Are We All Traumatized? | Dr. Pat Ogden
Dr. Pat Ogden, an expert in trauma and pioneer in somatic psychology, discusses how trauma impacts the brain and body, focusing on racialized and collective trauma. She offers strategies for healing, emphasizing mindful awareness and physical actions to regulate arousal and foster a new, more collective normal.
Deep Dive Analysis
13 Topic Outline
Defining Trauma and Physiological Responses
Ongoing Trauma in Marginalized Communities
Trauma's Impact on Brain and Body Function
Intergenerational Trauma and Oppressors' Cognitive Dissonance
Strategies for White People to Address Systemic Racism
Mindful Awareness for Trauma Healing
Understanding the Window of Tolerance
Somatic Regulation in Emergency Situations
Collective Trauma and Societal Divisiveness
Mitigating Traumatization Through Action and Connection
The 'Rush to Normal' and Structural Dissociation
Individualism vs. Collectivism in Trauma Response
The Problematic Nature of Productivity Fixation
6 Key Concepts
Trauma
Trauma is defined by the body's physiological response to perceived threats to one's safety or life, which stimulates nervous system arousal. It involves the body's inability to recalibrate extreme high or low arousal back into an optimal zone, often living on subconsciously.
Being Traumatized
Being traumatized means that an individual has not fully recovered from a traumatic event, and it continues to affect their body and mind. This results in chronic dysregulation or extreme arousal responses when re-triggered, as the brain and body remain prepared to respond to the unresolved trauma.
Window of Tolerance
Coined by Dan Siegel, this term refers to an optimal arousal zone where an individual can think clearly, respond thoughtfully, and act adaptively. When arousal exceeds this window (either hyperarousal or hypoarousal/collapse), clear thinking and thoughtful responses are impaired.
Cognitive Dissonance (in oppressors)
This refers to the psychological state where oppressors create justifications, such as demeaning others, to maintain their own privilege or exploit people, despite these actions conflicting with human values. This dissonance can lead to implicit guilt and shame, preventing a truthful reckoning with history.
Somatic Resources
These are physical actions or bodily sensations used to regulate the nervous system and bring arousal back into the window of tolerance. Examples include placing hands on the chest, lengthening the spine, or feeling one's feet on the ground, and are effective because trauma primarily affects the body.
Structural Dissociation
A theory in the trauma field explaining how, after a traumatic experience, a part of an individual wants to resume normal life, while another part continues to hold and be affected by the trauma, even after the event has concluded.
13 Questions Answered
Trauma is defined by the body's physiological response to perceived threats to safety or life, which stimulates nervous system arousal (fight, flight, or freeze). It's not solely about the event itself, but the body's inability to return to an optimal arousal zone.
Yes, you can experience a traumatic event without being traumatized if you are able to fully recover and metabolize the event, allowing your arousal to settle back into an optimal zone. Being traumatized means the event lives on in your body subconsciously.
When trauma is unresolved, the body remains prepared to respond to the trauma, making it harder to think clearly, especially when re-triggered. The executive brain can shut down, allowing instincts to take over for perceived survival.
White people can carry the trauma of decisions made by ancestors, such as slavery and the exploitation of Native Americans, leading to cognitive dissonance, guilt, and shame associated with transgenerational transmission of trauma. This can manifest as cutting off from emotions or justifying harmful actions.
The first step is self-education about history, acknowledging implicit biases, and asking 'in what ways am I racist?' rather than 'am I racist?'. It also involves challenging privilege, engaging in conversations, and contributing to movements like Black Lives Matter.
Mindfulness is essential because it allows for awareness of triggers, racist thoughts, or when arousal leaves the window of tolerance. This awareness enables individuals to examine these responses without identifying with them and to regulate their nervous system.
Yes, it is even more important to regulate during emergencies. Vehement emotions connected with trauma are designed to mobilize instinctive defenses, and regulating them is critical to prevent the subcortical brain from taking over, which could lead to danger or loss of life.
Somatic techniques include placing hands on the chest, lengthening the spine, self-hugging, or feeling feet on the ground. The key is to focus mindful attention on these physical actions to allow them to affect the nervous system and calm arousal.
Yes, the world is in a collective trauma due to the pandemic, racialized trauma, economic deep freeze, and political divisiveness. These events are not isolated and disproportionately impact marginalized communities.
Individuals can support each other in regulation, engage in physical activity, make connections, talk with others (without escalating worry), and engage in regulating activities like music or art. Taking any action, however simple, can also mitigate the effects of trauma.
The 'rush to normal' is an impulse to quickly return to pre-trauma life, similar to structural dissociation where one part of the self wants to move on while another holds the trauma. It's problematic because it can prevent individuals and society from metabolizing the trauma and addressing underlying issues, leading to a missed opportunity for a 'new normal' with greater social conscience.
An individualistic culture, which prioritizes personal status and self-advancement over the needs of the group, can hinder collective responses to trauma. This divisiveness and lack of strong leadership prevent working together and taking responsibility for those at risk, exacerbating the crisis.
A fixation on productivity, stemming from a capitalistic and individualistic mindset, can prevent individuals from 'being' and connecting with their feelings or loved ones. This can decrease the ability to handle personal trauma effectively and lead to viewing others as objects rather than people, potentially contributing to the traumatization of others.
23 Actionable Insights
1. Don’t Rush Normalcy After Trauma
After a cataclysmic event, avoid rushing back to normal without taking time to metabolize what you’ve been through, as this can create profound psychological issues.
2. Cultivate Mindful Awareness for Healing
Develop mindful awareness to notice when you are triggered, have racist thoughts, or when your arousal goes outside your ‘window of tolerance,’ allowing you to examine these experiences without identifying with them. This mindful awareness is essential for all healing.
3. Learn Somatic Self-Regulation Techniques
Practice physical actions to regulate your nervous system when arousal is too high (e.g., placing hands on chest) or too low (e.g., lengthening spine, self-hugging, feeling feet on the ground). These body-based techniques are critical for clear thinking in emergencies and can prevent reactive responses.
4. Find Personalized Somatic Actions
Experiment to discover which specific body-based self-regulation actions work best for you, as not all techniques (like deep breathing) are universally effective, especially for individuals with specific trauma histories.
5. Focus Mindful Attention on Somatic Resources
When using somatic self-regulation, actively let go of distressing thoughts and fully refocus your mindful attention on the chosen body sensation or resource (e.g., hands on heart) to allow it to calm your nervous system.
6. Discipline Your Mind to Focus on What Helps
Discipline your mind to focus on what is helpful in the present moment, especially during stressful times, to support self-regulation and well-being.
7. Educate Yourself on Racial History & Bias
For white individuals, educate yourselves on history, squarely seek the truth, and ask ‘in what ways am I racist?’ rather than ‘am I racist?’ to challenge implicit biases stemming from a white supremacy ideology.
8. Acknowledge and Challenge Personal Biases
Acknowledge that you have racial biases due to societal conditioning, and actively challenge them by noticing how they manifest and recognizing unexamined privileges.
9. Depersonalize Racist Thoughts for Workability
Depersonalize racist thoughts by recognizing them as a human phenomenon influenced by conditioning, rather than a personal failing, which makes them more workable and allows you to do the necessary work without succumbing to them.
10. Face Collective Shame Without Blame
Collectively face the implicit shame related to national history and racism without shaming or blaming individuals, fostering a shared learning environment to address historical truths and remedy them.
11. Engage in Conversations & Mixed Groups
Engage in conversations about race, join groups focused on white privilege, and interact with mixed groups, asking questions and truly listening to responses to deepen understanding.
12. Notice Racialized Depictions in News
Actively notice and critically evaluate racialized depictions and stereotypes in the news and media to become more aware of pervasive biases.
13. Contribute to Social Justice Movements
Contribute to social justice movements like Black Lives Matter and efforts towards reparation, recognizing that any action, simple or significant, mitigates the effects of trauma and threat.
14. Take Responsibility for Others
Extend responsibility and care beyond immediate circles to include people of different socioeconomic statuses and races, especially those at risk or suffering, recognizing a collective duty.
15. Develop a Social Conscience
Develop a stronger social conscience, viewing crises as opportunities to create a ’new normal’ focused on collective care and support for all, rather than individualistic self-interest.
16. Prioritize ‘Being’ Over Constant Productivity
Prioritize ‘being’ and connecting with loved ones over constant productivity, especially during challenging times, to counter capitalistic notions of continuous output and avoid losing depth of feeling.
17. Balance Action with Feeling
Balance taking necessary action with allowing yourself to ‘be’ and feel what is happening, rather than being consumed by constant doing, to process cognitive dissonance and historical realities.
18. Support Others in Regulation
Support loved ones, including children, in self-regulation by providing physical activities (e.g., bouncy balls) and being sensitive to keeping their arousal within a healthy window of tolerance.
19. Connect Socially Without Escalating Worry
Engage in social connection and conversation, but consciously ensure discussions do not escalate worry; instead, focus on self-care, friendship, and regulating activities like music or art.
20. Acknowledge and See Racial Differences
Move beyond the ‘don’t see color’ approach by acknowledging and seeing racial differences, understanding that BIPOC individuals have distinct experiences that are important to recognize.
21. Read Recommended Books on Race & Trauma
Read ‘White Fragility’ by Robin DiAngelo and ‘Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome’ by Joy DeGruy to gain deeper insights into racial dynamics and their historical impact.
22. Explore Sensory Motor Psychotherapy Resources
Explore Dr. Pat Ogden’s work at sensorymotor.org, read her books ‘Trauma and the Body’ and ‘Sensory Motor Psychotherapy, Interventions for Trauma and Attachment,’ and request PDF worksheets from the school for practical tools.
23. Try the 10% with Dan Harris App
Sign up for a 14-day trial of the 10% with Dan Harris app at danharris.com to access guided meditations for stress, anxiety, sleep, focus, and self-compassion, plus live Zoom community sessions and ad-free podcast episodes.
7 Key Quotes
You can experience trauma without being traumatized.
Pat Ogden
It's better to mistake a stick for a snake than a snake for a stick.
Pat Ogden
You can't dismantle the master's house with the master's tools.
Pat Ogden
We either face it or we erase it.
Pat Ogden
The fish are the last to discover water.
Pat Ogden
I think there's more to life than productivity, right?
Pat Ogden
I think when we're focused on productivity, you know, other people just get to be in the way of our productivity. It's like, you know, somebody once is having a hard time, they really need our attention. Oh, but I got to finish this book, you know, maybe tomorrow. So other people become more objects than people.
Pat Ogden