PTS(D) is a natural self defense mechanism to a trauma. Rather than a ‘disorder’, it should fall more in the category of injury. PTS is a part of your emotional brain that shuts down in response to an extremely traumatic event. Your brain goes into a “self-defense” mode triggered by a trauma that activates the amygdala and turns down the hippocampus. As the US Naval Observatory acknowledged*:

Another way to look at it is to picture two memory systems, one hot and one cool. The cool one is a cognitive, complex system (the thinker); the hot one is the emotional-fear system (the trigger finger). The hippocampus, the piece deep inside the brain that handles memory creation and storage, is cool. It records, in an unemotional and neutral manner, well-elaborated autobiographical events, complete with their spatial-temporal context. It is subject to control ( i.e. I can think my way in and out of it, or I can alter my interpretations and reactions). The amygdala is hot. It reacts to un-integrated fragmentary fear – it hooks directly to low-level fear response. It is direct, quick, highly emotional, and inflexible. It is the key to instinct and is less subject to easy control.

Both memories are normal, hot and cool. Your memory database stores it all. The cool system codes the context of the event, the hot system contributes the emotional highlights of the event (specially the ones associated with fear). Trauma breaks the normal processing, Trauma is danger. The amygdala, busy with its continual questioning, determines that danger exists. The brain triggers the intricate fight-or-flight chemical dance to protect itself. “ Do I run, do I fight, do I shut down? Whatever I do, I am going to do it right now.” The “ hot” drive for survival takes over. The brain is now in the middle of dangerous event. It is not “outside” looking in this event, and therefore, the entire system is not easily subject to rational control. (I’m busy, damn it, quit bothering me with logic.”)

The danger response takes several actions. Some of them are instinctual. They come with the brain by birth. Until the danger is disabled or put far in the background, the hot system is in charge. The cool system is disabled or put far in the background. All this is necessary when the body responds to threat. So one hopes the trauma or stress is short lived and quickly resolved. Then the brain will, after a time, recover from the danger signal, relax the hot system and let the cool process become more active.

Trauma Goes Over Into PTS(D)

If trauma is prolonged, extreme and repetitive, it can actually physically injure the brain. The best analogy is that the amygdala stays in the alert state so long that it gets “stuck” there. It keeps the body from operating a healthy combination of the hot and cool system. The Neuron pathway in the amygdala lose their “elasticity or ability. Remember the cool system is the one that puts things in our time order in the database. ( so we don’t confuse today with 5 years ago) Since the cool system stay’s mostly offline or very weakly enabled during trauma, it fails to put the right time stamp on all this activity and so the real time trauma event stay as fragmented disconnected memory bits.

With fragment memory bits, the memory database is corrupt and has gaps. But the body keeps sensing danger and sending out stress response signals. The person keeps living “in the moment”. If this goes on long enough or is severe enough, the person develops PTS(D) . Long after the original trauma ends, the person suffers from the symptoms. He or she lives and responds to “now” even though “now” may be a memory fragment from long ago. He or she cannot separate “now and safe” from “now and danger”. The cool hippocampus cannot get to the long- term memories. The amygdala keeps shutting them down.”

Because the hot system burned down the neuron pathway while it was defending the body in times of danger, your brain will instinctively make new neuro connections. Because that new connection is made in the heat of the moment or during a traumatic event, or in the midst of  danger, the person suffering from PTS will always feel they are in danger.

“The brain keeps re-triggering itself all over again into the hyper-alert state. Each new challenge and event is as dangerous as the last. The injury is real. The injury is physical. It is not mere confusion, misdirected thinking, or a sign of weak character and cannot “just get over it.”

Source: Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. What happens in the brain? Sethanne Howard and Mark W. Crandall, MD US Navel Observatory, retired, Wa Strategic Approach

RDR™ strongly believes the brain can make new connections. So, if we can make new connections, then we can help the brain ‘grow out of’ PTS.’

Worldwide it is proven that Alpha and Theta sounds are good for the brain.  The RDR method complements all of the published medical and clinical findings regarding the brain’s process during traumatic affliction that causes PTS(D).  RDR helps the recovery process effortlessly and seamlessly.  You are healing yourself and others without knowing it, without hours of listening with headphones, without having to go to a place to “do the work”.  Research will prove a protocol with frequencies is effective on a high level by growing out of  PTS(D) or any type of trauma in a self-compassionate way.

Utilizing the MRI scan together with the RDR technique, we will capture every change in the brain. The controlled environment will include an environment without the RDR technique to view the current state of the brain.  A follow-up scan will take place thereafter with RDR in effect.  This will show that certain parts of the brain “light up” and certain parts of the brain make the right connections again indicating PTS(D) diminishing – and after a certain amount of time, manageable.