Trauma, Anxiety and OCD – Part A

Trauma is often the underlying issue with presenting anxiety and or OCD.

Trauma is the result of any powerful adverse experience including abuse and bereavement.

Anxiety can take many forms from disturbed sleep to repetitive thoughts and panic attacks and it can be the root of physical symptom and illnesses too.

In therapy, with exploration, these issues are addressed with Somatic Experiencing and Somatic Techniques, which directly affect the neuroplasticity.

Neuroplasticity involves making new neurological connections, and allowing old problematic ones, in the hippocampi, where the trauma networks are located, to shrivel. In other words, to weaken and lose the synaptic connections between those neurons.

The way in which the neurons bundle together changes, and so therefore do the thought processes. This allows good affect regulation.

What we think about affect how we feel. And here, this knowledge is described in the Bible:
 

“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable- if anything is excellent or praiseworthy- think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me- put into practice. And the God of peace will be with you” Philippians 4 verses 8 and 9.

All Bible quotations are from the NIV.
Susie Scott Kydd. Copyright 2024