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Nervous System and Trauma
- Complex trauma impacts the nervous system, affecting mental and physical health.
- This is explained through polyvagal theory, the science of safety.
Nervous System Levels
- A healthy nervous system operates on three levels: ventral vagal (safety), sympathetic (fight-or-flight), and dorsal vagal (freeze).
- Ventral vagal allows connection, learning, and cognitive function.
Trauma's Impact
- Fight, flight, freeze, and fawn are healthy survival mechanisms.
- Complex trauma damages the nervous system by wiring it into hyperarousal, blurring the lines between real and perceived danger.