Page 370 - Total War on PTSD

and unwind rather than sustain a state of contraction, tension, and hyper-vigilance — and many chronic symptoms can naturally get better.
The application of this method is quite precise, with a detailed protocol and contraindications. It necessitates an organized study of medicine and functional medicine.
If a Veteran still resides in the “old” body with its chronic conditioning, they still reside in an armored body and growth potential is limited. When a therapist helps them to loosen their breath, unwind their bound-up systems, and increase their available energetic flow; new behavioral coping strategies can be created. Sexual health can be improved as the Veteran overcomes difficulties relationally and in sexual performance due to various psychological and biophysical limitations.
Many have come to me because they want a mind-body approach. If they are open to including the biophysical component, bodywork can start once the relationship is firmly established.
Chronic pain is another way psychological symptoms manifest in the body. Painful sensations can occur throughout the body, from the tip of the head to the soles of the feet. If there is no organic cause that can be deciphered through thorough testing, then one has to look psychologically at the symptom. I have seen pain crisscross the body — a way the body screams “Help Me!” There are emotional issues to be untangled and new habits created that help, too. I have seen severe chronic musculoskeletal and neuropathic pain, previously treated with opioid painkillers, resolve with regular exercise, therapy, and an absence of medications.
Veterans who have had traumatic histories and exposure to chronic stress may have a heightened sensitivity to any inner perception of pain sensation. Working with the cognitive aspect is important so that catastrophic thinking is noted and minimized, as distorted assumptions contribute to subjective experiences of pain. Translating pain signals more neutrally helps, rather than identifying basic neurological signals as “serious and threatening.” Fear engages the fight, flight, and freeze sympathetic nervous system
370 of 1042