New research has found a specific change in brain chemistry due to trauma. An article on Medscape.com says:
“Lower serotonin 1B levels were also strongly associated with age at first trauma. The earlier the trauma exposure, the greater the brain alterations and the greater the severity of PTSD symptoms, and the greater the risk of developing comorbidities,” senior author Alexander Neumeister, MD, associate professor of psychiatry at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City, told Medscape Medical News.
“These findings establish that trauma at a young age causes long-lasting neurobiological and psychological effects in survivors with PTSD. In other words, early-life trauma can interfere with normal brain development,” he said.
The article is somewhat technical, but lay readers like us can pretty much follow what is being discussed. To read the story, you need to register for Medscape.com, which is free.
Read Potential new drug target for PTSD on Medscape.com.
Link supplied by a Lovefraud reader.
Thank you Tea Light and fight,
I appreciate your support so much!!! No,I do not have my granddaughter.When my daughter picked up my med,she cleaned up her daughter’s messes and took her home.I am fine now.Three days back on the med. 🙂 I wasn’t trying to wean myself off of it.I had changed pharmacies recently,and for some reason,the former one must have still had a refill, and filled it without notifying me,or delivering it!So with the confusion caused,I went 4 days without a very important med!Now that I am feeling better,I can enjoy the sunshine and warmer temps!Just in time,too!Rain expected Sunday and Monday.Also,tomorrow,stringent cleansing for medical procedure on Monday.Looking forward to Tuesday already,lol! 🙂
fight,
You can mention authors and sources of help here.I’m interested.
I somehow realized that while I was so jittery,I had to “release”.But I didn’t cry because I didn’t want to worry my little granddaughter.She is too grownup as it is.She has seen her own mother do alot of crying.Once I pulled her to me and gave her a bear hug,knowing that as much as her presence was causing added tension,she wasn’t the REAL PROBLEM!That night(before getting my med)I held my puppy close.She already sensed that I needed comfort.I slept well.
Here are the books that have been most helpful to me:
Jon Kabat-Zinn. He has written many books and his most recent are about Mindfulness breathing and paying attention to both mind and body. I am working through Mindfulness for Depression book and CD and also listen to his Mindfulness for Pain CDs.
Peter Levine. Top expert for trauma recovery. I read several other books and when I read his, it was as if he was reading my PTSD mind.
Patricia Evans. Groundbreaking books about all types of abuse, how the abusive person lives in a different reality than we do (a fantasy sociopath one in my opinion) which she explains and compares to our normal, equal, respect, and love driven reality. She also has many, many suggestions about how to stop some of the abusive statements and take care of yourself.
Those are my top three for Depression, PTSD, and Abuse. Jon Kabat-Zinn is my best choice in the moment because he is teaching me how to change my mind and body chemistry. The Amygdala and the Hippocampus can both be changed back with time and effort and that is what I am trying to do. I give these books and especially the Mindfulness guidance CDs full credit for my becoming more realistic about my current spath situation.
I am glad you are better today. I misunderstood your intention with your medication. No wonder you were on edge. Four days is a long time to be without something that is helpful to you.
blossom4th….
just wanted to stop by after reading some of the previous posts above and say my heart is saddened to read all you have been through and all you are still struggling with ….i will keep you in my prayers tonight…….you have great support here and i can see the wonderful friends…….and angels who stand by you here…….fightforwhatsright and tealight.
fightforwhatsright,
Thank you so much for the list of authors and the material they’ve written!I’m anxious to look for it!I’m also going to mention it to my counselor on Wednesday.
lifting the veil,
Thank you for stopping by and lending your support!Each and everyone’s support means so much! 🙂
We can help each other here and I thank those whom have put this site together. I have looked at one of the videos here and I should probably get the book. We KNOW each other because of our similar experiences and that really is priceless for people like me who have a hard time leaving my home and often have to choose between a co=pay or groceries.
fightforwhatsright,
I googled for info about the authors you listed.I watched videos too.I caught an expression that Patricia Evans used in one of her videos that really defines what I experienced;”physic rape”.It’s just a relief,it’s validating to know that there actually is a term that explains what I went through.I always felt like I was “raped of my being”.To have someone verbally attack you more times than could ever be counted,publicly humiliate you,then laugh at you and then have the audacity to tell you what you’re thinking and whether or not you’re hurt!And times when I was really ill,he’d tell me I wasn’t.
Patricia Evans’ book, “The Verbally Abusive Relationship: How to Recognize It and How to Respond” was groundbreaking. I believe it is now in its second edition. I highly recommend it. She has written books that also include how to figure out if your partner will do the work required to change as well as books about recovery from being with them.
My best suggestion to someone out of the relationship and trying to get over the damage, I would say to read, “The Verbally Abusive Relationship” first for the kind of validation you received from some of her words and then reading her newest “Victory Over Verbal Abuse.”
I have added the latest edition of the Lovefraud book written by our host here to my wish list and hope to get it the next time I have enough other items to get free shipping.
fightforwhatsright
Thanks for those titles,I wrote them down.
I found another excellent link about PTSD: http://www.helpguide.org/mental/post_traumatic_stress_disorder_symptoms_treatment.htm
I just bought a book called “Retraining the Brain” by Dr Frank Lawlis. good read so far….
I found this link by going back into the archives.It goes into Stockholm syndrome,cognitive dissonance,etc.It’s important that we understand what has happened to our emotions. http://abusesanctuary.blogspot.com/
Stockholm Syndrome is fascinating and I’ll bet most of us whom have been abused by spaths, have had that reaction repeatedly.
Serenity: I would be very interested to hear what you think about “Retraining the Brain.” That is one I haven’t heard of and it sounds promising.