Question

List and describe each of the body’s biologic responses to trauma.

Answer 1

Answer:-. When we are under threat or in danger,our bodies  have a system that prepares us to fight or flee from the danger as a way of surviving. Once the brain has detected danger, it signals the bodu  and muscles are then tensed, the heart beats faster and chemicals such as adrenalin are released into the blood.

physical or sexual abuse, an approaching bushfire, or any other extreme threat. Many people question how they reacted to a dangerous
situation, after it happened. Often trauma survivors blame themselves for not acting differently at the time of the trauma and may experience. Our Bodies Reactions to Immediate
When we are under threat or in danger, our bodies have a system that prepares us to fight or flee from the danger as a way of surviving.
Once the brain has detected danger, it signals the body and muscles are then tensed, the heart beats faster and chemicals such as
adrenalin are released into the blood. This response happens in less than a second. This system has kept humans alive from predators for centuries and is the same system that attempts to keep us safe in modern times.
However, when the danger becomes overwhelming, we are terrified and there is no hope of escape, the body ‘shuts down’ and freezes. A person may pass out, go limp or take their mind elsewhere. It is a natural response in situations where humans feel powerless or hopeless. They may not feel the pain of
the attack and may not have clear memories of the event. Memories from trauma are stored in the brain in a different way to other memories so often seem sketchy, confusing and disordered at a later date. The freeze response is not a conscious decision, it is an automatic body response over which we have
no control.All of these reactions are common, normal, automatic and happen for both adults and children. They are
designed for survival- to keep us alive.
When the danger has passed, there is another system in our body that is designed to ‘reset’ itself back to a calm ‘baseline’. The brain tells
the body there is no danger and it can relax now. Different chemicals are released into the blood to calm the system. Yawning, stretching and
sighing are all part of the system to calm the body.
These two systems are designed to work together in our bodies to keep us safe when there is danger and to relax us when we are safe. Our Bodies Reactions over Time
When we are exposed to repeated danger (such as repeated sexual abuse), changes in the brain occur and the fear response can become
‘trapped’ in our body. The brain can become ‘stuck on’, expecting something bad to happen, constantly looking out for danger and preparing
the body to fight or flee. This can show up as anxiety, panic attacks, , chronic pain and other challenges.Or a person can become ‘stuck off’, which means the brain and body shut down. This can appear as depression, lethargy, exhaustion,
chronic fatigue and other symptoms.
Some people can stay either stuck on high alert or stuck off, while others can constantly swing between being stuck on high alert to shutting
off. All of these can be exhausting.
Small, everyday things in the environment can ‘trigger’ the brain into a fight-flight-freeze trauma
response. A trigger is a reminder of the original danger. It is like the original trauma is happening all over again. Different people are triggered by different things. Some things are more predictable as triggers.

For example, someone who was sexually abused as a child may find having a medical examination of their body to be a trigger. Other triggers are less obvious. A trigger can be a sound, a smell, a time of year, certain words, being in a room alone with someone, physical touch or a range of
other things. Being triggered can cause someone to f, to Flee or to freeze. They can react as if the original trauma is happening, even if there is no danger at all. It is an unconscious response and out of the person’s control. It can be frightening for both the person experiencing it and any onlookers, particularly for those who don’t understand how trauma affects the brain and the body.
Living life in this traumatised state can be both exhausting and debilitating too. Many people turn to drugs and alcohol or other self-harming acts to try to cope. These attempts often res

Biological responses to trauma and the development of intrusive memories. Cortisol is stress-reactive and influences brain regions involved in memory processing.The conditioning of biological emergency responses following traumatic experiences may account for the biphasic trauma response, and the accompanying memory disturbances.