What I Learned About DBR This Weekend

I was excited to be able to virtually attend a conference about Deep Brain Reorienting this weekend. Although there were a few sessions I had to miss, but I will be getting those replays! The sessions I did attend filled in so many blanks in my understanding, including both the hard-science neurobiology and clinical implication.

My Biggest Takeaway: Disconnect Between Brain Stem and Higher Thinking Processes

If I understood everything correctly, current neuroimaging research of dissociation shows heightened activation in the brainstem (subconscious/pre-thought) and in the frontal cortex (advanced thinking), but lowered connection between the two. What this effectively means is that the subconscious is in overdrive trying to manage internalized trauma while at the same time, the thinking brain is working overtime to keep everything locked down and in control. But, neither part is communicating with the other.

The imaging appears to show what seems intuitively true: dissociation is the power of the thinking brain to cut itself off from intolerable or overwhelming memories, feelings, sensations, or experiences.

Top-Down and (Deep Brain) Bottom-Up Are Both Valid Approaches to Trauma Treatment

I have taken a cognitive, logic-based, "top-down" approach to trauma treatment because this is what has worked best for my clients with severe anxiety, complex trauma, and dissociation. I have maintained this approach even as somatic or "bottom-up" therapies or alternatives like EMDR have become more popular, because, at least for my clients, these new approaches did not work and sometimes caused harm.

Random image of a brain (not from presented research).

My introduction to Deep Brain Reorienting last spring finally provided a "bottom-up" option that worked for my clients. By working with the shock that registers in the brainstem before thoughts or feelings are activated, we could get access to traumatic material before it reached the level where dissociation occurs. Deep Brain Reorienting seems to start at the very, very bottom level of the brain, and even clients who have only been able to tolerate a few minutes of being in this mode have made noticeable clinical improvements.

It Makes So Much Sense Now

If the problem in complex trauma and dissociation is the lack of communication between the topmost part of the brain and the brainstem, as shown in the neuroimaging research presented this weekend, then it makes sense why both approaches work for my clients.

We can use the strengths of the over-developed and over-compensating thinking brain to identify, process, and integrate trauma one step at a time. This ultimately creates connections from the frontal cortex to the brainstem using language and the therapeutic relationship as the scaffolding of an internal tunnel to the subconscious. This is old-fashioned talk therapy, and it works.

We can also, now, start at the very bottom of the subconscious, and use Deep Brain Reorienting to clear the metaphorical debris blocking access between the brain areas. Without these trauma blocks in the way, connections are naturally restored and symptoms decrease. It's amazing.

Still Learning; Any Mistakes Are Mine

I am still learning Deep Brain Reorienting and it is possible that I have misinterpreted or misunderstood what was presented this weekend. Any mistakes are mine.