Why They Can’t Stop: The Brain, Trauma, and the Power of Breathwork
Have you ever known or loved someone who can’t seem to break free from self destructive behaviors? Despite efforts to change they either can’t see the cost to their behaviors or simply can’t stop.
Why does this happen? Why do well meaning people find it so difficult to change?
How Trauma Rewires the Brain
No matter how big or small we might think a traumatic experience to be—each traumatic experience disrupts our lives, it impacts how we see the world. Altering the way the brain responds to every day experiences. The more trauma a person experiences, the deeper this rewiring goes.
This rewiring of the brain can lead to destructive behaviors like hypervigilance or avoidance. Understanding how the brain works–how these neural patterns and the role of breathwork in interrupting them can be a crucial link for individuals seeking healing and recovery.
The Brain’s Role in Hypervigilance and Avoidance
Trauma can deeply affect the brain's structure and function, particularly in areas responsible for processing threats and regulating emotions. Here's how it happens:
The Hyperactive Amygdala:
The amygdala, a region deep within the brain, acts as our internal alarm system. When working properly, the system should turn on and off as stressful experiences come and go. When the nervous system experiences repeated trauma, it can become hypersensitive. The nervous system gets locked in the “on” position. It’s constantly scanning the environment wondering what bad is going to happen next. Experiencing everyday stimuli as potential threats.
What it sounds like
As this person’s friend or loved one–you might notice a variety of maladaptive behaviors. Constant negativity. Always seeing the bad. Never the good. Nit picking and correcting. Perhaps overworking or being unable to rest. They might be cranky and unable to deal with small struggles without a full melt down.
The Dominos Fall…On An Overwhelmed Prefrontal Cortex:
The amygdala not only stays on, but it demands ACTION. NOW. This problem must be solved, and that job is done by the prefrontal cortex.
The prefrontal cortex is the part of our brains that are responsible for problem solving, decision-making and emotional regulation. However, the amygdala on overdrive overwhelms the logic centers of the brain. I’m sure you have experienced this. After spending a day with someone negative, you feel exhausted and shut down. That’s the same thing that happens to our brains.
The prefrontal cortex ceases to problem solve and instead gets stuck in cycles of rumination and overthinking. Stuck in a loop.
What it looks like
You’ll see a person who struggles with managing emotions and making rational choices. Maybe they shut down completely, sleeping a lot, scrolling social media, using drugs, avoiding work and friendships.
They experience feeling out of control. Perhaps trapped in a cycle of constant problems and not enough solutions.
The plans they set up when they were regulated become a distant memory, which leaves their friends and families feeling exhausted. It feels like the support system is working harder than the person they are supporting.
When the prefrontal cortex becomes overstimulated it slacks on the job BIG TIME. Instead of sound decisions, choices they make that they make are based in ruminating fears, not logic and good judgement.
The decisions they make when they are out of control lead to a host of new problems– further stimulating the problem seeking Amygdala.
And the cycle of self destruction continues and no one seems to have any influence to stop it.
The Trap of Rumination and Circular Thinking
Turns out, thinking about your problems non stop doesn’t ACTUALLY solve problems. Why not??
At it’s best the prefrontal cortex at it’s best is an amazing problem solver. But when it’s not working well, it’s also the part of the brain where repetitive thoughts and rumination occurs. The more the brain thinks, worse it functions….causing more problems to think about…further causing more problems.
Repetitive, Circular Breathing Rewires the mind and STOPS Harmful Rumination
Brain scans show elevated blood flow to the prefrontal cortex during rumination. Those same scans show slowed blood flow when the patient focuses on the sensation of breathing..
It’s common for high stress, type A people to attend their first breathwork session or two and experience total inner peace and quiet for the first time.
That’s why a few good deep breaths are enough to calm you down, but a whole breathwork session will slow the busiest of brain so much that they access deep meditation.
How Breathwork Interrupts Trauma Responses
If you have been following Rising Phoenix for long, you have heard me talk about how breathwork can help people who have experienced trauma and you have heard the results from your friends who are experiencing the powerful results. Often they are so drastic it can be hard to believe. The truth is, breathwork offers a powerful solution to these trauma-induced neural patterns. Here's how it works:
1. Regulating the Amygdala:
Conscious, deep breathing signals to the brain that the environment is safe. This, in turn, reduces the amygdala's hyperactivity. Hypervigilance decreases as individuals begin to experience a greater sense of safety.
2. Breathwork can help balance the prefrontal cortex:
Breathwork slows blood flow to the prefrontal cortex, enhances it’s activity, enabling better emotional regulation and decision-making. After attending several sessions individuals report being able to regain control over their emotions, making it easier to face situations that were previously avoided.
3. Breathwork can shifting the Autonomic Nervous System (ANS):
Breathwork emphasizes slow, deep breathing, which can shift the autonomic nervous system from a state of hyperarousal to a calmer, balanced state. This shift is essential for those stuck in a hyper-vigilant, protective mode. Breathwork is a fast way to get your body out of a state of fight or flight and into a state of healing and rest.
The Path to Healing
For individuals trapped in the grip of hypervigilance and avoidance due to trauma, breathwork offers a lifeline to healing. With each consecutive session, they regain control over their stress responses and rewire their neural pathways for more adaptive behavior.
Breath by breath, survivors can dismantle the walls of hypervigilance and avoidance, allowing them to step back into the real world with renewed confidence and a sense of safety. The brain's plasticity, combined with the healing power of conscious breathing, offers a profound opportunity for transformation and recovery.
A Supported Journey
Healing from trauma doesn’t happen overnight. It takes hard work to pull back the layers. If you have experienced trauma it is important to go slow and receive support on your journey. We recommend starting with our Slow Flow Breathwork classes. If you have experienced extreme trauma or have complex PTSD we offer one on one session to help prepare you for a active group breathwork class.
When you are ready to take your healing to the next phase, we offer Breathwork Mastery Series and coming SOON…an on demand Nervous System Regulation Tool Kit that you’ll be able to take with you anytime, anywhere to support yourself in real time.
Ready to Start?
Join our next Slow Flow Breathwork session or complete this form to schedule a private trauma-informed one on one breathwork session.