Mechanics of Stress and Trauma
Understanding the mechanics of stress is of great use when you want to offer TTT to somebody. Stress itself is not a bad thing. It is merely a response by our body and mind on perceived threat of any kind. It is meant to be a short-term condition that prepares and distributes our internal resources and soon declin- ing when the threat is over. However, sometimes we get stuck in the stress state, which turns the healthy short-term reaction into long-term negative results.
The underlying mechanism is the collaboration of the two main parts of our nervous system; the sympathetic nervous system( SNS) and the parasympathetic nervous system( PSNS). The SNS is responsible for short term actions vital
to survival, whereas the PSNS regulates long term actions vital to survival. In general, the SNS speeds up bodily processes and is responsible for the so called fightor-flight response that most of us are familiar with. The PSNS on the other hand slows down bodily process and is mostly responsible for producing states for rest and rejuvenation, or the rest and digest response.
When in a balanced state of mind, we actually move dynamically between SNS and PSNS activity, literally in every breath we take.
Alarm Mode
When you are in actual, or perceived, danger and need to prepare for fight- or-flight your body relocates all resources in an instant to provide maximum potential for survival. This is a whole system of preprogrammed responses belonging to the sympathetic nervous system: