Why do I insist that there is a hierarchy of needs? It is an important distinction. As I have written that the most powerful needs and pain lie deep down into the brainstem. Howling screams emanating from this area are chilling, something I hear every day. But it can also be a quiet terror of near death with choking and coughing. Rage also lives there, and in a Primal we see it as well. It is how we know what level of brain function the patient is on. And patients confirm it when they come out of it. It is the source of severe migraines and addictions because here is where the pain is great and so are the drugs needed to quell them. We do not have to guess about when pain occurred; the patient in his feelings informs us. If there are no words during the session, just grunts and screams, we know it is preverbal and we would never encourage the patient to speak or say any words. If there are migraines, then we know the pain is deeply embedded; the flow of oxygen impeded in its ability to nourish various parts of the brain with oxygen. The vessels, in order to conserve energy, constrict and diminish oxygen delivery: hence migraine. One good therapy for it? Oxygen. Any stress can set it off as it is now part of the stress response. The brain thinks it is under attack and shuts down.
One of the reason it has taken fifty years to understand it all is that it took many patients reliving different kinds of pain on different brain levels to begin to compare and distinguish. It took years to find the different reasons and different levels of consciousness for distinguishing muscle headaches from migraines. Now we know that muscle headaches are less involved with oxygen supply and have more to do with wrenching the head and neck at birth, either by the cramped canal or by a rough doctor who was not gentle, thinking, as so many did, that the baby is a blob with no capacity for feeling.
As for addiction, there are different levels. But those who relive birth trauma (never re-birthing) often show signs of oxygen deprivation. Terrible addiction to drugs like heroin can signal the brainstem at work. They are the less prolix of patients. It is a triune, three part brain at work and different traumas and experience reside on different levels.
Those who easily get into fights or shoving matches are often riddled by first-line (brainstem imprints). Road rage is a perfect example. Recently two women on a freeway got into a shouting match because the other one cut her off and blocked her movement. Not being able to move set off first line rage, and when they both stopped to argue the one blocked pulled out a gun and shot the other woman. She was out of control, under the control of deep imprints that the neocortex was helpless against. I taught my wife and kids that there is so much hate out there, they should never argue with any stranger. I have not done formal research on this except clinical research, which informs me that deep pain can be the source of serious deep disease in the body. It is so hard to treat because rarely do doctors find the source and address it. The pain is so well hidden as to remain recalcitrant and a mystery.
We see in therapy that some patients lose clear articulation as they descend down the chain of pain to low levels of brain function. When they get into pre-verbal life, they lose all articulation. And the pain level rises exponentially. Patients need warmth and kindness when they get into deep pain. When appropriate I will hold their hand to make it a softer ride. Not early in the feeling but when it rises sharply. We need to bring down the level of suffering into feelable levels. That is always the goal; not suffering but feeling which spells the end of suffering.
Heard this beautiful song by "Cage the Elephant" band and can also be heard on U tube.
ReplyDeleteDoctor look into my eyes
I've been breathing air but there's no sign of life
Doctor the problem is in my chest
My heart feels cold as ice but
it's anybody's guess
Doctor can you help me 'cause I
don't feel right
Better make it fast before I change my mind
Doctor can you help me cause I don't feel right
Better make it fast before I change my mind
Well it's cold cold cold cold inside
Darker in the day than the dead of night....
Sweet nurse don't look at me that way
I've seen those eyes before
I can tell you want to play
Counselor give me some advice
Tell me how hard will I fall if I live a double life
Doctor can you help me 'cause I don't feel right
Better make it fast before I change my mind....
And as the darkness falls it fills up both my eyes
My life before me like a flash in the night with my arms
open wide
Well it's cold cold cold
cold inside....
Doctor can you help me 'cause
something just ain't right
Good stuff Sheri. art
DeleteDamn, I just lost all my writing, and I think it was another one of those brilliant moments I have from time to time. However, I was thinking about your teachings on feeling the fear of death, and how it gently brought us to a feeling of an old ancient infant terror, however I have run out of patience and now I lay me down to weep and in that brave and gentle act my soul to keep !
ReplyDeleteHope I have something good to write later.
Katherina
Katherina, Alway good. art
DeleteAmazing insights!
ReplyDeleteHuman beings in general, sure have a lot to learn yet.
The biggest problem man has to solve yet, are the problems of the mind and spirit.
Art, you are certainly on the leading edge.
I hope it can be done before civilization self destructs (by armageddon and the apocalypse).
It is confusion,fear, madness and boiling rage,finding an outlet.
The armegeddon and the apocalypse are happening now in slow motion and steadily increasing.
Once you understand the problems (the cause) of the human condition, you will see that the terrorism problem, the drug epidemic and all mental disorders are more than closely related.
Today I stumbled across this newly published research on memory. I hope you find it useful: New system for forming memories: Entorhinal cortex acts independently of the hippocampus in remembering movement -- ScienceDaily https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/01/170112141251.htm
ReplyDeleteThanks so much. Art
DeleteMy sister told me that when I was born I always screamed. Scream, scream, scream…. She told me that she was so afraid that I will die, she remembers that they often took me to hospital by ambulance. I bent into something like bow on my head and my heels. It was terrible. My father instead of help me took some kind of chatterbox and run this around my head. Until now I can’t stand noisy places. I am always afraid. My whole life is a pile of dogshit. Few times I mentioned that I also had hard times during my early years, surgeries and abuses from my mother. I am wreck with deformed chest, spine and hearing loss. I am asking myself why? She should just abort me as she planned many times.
ReplyDeleteJesus Piotr, what people can do to each other is horrible. My best to you, Art Janov
DeleteAn email comment:
ReplyDelete"Art thanks for writing...
I had to stop and think a bit, about being allergic to yourself... It made my laugh.... But, its really true, that its impossible to reject yourself, and people spend their life trying to reject themselves.. Insanity is a lot of work. "