Healing Stress and Trauma

Our stress response is regulated by something called the HPA axis, which involves the hypothalamus and the pituitary in the brain, and the adrenal glands above the kidneys. This system is responsible for secreting cortisol and also for regulating cortisol production so that it is not too high or too low. Calibration of the HPA axis occurs in utero and during a short period of time after birth, and it is further impacted by traumatic events that occur later in life. If the level is set too high, your brain interprets every stimulus as a threat and keeps you in a state of alertness. In this situation, people may feel easily triggered and chronically anxious or irritable.

Responses to stress vary according to the type of threat and the person experiencing it. We can break responses down into a few basic types: Face, Fight, Flight, Freeze, and Fright. (Most people have characteristics of several types, as we are shaped by many circumstances, and there are additional responses as well.) Depending on the setting, a response can have positive or negative characteristics. The response is positive if it is in proportion to the stressor and helps us make our way out of trouble. The response is negative if it is too little or too great in relation to the stressor, and if it makes us less effective in meeting the challenge posed to us. We need our stress response to be just right.

Our stress responses were designed for short term problems that are resolved quickly, not for stress that carries on for months or years. When the “fight or flight” system is chronically triggered, this can result in burn-out, anxiety, and depression. Our bodies have no chance to reset when the stress does not end. In addition, responses to traumatic events can cause physiological changes that linger long past the time the trauma has ended, causing symptoms such as flashbacks, dissociation, hallucinations, fears, and self-harm. The good news is that our stress response can be retrained and both mind and body can release stored trauma if given the right support.