Responders, Community

By John Voket

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David Berceli, PhD, right, is pictured during a 2009 training session with the Düsseldorf, Germany, police force. The international expert on trauma intervention and conflict resolution and founder and CEO of Trauma Recovery Services will be teaching his trauma releasing exercises (TRE) to 12/14 responders, health care professionals, and community members during sessions at the Newtown Youth Academy on February 9 and 10.

Like many Newtowners, naturopathic physician Dr Mark Romano watched the events of 12/14 unfolding on TV from his office in Fairfield with shock and disbelief. But in the days and weeks since the horrific tragedy at Sandy Hook School, he has sought to bring some form of relief to the immediate survivors, emergency responders, and members of the Newtown community who have been so deeply affected by the events of that fateful day.Thanks to his appeal for help, Dr Romano has inspired a world-renowned recovery expert to come to Newtown on the weekend of February 9 and 10 to lead workshops in a specific form of therapy that has brought comfort and helped initiate healing among emergency and police responders, as well as victims of disasters large and small.

“Many of you have probably seen a bird fly into a large, reflective window and then fall to the ground, apparently stunned,” he said in a release ahead of the planned sessions. “This was my experience of December 14, everything was business as usual and then a text from my wife, wham, everything stopped. Uncertainty, dismay and shock become my dominate emotions.”

But Dr Romano said by refocusing on the metaphor and carefully examining the bird, one can see that after a brief period of immobility following the shock of its crash, the bird will stagger to its feet, shake all over, and then fly away, none the worse for wear.

“This shaking response or freeze discharge is an important physiological response to an unforeseen traumatic event,” he explained. “So much so that if the bird does not go through this shaking response their survival will be in question. This shaking response is also called a neurogenic muscle tremor, and is simply a release of muscular tension that is stored in our major fight or flight muscle, the psoas.”

Helping His Patients

In his ten years of experience as a naturopathic physician, Dr Romano said he has been amazed by how much trauma can affects one’s physical and psychological health, and by the same token, how by releasing past traumas, people can create new pathways and healthier patterns in their lives.

“In my search for effective ways to help my patients release past traumas from their bodies I came across the teachings of David Berceli, PhD,” he said. “Dr Berceli has created a simple but unique technique called trauma releasing exercises [TRE] that help release the tension stored in our bodies after a stunning or traumatic event.”

Dr Romano has been using this technique with great success in his own practice since 2009. So after 12/14, he took a chance and contacted Dr Berceli’s organization to see if he would be willing to help the people of Newtown deal with their stress.

“To my delight, Dr Berceli offered to fly out and provide his services at no fee,” Dr Romano said.

Hoping to find funding to underwrite Dr Berceli’s travel and accommodations, Dr Romano contacted the Yoga for All Cooperative, a nonprofit organizations that provides yoga and other healing modalities to the underserved and populations in need.

“They currently have programs at the Bridgeport’s Center for Women and Families, the Mercy Learning Center, the state correctional facility Newtown, and Bridgeport Public Schools,” Dr Romano said. “With little hesitation, they agree to fund Dr Berceli’s flight and accommodations.

According to Dr Romano, the symptoms of unreleased trauma can include headaches, insomnia, stomach problems, feeling isolated, restless sleep, anxiety, loneliness, and trouble controlling temper.

Dr Berceli will be gifting four healing sessions to Newtown beginning with a February 9 session at 10 am for first responders. A 2 pm session will follow for the community, concluding with a 4 pm session for health care practitioners. A second session for members of the community is scheduled for 10:30 am on February 10.

Most Therapies Ineffective

According to literature offered by Dr Berceli, traditional stress reduction techniques and general exercises are largely ineffective for people in trauma-inducing professions like ambulance, police, and fire service workers. This is because general physical stress reduction techniques only resolve surface or superficial tensions in the body, but are not able to dissolve deep chronic tension patterns created under prolonged stress.

Likewise, medication or mind concentration methods of stress reduction are largely ineffective because a traumatic state of preoccupation prevents the mind from relaxing its control for fear that danger may be just on the horizon.

As muscle tension increases, the capacity for muscular sensation and feeling decreases, according to Dr Berceli. This lack of sensation or peripheral input causes a low level anxiety in the individual because the brain relies on this somato-sensory input for safety.

Unconsciously, he says, the individual attempts to restore these feelings through any immediate means available, such as substance abuse, sugar, caffeine, sexual exploitation, consumerism, and destructive or violent acts. All of these help to restore an immediate sense of feeling but lack the long-term stimulation necessary to alleviate the underlying anxiety.

He says the solution to the restoration of feeling, inner safety, and relaxation is through deep chronic tension release. This is particularly appealing to professionals who are used to keeping their bodies physically fit to perform their jobs proficiently.

The techniques and awareness taught in this program guarantees the participant tangible results of physical sensation and relaxation at the deepest level of muscle tension in the body.

For more information about TRE, visit traumaprevention.com.

To ask questions about this event and to RSVP, contact info@yoga4allco-op.org

If you would like to make a tax-deductible donation in support of this event, visit: yoga4allco-op.org.

We discussed the important of down-regulating their nervous system after stressful or traumatic events. They understood the concepts of psycho-emotional stress and well physical stress and traumas. Click here to read entire article. New Brunswick fire and Police Personnel

Vicarious trauma refers to an individual’s own psycho-emotional reactions due to his or her exposure to others’ traumatic experiences. This phenomenon was previously diagnosed as burnout or counter-transference and therefore dealt with as an individual psychological issue.  For professionals who are constantly working with traumatized populations, vicarious trauma becomes a much more serious issue because it can potentially compromise the caregivers’ health and well-being including increased incidence of secondary post-traumatic stress and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).  Self-help protocols for all helping professionals working in the field of trauma such as police, fire department, prisons, medical care workers etc, are necessary to avoid long-term damage to mind and body.”  {Continue here}

Until recently most research programs on trauma and post traumatic stress symptomatology were conducted in the field of psychology. Subsequently all of the recovery programs designed to help relieve symptoms of post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) addressed the psycho-emotional behaviors of the individual. As a result of this limited understanding of trauma, post trauma symptoms became labeled as psychological weaknesses. This labeling actually caused individuals in trauma inducing professions not to seek help for their symptoms for fear of being identified as weak, not able to cut it, unable to cope etc. This created an atmosphere of increased fear and apprehension in an already stressful profession.

The most recent research in the field of traumatology is helping to dispel this limited view of trauma and PTSD. The new fields of study such as psycho-biology, neuro-physiology and physiological psychology have given birth to a new understanding of trauma known as somatic traumatology. This is an emerging field which acknowledges the critical interaction and mutual interdependency of autonomic body responses and neurological processes. Whether the trauma occurs in a physiological, cognitive, emotional, or interpersonal form it is inevitably carried by the physical body.

In order to understand this process better, it is helpful to understand how all species deal with traumatic experiences. Animal species that are still living in their natural habitats often encounter trauma. They however, unlike humans, still have access to their natural ability to discharge the excess energy generated during trauma and completely recover and move on with life.

The trauma response of the human animal is similar to that of most other animal species. Therefore, the humans response to trauma can be found in their roots as an animal or biological organism. Similarly, the mysterious key that activates the release mechanism of our natural recovery process can be found discretely hidden right within the natural psycho-neuro-physiology of our bodies as well.

As a living species on this planet, we like all other living species are genetically encoded to experience, survive and resolve trauma. It is part of our natural instinct that guarantees we will not only survive but actually evolve as a species. Without it the human animal would already have become extinct.

Post trauma reactions are caused by the residual undischarged excitement (biochemical energy) generated at the time of the event. If this high state of aroused energy is prevented from being discharged in the body it remains trapped in a bio-neural-physiological loop that causes a repetition compulsion behavior. Until the brain receives a signal from the central nervous system that the danger is over, the body will continue to repeat the bio-neural pattern of protection and defense. The key to a successful recovery from trauma is to activate the organisms natural release mechanism that signals the body to return to a state of rest and recuperation.

Individuals working in trauma inducing professions often experience multiple traumas as a daily routine. Therefore, they need a prevention and recovery process that can be self-applied, is immediately effective and can also be integrated into their daily routines. For professionals who desire to be physically fit to perform their jobs, the Trauma Releasing Exercises (TRE) of a body based prevention and recovery process is a perfect fit. Its focus on body awareness creates a natural deterrent from and reduction of PTSD.

Dusseldorf Police

Trauma inducing professions often do not allow the professional to recover from one traumatic episode before they are confronted with another. These repeated and prolonged experiences of trauma exhaust the physical and psychic reservoirs of the individual. Over extended periods of time this process creates a new biological baseline of adrenaline and opioids that continue to activate the adrenals until they become exhausted and are forced into a state of recuperation usually manifesting in some form of physical illness.

Due to high adrenal, cortisol and opioid levels, people exposed to multiple traumas for prolonged periods will often experience a loss of neuromodulation.  This is the experience of having an exaggerated response to simple everyday stressors.  What occurs is that trauma and stress have become a state of preoccupation for the mind instead of a passing experience.  The individual’s response to daily events becomes tainted with an unconscious life or death threat.  Thus, their responses to minor stressors have an exaggerated reaction as though it is life threatening.  A simple example of this is an outburst of rage over a simple and non-threatening event or comment during a meeting.

German Police Group

Organizational trauma is common within trauma inducing professions. Trauma behavior, much the same as alcoholic behavior, becomes embedded in the relationship patterns of the organization or institution.  There are numerous manifestations of these relational patterns that are unconsciously designed to keep the institution running but through abeyance of rules and regulations rather than personal collegial relationships.

Traditional stress reduction techniques and general exercises are largely ineffective for people in trauma inducing professions.  This is because general physical stress reduction techniques only resolve surface or superficial tensions in the body but are not able to dissolve deep chronic tension patterns created under prolonged stress.  Likewise, medication or mind concentration methods of stress reduction are largely ineffective because a traumatic state of preoccupation prevents the mind from relaxing its control for fear that danger may be just on the horizon.

As muscle tension increases, the capacity for muscular sensation and feeling decreases.  This lack of sensation or peripheral input causes a low level anxiety in the individual because the brain relies on this somato-sensory input for safety.  Unconsciously, the individual attempts to restore these feelings through any immediate means available such as: substance abuse, sugar, caffeine, sexual exploitation, consumerism and destructive or violent acts.  All of these help to restore an immediate sense of feeling but lack the long term stimulation necessary to alleviate the underlying anxiety.

The solution to the restoration of feeling, inner safety and relaxation is through deep chronic tension release. This is particularly appealing to professionals who are used to keeping their bodies physically fit to perform their jobs proficiently.  The techniques and awareness taught in this program guarantees the participant tangible results of physical sensation and relaxation at the deepest level of muscle tension in the body.

Until recently most research programs on trauma and post traumatic stress symptomatology were
conducted in the field of psychology. Subsequently all of the recovery programs designed to help relieve symptoms of post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) addressed the psycho-emotional behaviors of the individual. As a result of this limited understanding of trauma, post trauma symptoms became labeled as psychological weaknesses. This labeling actually caused individuals in trauma inducing professions not to seek help for their symptoms for fear of being identified as weak, not able to cut it, unable to cope etc. This created an atmosphere of increased fear and apprehension in an already stressful profession.

The most recent research in the field of traumatology is helping to dispel this limited view of trauma and PTSD. The new fields of study such as psycho-biology, neuro-physiology and physiological psychology have given birth to a new understanding of trauma known as somatic traumatology. This is an emerging field which acknowledges the critical interaction and mutual interdependency of autonomic body responses and neurological processes. Whether the trauma occurs in a physiological, cognitive, emotional, or interpersonal form it is inevitably carried by the physical body.

In order to understand this process better, it is helpful to understand how all species deal with traumatic experiences. Animal species that are still living in their natural habitats often encounter trauma. They however, unlike humans, still have access to their natural ability to discharge the excess energy generated during trauma and completely recover and move on with life.

The trauma response of the human animal is similar to that of most other animal species. Therefore, the humans response to trauma can be found in their roots as an animal or biological organism. Similarly, the mysterious key that activates the release mechanism of our natural recovery process can be found discretely hidden right within the natural psycho-neuro-physiology of our bodies as well.

As a living species on this planet, we like all other living species are genetically encoded to experience, survive and resolve trauma. It is part of our natural instinct that guarantees we will not only survive but actually evolve as a species. Without it the human animal would already have become extinct.

Post trauma reactions are caused by the residual undischarged excitement (biochemical energy) generated at the time of the event. If this high state of aroused energy is prevented from being discharged in the body it remains trapped in a bio-neural-physiological loop that causes a repetition compulsion behavior. Until the brain receives a signal from the central nervous system that the danger is over, the body will continue to repeat the bio-neural pattern of protection and defense. The key to a successful recovery from trauma is to activate the organisms natural release mechanism that signals the body to return to a state of rest and recuperation.

Individuals working in trauma inducing professions often experience multiple traumas as a daily routine. Therefore, they need a prevention and recovery process that can be self-applied, is immediately effective and can also be integrated into their daily routines. For professionals who desire to be physically fit to perform their jobs, the Trauma Releasing Exercises (TRE) of a body based prevention and recovery process is a perfect fit. Its focus on body awareness creates a natural deterrent from and reduction of PTSD.

Emergency Team

Trauma inducing professions are careers that deliberately put the individual is situations of high stress, anxiety, danger and potential trauma. Professions such as police force, firefighters, emergency medical teams, first responders, etc., are potentially trauma inducing professions. The experiences encountered in these careers often do not allow the professional to recover from one stressful, traumatic or dangerous episode before they are confronted with another. These repeated and prolonged experiences of stress and trauma can exhaust the physical and psychic reservoirs of the individual. Over extended periods of time this process disrupts the chemicals created in the body that help the individual survive dangerous episodes. Eventually, the body begins to produce these chemicals (adrenaline and other chemicals) in greater quantities which creates a new biological baseline. This causes these individuals to stay at highly active and alert states even when there is no longer a need for hypervigalence. At a certain point, the individual will become chemically exhausted and their body forces them into a state of recuperation usually manifesting in some form of physical illness.

Due to high adrenal, cortisol and opioid levels, people exposed to multiple traumas for prolonged periods will often experience a loss of neuromodulation.  This is the experience of having an exaggerated response to simple everyday stressors.  What occurs is that trauma and stress have become a state of preoccupation for the mind instead of a passing experience.  The individual’s response to daily events becomes tainted with an unconscious life or death threat.  Thus, their responses to minor stressors have an exaggerated reaction as though it is life threatening.  A simple example of this is an outburst of rage over a simple and non-threatening event or comment during a meeting.

Organizational trauma is common within trauma inducing professions. Trauma behavior, much the same as alcoholic behavior, becomes embedded in the relationship patterns of the organization or institution.  There are numerous manifestations of these relational patterns that are unconsciously designed to keep the institution running but through abeyance of rules and regulations rather than personal collegial relationships.

Traditional stress reduction techniques and general exercises are largely ineffective for people in trauma inducing professions.  This is because general physical stress reduction techniques only resolve surface or superficial tensions in the body but are not able to dissolve deep chronic tension patterns created under prolonged stress.  Likewise, medication or mind concentration methods of stress reduction are largely ineffective because a traumatic state of preoccupation prevents the mind from relaxing its control for fear that danger may be just on the horizon.

As muscle tension increases, the capacity for muscular sensation and feeling decreases.  This lack of sensation or peripheral input causes a low level anxiety in the individual because the brain relies on this somato-sensory input for safety.  Unconsciously, the individual attempts to restore these feelings through any immediate means available such as: substance abuse, sugar, caffeine, sexual exploitation, consumerism and destructive or violent acts. All of these help to restore an immediate sense of feeling but lack the long term stimulation necessary to alleviate the underlying anxiety.

The solution to the restoration of feeling, inner safety and relaxation is through deep chronic tension release. This is particularly appealing to professionals who are used to keeping their bodies physically fit to perform their jobs proficiently.  The techniques and awareness taught in this program guarantees the participant tangible results of physical sensation and relaxation at the deepest level of muscle tension in the body.