Stress and trauma resolution using the three brains.
Often, we say things like,
“My head says this, but my heart says that,”
or
“My head says this, but my gut says that”.
Research shows we actually have 3 brains: the Head brain, the Heart brain and the Gut brain.
Each brain has its own neural pathways and neurons that support the growth and functioning of the individual brain. However, the brains are interdependent on each other and communicate through electrical signals and chemicals.
The Head Brain – This is the brain we know. It has approximately 100 billion neurons that receive, process and transmit information. It focuses on cognition and perception, the ability to learn tasks, language, and communication. It helps us make sense of the world. It is where creativity and thought work together.
The Heart Brain – The heart brain has approximately 40000 neurons and is the emotional brain. It is about relationships and relatedness. What do I value? What do I love? How does this experience make me feel? It allows you to make sense of the world through emotion and feelings.
The Gut (Enteric) Brain – The gut brain has approximately 500 million neurons. The gut brain helps self-preservation by following our ‘gut feeling’. The enteric brain is connected to the energy of discernment, what is good for us and what is not. It is the brain where decisions are made. It is also connected to the body’s defence system through its connection to the microbiome.
As BodyTalk Practitioners, we know the impact of trauma and stress on the 3 brains and use appropriate techniques to help the body’s innate wisdom process the impact of stress and trauma on the 3 brains. Working only at the level of the head brain will not have complete resolution of the trauma and will cause the head brain to stress as it is being asked to do a job it is not capable of doing.
Take an example of a client who was in a traumatic accident that claimed the life of her child, and she is not coping emotionally or physically.
The head brain will be addressed as the area that stores the active memories of the accident.
The heart brain will be addressed as the area that holds the pain of losing a loved one.
The enteric brain will be addressed as the area that holds discernment – I should have listened to my gut.
By addressing all aspects – intellect, relatedness, and discernment- the client can better respond to the traumatic event and process the experience holistically.
Somayya Sheik