Hypervigilance and Sleep Disturbances
Susan Albers, PsyD, says hypervigilance is a heightened state of awareness; your brain’s way of protecting you by scanning the environment for signs of danger and being extremely aware of your surroundings. The amygdala — the part of your brain that’s responsible for managing emotions — is on overdrive. You are constantly in a state of high alert which causes a flood of adrenaline and a slowing down of other body systems. Your frontal cortex – the decision-making center of your brain – gets so overwhelmed that logic and reason do not prevail in the face of a perceived threat. When you live in a narcissistic abusive relationship, you are on high alert for any changes in the tone of voice or a certain look and you immediately dive into “pacifist” mode. You do whatever it takes to not allow this to blow up into a volatile situation.
Survival Tool
In the specific moment of hypervigilant response you can try to calm yourself by grounding yourself in the moment and evaluating whether you are truly in danger at that specific moment. If you are not, then find ways to bring calm to your spirit with music or other relaxation techniques. Seek professional help to deal with this very real and difficult aspect of living with trauma.
Read more in the link below:
0 Comments