Trauma Informatics and Somatic Healing Lecture Notes

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering the neurobiology of trauma, somatic treatment modalities, autonomic nervous system responses, and the impact of systemic and vicarious trauma.

Nervous System Dysregulation

The core of trauma, characterized by unprocessed survival energy being held within the body rather than just the memory.

Peter Levine's Definition of Trauma

A result of an incomplete biological response to a threat rather than the event itself.

The Body Keeps the Score

A concept emphasized by Van der Kolk stating that trauma reshapes brain perception and stays in the body even without verbal expression.

Implicit Memory

Unconscious, nonverbal memory systems where trauma is primarily stored, manifesting as sensory and somatic experiences like body sensations, emotions, or posture.

Explicit Memory

Conscious, verbal memory subdivided into semantic (facts) and episodic (timeline) memory, which is often impaired by trauma.

Bottom-up Processing

The primary pathway in trauma where sensory input from the body and environment is processed by the survival centers of the brain before reaching the rational, thinking parts.

Top-down Processing

The process where the rational brain (prefrontal cortex) attempts to regulate the emotional and physical responses of the body.

Sympathetic Nervous System (SNS)

The 'ON/GO' mode of the autonomic nervous system responsible for activation and mobilization (fight/flight), characterized by increased heart rate and muscle tension.

Parasympathetic Nervous System (PNS)

The 'OFF/SHUTDOWN' mode responsible for rest and digestion; in trauma, it can manifest as dorsal vagal activation leading to numbing, dissociation, and collapse.

Window of Tolerance

A key term referring to the zone where a person can effectively manage and process emotions; trauma narrows this tolerance, making small stresses feel overwhelming.

Hyperarousal

A state of 'too much' activation involving anxiety, anger, and hypervigilance.

Hypoarousal

A state of 'too little' activation involving numbing, shutdown, and dissociation.

Orienting Response

A natural nervous system function of scanning the environment for safety; curiosity signals safety while hypervigilance signals threat.

Titration

The somatic therapy practice of working with traumatic material in very small, manageable increments.

Pendulation

A technique moving the client's attention between a place of safety or resource and a place of activation.

Thwarted Responses

Interrupted biological survival actions that arise during a threat but cannot be completed, leading to trapped energy.

Renegotiation

The process of revisiting trauma responses in a safe, gradual, and controlled way to allow the body to complete survival responses.

DARVO

An acronym coined by Jennifer J. Freyd for a perpetrator's response: Deny the behavior, Attack the victim's credibility, and Reverse Victim and Offender.

Weathering

The biological 'wear and tear' on the body caused by chronic stress, leading to higher physical health issues in communities of color due to systemic racism.

Racialized Trauma

Cumulative psychological injury resulting from ongoing experiences of racism and systemic oppression, manifesting as a physiological traumatic stressor.

Vicarious Trauma (VT)

The internal transformation and shift in world-view (e.g., 'the world is unsafe') occurring in therapists due to empathetic engagement with clients’ trauma.

Vicarious Posttraumatic Growth (VPTG)

Positive psychological changes experienced as a result of working with trauma survivors, such as a stronger sense of purpose and deeper empathy.

Compassion Fatigue

Emotional exhaustion from caring for others, distinct from vicarious trauma's cognitive schema changes.

EMDR

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing; an evidence-based modality developed by Francine Shapiro that uses bilateral stimulation to help the brain 'file trauma in the past.'

Cultural Humility

An active, lifelong practice of self-critique and addressing power imbalances, moving beyond the concept of 'competence.'

The ‘Voo’ Sound

A low-frequency vocalization used in classrooms to vibrate the chest and belly, stimulating the vagus nerve to move a child out of a high-stress state.

Agency

The restoration of choice, pacing, and bodily autonomy in trauma treatment.

Adaptive Substance Use

The understanding that substance use often begins as a survival strategy to regulate a nervous system the individual cannot otherwise stabilize.

Proprioception Tools

The use of 'heavy work' like carrying books or pushing against a wall to help a child feel the boundaries of their own body.

Posttraumatic Growth (PTG)

Positive individual transformation after healing, predicted most strongly by active coping, social support, and meaning-making rather than trauma severity.