Hyperarousal

During times of conflict or stress,

we experience symptoms such as increased heartbeat and breathing,

agitation,

difficulty sleeping,

tension,

muscular jitteriness,

racing thoughts,

or perhaps anxiety attacks.

Though not always indicative of traumatic symptoms,

these signs are usually due to some form of hyperarousal.

If hyperarousal,

constriction,

dissociation,

and a sense of helplessness form the core of the traumatic reaction,

then hyperarousal is the seed in that core.

Whenever a heightened internal arousal occurs,

it is primarily an indication that the body is summoning its energetic resources to mobilize against a potential threat.

When the situation is serious enough to threaten an organism’s very survival,

the amount of energy mobilized is much higher than that mobilized for any other situation in our lives.

Unfortunately,

even when we know that we need to discharge the aroused energy,

doing so is not always easy.

Like many instinctual processes,

hyperarousal cannot be voluntarily controlled.

When we respond to a life-threatening situation,

hyperarousal is initially accompanied by constriction in our bodies and perceptions.

The nervous system acts to ensure that all our efforts can be focused on the threat in a maximally optimal way.

Constriction alters a person’s breathing,

muscle tone,

and posture.

Blood vessels in the skin,

extremities,

and viscera constrict so that more blood is available to the muscles which are tensed and prepared to take defensive action.

#PTSD