a unique approach to understanding trauma
TRANSCRIPT
A Unique Approach to Understanding and Treating
Trauma
Jesse Hanson MA, PhD, RPClinical Director, Helix Healthcare Group
To clearly define trauma To develop a more comprehensive understanding of the
physical, cognitive and emotional impact of trauma on mental health
To understand how neuroscience has influenced our approach to trauma
To learn about effective and unique strategies for treating trauma
Objectives
Acute:◦ Activation of the fight-or-flight
response◦ Increased cortisol and
norepinepherine◦ Tachycardia◦ Shutting down of the prefrontal
cortex
Chronic:◦ Hyperarousal, agitation◦ Insomnia, nightmares◦ Heightened startle response◦ Fatigue◦ HPA axis dysregulation◦ Cortisol mediated brain changes◦ Chronic pain◦ Obesity◦ Hypertension, CVD
Physical Impact of Trauma
Acute◦ Derealization and
perceptual changes◦ Dissociation, detachment◦ Anxiety◦ Social isolation, withdrawal◦ Guilt, shame, self-blame
Chronic◦ Depression, hopelessness◦ Panic attacks◦ Difficulty maintaining
relationships◦ Substance abuse◦ Self destructive behaviours◦ Impulse control issues◦ Inability to make healthy
choices
Psychological Impact of Trauma
Acute:◦ Stress response involving the
amygdala, hippocampus and prefrontal cortex
◦ Singular, hyper focus on stressor
Chronic:◦ Intrusive thoughts◦ Difficulty concentrating◦ Enhanced fear conditioning◦ Impaired working memory◦ Impaired spatial and pattern
pattern recognition◦ Smaller hippocampal and
anterior cingulate volumes◦ Increased amygdala function◦ Decreased medial prefrontal
cortex function
Cognitive Impact of Trauma
Psychotherapy Cognitive processing Somatic processing Eye-movement desensitization and reprocessing Acupuncture Hypnotherapy Sound therapy
Effective Techniques for Treating Trauma
University of Toronto’s Music and Health Research Collaboratory (MaHRC) looking into Vibroacoustic Therapy (VAT)◦ VAT uses low frequency sounds who’s vibration essentially
creates a type of sound massage◦MaHRC is exploring the medical effects of low frequency
sound in reducing the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease◦ Find impact goes beyond the brain, providing deep physical
cellular stimulation to skin, muscles and joints, resulting in decreased pain and increased mobility
Sound Therapy
British Academy of Sound Therapy research findings:◦ 95% of clients suffering from stress-related disorders reported
increased calmness and following treatment◦ Those receiving sound therapy showed statistically significant
reductions in arousal of the autonomic nervous system (as measured by stress response monitors) compared to control group
Multiple studies suggesting that sound therapy has a deeply calming effect on the nervous system
Trauma and Sound Therapy
Physiological effects◦ Krumhansl (1991) – Examined physiological correlations of
anxiety by measuring heart rate before and after music therapy intervention
◦ Gomez & Danuser (2007) – Found significant correlations between musical structure (tempo, pitch, melody) and psychophysiological responses (anxiety, relaxation, excitement)
◦ Lingham & Theorell (2009) – Found that stimulating music increased heart rate and respiratory rate and decreased expiratory CO2
My PhD Research Findings
Neurological effects◦ Gaynor (1999) – Music therapy creates sound vibrations that
affect the body at a cellular level◦ Schore (2001) – Accessing the right hemisphere of the brain
facilitates health and balancing of psychological states◦ Hanson (2010) – Music and sound affect the right hemisphere
of the brain◦ Brattico & Pearce (2013) – Different parts of the brain are
activated with listening to different types of music
My PhD Research Findings
The instruments vibrate in a way that activates the right and left brain in a back and forth pattern called binaural frequency, which is essential for healing and theta brain states.
416.921.2273 (CARE)www.helixhealthcaregroup.com
For More Information …
Bremner, Douglas. Traumatic stress: effects on the brain. Clin Neurosci. 2006;8(4):445-461.
Majer, Matthias. Association of childhood trauma with cognitive function in healthy adults: a pilot study. BMC Neurology. 2010;10:61.
McFARLANE AC. The long-term costs of traumatic stress: intertwined physical and psychological consequences. World Psychiatry. 2010;9(1):3-10.
McNally, RJ. Psychological mechanisms in acute response to trauma. Biol Psychiatry. 2003;53(9):779-88.
Nayyar, Anjum. Good vibrations: using sound to treat disease. U of T News. 2012.
References