[libribook.com] Traumatic Scar Tissue Management 1st Edition

dissociation and inner shakiness) (Schmidt et al. 2008). Levine (2010) suggests
that freeze response is an oxymoron, where as simultaneously one foot is on the
brake and one on the accelerator. Externally we are still, but internally our
nervous system (NS) is racing, resulting in a tornado of energy in the body:
When imminent danger has passed animals can be observed ‘shaking off’
the energy following the freezing period and then go happily about their
business with apparently no ill effects. However for a number of reasons
humans have lost the instinctual ability to discharge this residual energy
leading to a wide variety of symptoms following trauma; i.e., anxiety,
depression, psychosomatic and behavioral problems. In extreme cases this
can manifest as posttraumatic stress disorder or PTSD which is incredibly
debilitating.
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is discussed in greater detail later in this
chapter.