It’s VIDEO FRIDAY!!

Are you as excited as I am, Reader?

I totally know that you are (although maybe for different reasons...)

Time to talk about 2 important bits related to PTSD brains.

The first thing is interoception which everyone is constantly trying to autocorrect. But it’s correct just the way it is. Really, autocorrect.

Anyway this is a term that refers to all the stuff in and outside the body that the brain uses to make decisions about what to do next.

Like…

Am I hungry? Should I eat a donut?

Is that a lion? Should I run for my life?

Is that thing really on sale for 75% off? Should I buy it even though I don’t need it and don’t even know what it does?

Ok, maybe not the last one. Because I didn’t even tell you what the thing is. I guess just imagine it’s super fabulous. Like a magical energy tonic that doesn’t have calories, chemicals, or a funny taste and only lasts until you want to go to sleep. That could be 0% off and I’d buy it! But I digress…

And then we revisit my old friend, the Default Mode Network (DMN) for some reminders of why mindfulness isn’t stupid. Not my words for sure! But that’s what a patient once told me.

I have the science to show it is definitely the opposite of stupid. Share this great data with any of your people who could show more love to these very powerful tools!

I also kept it under 15 minutes!

This is actually a little bit of my PTSD for Therapists course that’s awaiting CEU approval! And there’s more to it, with psychedelics too! There are 2 questions in the P.S. if you want to test your knowledge!

Moving on to your Action Points:

➡️ Interoception is the process that the body and brain use to make decisions based on various internal and external data and it’s constantly running in the background

➡️ Explain what interoception is to your clients dealing with trauma reminders, and how seemingly unrelated things end up as triggers for uncomfortable (or unexplained) PTSD symptoms

➡️ In PTSD (and a lot of other mental health problems) the DMN isn’t doing it’s usual pleasant, daydreaming job, which means people won’t feel as good when they’re not busy doing something

➡️ Someone with PTSD may need more distractions and “tasks” to take up their time so the DMN doesn’t lead them down the path of negative rumination which feels really bad

➡️ Mindfulness and deep breathing exercises really matter! Which of course you already know. They are some of the best tools to help bring the DMN back to where it belongs with a nice improved sense of self

These are 2 areas I talk to patients about all the time!

1. How the physical sensations or environmental aspects (which are considered benign by everyone else) seem so terrible or triggering to someone suffering from a trauma reaction.
2. And the reasons why it feels bad to just chill, because if you have a “broken” DMN it makes you feel worse! So you end up filling your time with tasks to distract from any nightmare-ing (which might be what daydreaming in a PTSD DMN could feel like)

Now go watch that video!​

And share an informative tidbit with your next client who’s suffering with PTSD symptoms.

Cheers to healthy brains,

Dr. B

Jess Beachkofsky, MD

P.S. Want to test your knowledge? Here are 2 questions based on the video!

❓What is the term used to describe the process by which the body and brain make decisions based on various internal and external data?

1. Resilience
2. Interception
3. Trauma encoding
4. Interoception

❓What is the role of the Default Mode Network (DMN) in individuals with PTSD, as described in the video?

1. The DMN is inactive in individuals with PTSD compared to those without PTSD.
2. The DMN primarily focuses on positive self-view and happy thoughts in individuals with PTSD.
3. The DMN is responsible for negative self-talk and rumination in individuals with PTSD.
4. The DMN is unaffected by mindfulness training in individuals with PTSD.

I knew you'd do awesome!!