An ancient mechanism in a modern world 

For 90 percent of human existence, people were nomadic hunter-gatherers and a middling link in the food chain. The world of your ancestors was a perilous place and so they evolved the ability to fight, flee, and freeze to survive threats - and this automatic response remains your biological legacy. 

Your nervous system’s automatic responses: Fight/flight and freeze

• Fight or Flight: You’re hyper-alert for danger and ready to defend yourself or run away. This presents as an elevated heart-rate, tense muscles, and surging levels of cortisol and adrenaline. 

• Freeze: When the threat seems inescapable, your body protects itself by numbing out. This manifests as brain fog, heavy limbs, and a sense of disconnection from yourself and your surroundings. 

If you’ve experienced a terrifying or devastating event, then it’s normal to remain in a subdued version of these states for a few weeks afterwards. But if you feel like you’re still “stuck” there months or years later, then this is the physiological echo known as trauma. 

Many triggers, one alarm

Trauma can result from physical threats like a violent attack or sudden accident as well as from emotional injuries like a painful breakup or social rejection. Because our ancestors relied on the tribe for survival, abandonment was once as deadly as any predator, and nowadays your body doesn’t always distinguish between physical and emotional threats. Symptoms of trauma can include: 

• Reliving the Moment: Intrusive memories or dreams wherein past events feel like a present-day crisis. 

• Hyper Reactivity: Feeling constantly on edge, being easily startled, or experiencing sudden bursts of disproportionate irritability.

• Physiological Burnout: Constant fatigue and brain fog that make motivation and focus seem impossible. 

• Social Disconnect: Feeling out of sync with the people around you or having the urge to isolate yourself because connection feels draining or even unsafe. 

• Distraction and Numbing: Distracting yourself with work, digital devices, and unhealthy coping strategies to avoid feelings of distress. 

Recalibrating your nervous system

Just because you’re experiencing the effects of trauma doesn’t mean that you’re doomed to be stuck in the past forever. In a safe and judgement-free environment, we’ll utilize scientifically-backed methods to help your nervous system recognize that the crisis is over. This isn’t just about talking, although we’ll do that too - this is about changing your biological response to the world around you. 

• EMDR: We’ll use eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) to stimulate your brain’s natural healing mechanisms so that you can integrate the negative memory in an adaptive way. 

• Physiological Tools: We’ll apply practical exercises designed to help you stabilize your nervous system, whether you need to calm a sense of panic or re-engage when you feel shut-down.

Let’s work together to help ground you in the present and put your past behind you. Fill out the form below, email me at sue@suebedfordpsychotherapy.com or click here to book a session.