Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Clear Description of PTSD


one could say that in PTSD, the "emotional brain" assumes dominance over the "rational brain".

The reason appears to be the failure of the Hippocampus to create abstract verbal representations that inhibit the brain's access to sensory-perceptual recollections of the traumatic event (Conway & Pearce, Psychological Review, 2000).


When the brain is overwhelmed, the hippocampus shuts down. Not only does it fail to turn the trauma into words that can be processed after the event, but during the event, that shutdown impairs critical thinking. Ever hear about an event and wondered why so-and-so didn't just...whatever? They're not stupid. It's a brain thing. And, Mr./Ms. Armchair Quarterback, yours works the same way.

Source: http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/recovering-trauma/201008/post-traumatic-stress

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