Page 177 - Total War on PTSD

Moreover, thinking in terms of error or negative judgment puts a person’s mind and body into a tense state that doesn’t help learning.
Why use the Feldenkrais Method if you have PTSD?
There can be several obstacles to moving on from trauma. Where trauma has occurred, self-protective mechanisms are triggered, which can lead to stiffness, pain, lack of movement and a sense of losing oneself. Emotions such as anger, fear and anxiety can become fixed in posture. Veterans who have suffered from trauma may not recognize their own feelings and reactions. They respond to reminders of the past by automatically engaging in physical actions that were appropriate at the time of the trauma but are no longer relevant. They may have problems with sustained attention and memory. They may have difficulty attending to their inner sensations and perceptions. They often feel overwhelmed. Traumatized individuals lose their way in the world and the Feldenkrais Method is uniquely equipped to help them create new neurological maps.
Veterans with PTSD may experience muscle tension, joint pain, headaches, back pain, temporomandibular joint syndrome (TMJ) and teeth grinding, or other types of pain. Fight-or-flight mode is a primal defense mechanism that prepares the body for physical threats, causing muscles to contract. These habitual defense mechanisms are resistant to change. Repeated encounters with triggers can keep their bodies tense, operating on high alert, without giving their muscles time to relax. They may experience exhaustion or fatigue due to a constant state of hyperarousal.
A person in pain may not realize the connection between their pain and a traumatic event. But for some the pain may actually serve as a reminder of the traumatic event, which in turn may intensify PTSD symptoms. Some people who develop PTSD and chronic pain also experience depression. Many Veterans armor themselves, holding their ribs rigid and limiting their breathing.
How People With PTSD Have Benefitted from the Feldenkrais Method
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