Neuroplasticity: What You Need to Know in PTSD Recovery – Posted on March 20, 2013 – By Michele Rosenthal
PTSD recovery can be a long, painful journey. When our sense of fundamental safety is shattered, our brains wire to accommodate. So, how do we undo that auto-response that alerts us to dangers that are no longer threatening?
We repeatedly create opportunities to allow our brains an alternate experience of safety, pleasure and calmness. Our brains can become damaged by negative experience AND they repair through positive experience. We know that whatever we focus on, we’re going to feel. That short term or immediate outcome leads to the more systemic brain adaptation So CHOOSE CAREFULLY WHAT YOU FOCUS ON.
Start firing neurons associated with positive experiences and you will start strengthening those neuronal structures in your brain, which can deeply impact your recovery process. It is a simple and accurate premise that turns out, often, to require ferocious tenacity. It’s worth it.