The Memory of Trauma in the Body

Keith hadn’t thought about his father in many years. Though he had some good times with his dad, one of his most vivid memories was not so good. He was 10 years old and his father was determined to teach him how to dive. He remembers feeling pressured to get on the diving board and just do it. He remembers trying, really trying but he just couldn’t take the plunge. “Let’s go, boy,” his dad yelled. “Just do it. Don’t be a wimp! It’s no big deal. Jump!” Keith wished it was no big deal, but for him it was. He felt terrified as he listened to his dad shouting and saw the other kids staring. But he could only stand there, his limbs frozen, his heart pounding. When the lifeguard told him to get down from the diving board his father launched into a tirade. “What’s the matter with you boy? If you can’t even jump, you’ll never amount to anything. What’s wrong with you?” He remembers the tirade going on and on with his head hung low as he tried unsuccessfully to stifle his tears.   Now decades later, Keith faced a totally different situation, yet his body responded as though it were the same. Keith just discovered that the job promotion he’d been expecting had gone to someone else. That was bad enough. But when he told his wife, her words hit him like a punch in the gut. “I can’t believe it! You’ll never get ahead if you don’t speak up. Be proactive or you’ll never be successful!” It wasn’t only Keith’s brain that had stored the memory ...
Source: World of Psychology - Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Tags: PTSD Trauma Breathing Exercise Childhood Trauma Memory Post Traumatic Stress stress reduction Source Type: blogs