Page 415 - Total War on PTSD

beyond conscious control, are triggered simply by a moving shadow on the peripheral retina. When we consider PTSD in this light, we can begin to see the solutions.
Humans have built-in protective mechanisms, and these mechanisms are stronger in patients with PTSD. When they pass their individualized comfort range and go into a tolerance range, some attention and mental energy are diverted to whatever is causing discomfort or an imbalance. Patients with fragile sensory integration or hypersensitive peripheral retinas, such as our patients with PTSD, may exhibit abnormal behavior by reacting internally, below conscious level, to the movement of normal, everyday objects in their environment.
Every system, external and internal, has its own comfort and stress levels as the mind and body react and respond to environmental changes. Constant interaction occurs between internal and external stimuli, involving shifts in eye movement. Shifting light influences the interplay between incoming signals from the outside environment and returning signals from a person’s internal environment. Brain injury or undue stress can disrupt neurological systems and causes “comfort” ranges to be constricted. However, through the plasticity and malleability of the brain’s wiring, new signaling pathways and connections can be established to bypass diseased or dysfunctional brain tissue. This results in balancing internal and external systems, returning normalcy to one’s spatial awareness and awareness of self.
Neuro-Optometric Rehabilitation used for Neuromodulation
The term neuromodulation refers to a new science that looks at the ongoing process of signaling input and feedback that occurs beneath the conscious level and involves the retina and eye muscles. Even during sleep, chemical changes take place in the various cellular layers of the retina. For example, when a person falls asleep with the flickering light of a television on or with surrounding noise, the brain is unable to fall into a deep sleep, resulting in less-than-optimal restorative properties.
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