Tuesday, August 16, 2011

From Fragmented Memory to Coherent Narrative

Scientific discovery is very much detective work.

There are bits of evidence that form a pattern, that are linked somehow.  Researchers try to test bits of reality and theorists try to put it together into a coherent whole.

Coherence and wholeness is an important theme.
"...previous interventions did not systematically address what may be one of the major etiological (causal) factors in PTSD: the manner in which traumatic events are processed in memory (Siegel, 1995).
Important clues from other clinical studies reveal some ways in which prognosis may be improved. Foa, Molnal, and Kashman (1995) showed that among PTSD victims of rape undergoing flooding therapy, an increasingly organized description of their trauma was associated with a better prognosis.
In studies using writing as a form of trauma disclosure, Pennebaker and Francis (1996) and Pennebaker (1996) found a positive correlation between number of words reflecting insight or causality and health improvements.
Another set of studies provides further clues concerning the nature in which trauma is encoded and processed. Specifically, van der Kolk and Fisler (1995) found that unlike nontraumatic but mildly stressful memories, traumatic memories were recalled as sensory, affective, and fragmented information.
Finally, a recent (not yet published) study found that the comprehensibility subscale of the sense of coherence (perceived order and predictability of events), explained a great proportion of the variance in PTSD symptoms (Luszczynska-Cieslak, personal communications, August 2000).
The congruence in the findings reviewed above supports theoretical contentions (Siegel, 1995; van der Kolk, 1994; van der Kolk & Fisler, 1995) that traumatic information is encoded mainly in a somatosensory, affective, nonlinguistic, and relatively uncontrolled fragmented memory.
Prevention or reduction of PTSD intensity may need to focus on shifting the processing of traumatic information from affective, somatosensory, and uncontrollable fragmented memory processes to linguistic, controllable, and more cognitive memory processes.
This processing shift may not be achieved by all interventions that include emotional ventilation or debriefing alone. This processing shift may be achieved by providing chronological organization and causality to patients’ memory, together with cognitive labeling of their somatic and affective reactions. Such techniques may enhance control over uncontrollable memory processes typical of PTSD."

What is oral history and traditions, but storytelling?  A way to transmit culture - to pass on the lessons learned by our parents and ancestors.  And yet, it may also be the way that cultural or family trauma is made sense of as stories are repeated - shaped so there is an order to them, with a beginning, middle and end - and showing cause and effect. 

As painful as it feels, as cruel as it may sound, we have to tell the stories, all the stories, and make sense of them.  In this way, we understand ourselves, our people, our experiences, and begin to heal.  And begin to sleep easier without old monsters chasing us into the night.

It may begin as baby steps.  

First, doing whatever makes us feel stronger - taking good care of ourselves through food that loves our body, movement that loves our body, relationships that love our mind-body-spirit.  

Then, finding healers that ground our spirit and energy - massage therapists, acupuncturists, chiropractors, energy healers, curanderas, sobadoras, ministers/priests/rabbis/shamans/religious leaders, and so many others out there with gifts to facilitate our healing.  Because we are meant to heal.  It is our birthright.  We are loved.

Then, a little at a time, using whatever form feels safest and familiar - a dance that communicates the story, a song, figures in a sand tray, a poem, journal writing for 15 minutes a day over 4 days (as Pennebaker did with study participants), whatever your creative spirit can imagine. 

Then, we start to feel whole, integrated, acknowledging and accepting the good and the bad. Calm in knowing we are competent and loveable.  It's going to be okay.  We will figure it out.  We are not alone.  There are others with us - from the past and in the present.  The generous Universe poised to conspire in our favor.

Article excerpt from:  Translating Research Findings to PTSD Prevention: Results of a Randomized–Controlled Pilot Study by Yori Gidron, Reuven Gal, Sara Freedman, Irit Twiser, Ari Lauden, Yoram Snir, Jonathan Benjamin in Journal of Traumatic Stress, Vol. 14, No. 4, 2001.

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