Hormone Stress Cascade during Severely Stressful or Traumatic Events
1. Hypothalamus is activated by messages from nervous system or blood stream during a “stressful event” and it releases CRH which initiates the fight-flight response.
2. Corticotrophin-releasing hormone (CRH) is a polypeptide hormone secreted by the hypothalamus into the pituitary portal system where it triggers the release of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) from the pituitary gland. During stress it surrounds the pituitary gland which then releases ACTH.
3. Adrenocorticotropic Hormone (ACTH) stimulates the adrenal glands to release Cortisol and Adrenalin
4. Cortisol and Adrenalin increase heart rate and metabolic rate
ACTH - Adrenocorticotropic Hormone
ACTH stimulates the adrenal cortex of adrenal gland to secrete glucocorticoids. Most important of glucocorticoids is cortisol which mobilizes body’s resources by increasing energy and decreasing inflammation especially in injuries.
ACTH triggers “survival hormones” during the stressful event especially Cortisol until the threat is removed.
With long-term stress or constantly repeating triggers such as with re-experiencing the hormone release does not shut down
Cortisol
Cortisol is an aging hormone
Elevated amounts of Cortisol damages the hippocampus which results in accelerated aging responses throughout the body.
An elevated amount of Cortisol leads to depression and feelings of fatigue
Hippocampus
The Hippocampus is involved in learning and memory
Damage to the hippocampus causes memory problems and interferes in new learning and even current memory.
Victims of PTSD have been found to have smaller hippocampuses-the more memory problems they had the smaller was their hippocampus
Adults who have been severely physically and/or sexually abused have similar memory problems with reduced hippocampus
Smaller hippocampus does result in dissociative symptoms-greatest decrease in volume of the hippocampus correlates to most pronounced symptoms of dissociation
Depression is also associated with reduced hippocampus size
Bilateral response of brain to stress and trauma
Major stress and trauma are right side of brain activity – rich in images of the stressor and trauma
The left side of the brain which involves talking shuts down in severe stress and trauma. The bracus area of the brain on the left side of the brain becomes unresponsive under severe stress and trauma and individuals are heard to say: “I don’t have words to tell you what I have experienced.”
There is a need to help both sides of the brain to recover from the stress and trauma so there is a need for bilateral processing similar to used in EMDR
It is important to realize that humans use their body to help their brain think through things and to process the stress and trauma
