional or physical reactions. It "triggers" a memory or feeling. For example, the smell of smoke might be a trigger for someone who experienced a house fire.

Threads 6

Where this connects to other fields, and why it's worth knowing.

• Stoicism Philosophy

  The Stoics said: only worry about what you can control, and let the rest go. Turns out that's measurable in your body. Constantly stressing over things you can't change floods you with cortisol, a stress hormone that wears the body down. Letting go literally saves you that chemical toll.

• Complexity & Emergence Science

  Healing from trauma doesn't just rewind you back to normal; the way out is different from the way in. That's why the same bad event can leave deep scars on one person and barely mark another, depending on what they went through before.

• Student Mental Health Education

  Nonstop exam stress keeps a teen's body flooded with the stress hormone cortisol. That happens in the exact years the brain is still wiring itself up. So a bad grade isn't just a number; it lands on you as real physical strain.

• Narrative & Storytelling Literature

  After something horrible, the memory can feel like scattered, jagged fragments. Therapy helps partly by forcing it into a story, beginning, who, what happened, how it ended. The same shape that makes any tale make sense is what lets your mind finally mark the trauma as over.

• Materials Science Science

  Psychologists borrowed the word "resilience" from metal-testing, and the comparison is scarily accurate. Small repeated stresses can either toughen a metal or secretly build up until it snaps with no warning. Minds under repeated strain can do exactly the same two things.

• Autonomous Weapons Technology

  Drone pilots sit in a safe room thousands of miles from any battlefield. Yet they get PTSD at rates like frontline soldiers. That proves trauma comes from what you do, not from where your body happens to be.