Trauma Loops: Causes, Symptoms, and Treatment Options

When you experience trauma in your life, you might find yourself with more anxiety and maybe even the symptoms of PTSD. These are very normal reactions, but people often do not know why this happens, how they get triggered, and often are left to wonder whether or not it’s all in their head.
Trauma loops, also known as limbic trauma loops, are defined as the body’s response to traumatic situations through stress responses that are generally more exaggerated due to the extent of the previous event. These are loops that many people experience in their lives, so you are not alone if you find yourself amid a trauma loop. However, it is essential to understand the symptoms, the causes and risk factors, and how they are formed and ultimately treated.
Symptoms of a Trauma Loop
- Nightmares
- Visual images of the event
- Loss of memory or concentration abilities
- Disorientation
- Confusion and mood swings
- Intrusive thoughts of the event that occur suddenly
- Avoidance of specific triggers of the event
- Social isolation
- No interest in formerly fun activities
- Feeling startled
- Tachycardia
- Insomnia
- Muscle pains
- Sexual dysfunction
- Altered sleeping and eating patterns
- Complaints of pains and aches
- Extreme alertness
- Intense fatigue and exhaustion
- Fear
- Obsessive behaviors
- Detachment from others
- Feeling emotionally numb
- Depression
- Guilt
- Shame
- Shock
- Disbelief
- Feeling irritable and angry
- Anxiety and panic attacks
If you experience any of these symptoms when thinking about a particular place, person, or event, you may be experiencing the remnants of a limbic trauma loop.
It is essential to recognize that the response you are feeling is the result of old, obsolete wiring based on past experience. And it no longer says anything valid about you or your current level of safety. It is important to note that your post-traumatic response to the trigger is indeed valid and a response from your body’s old security system. With it on high alert, it is not enough to avoid what has happened and caused this, but to work at exposing oneself once again to these events, people, or places, all to limit your brain’s heightened response to perceived dangers.
More on the treatment will be discussed later, and how we at re-origin believe in rewiring your brain to help you escape these loops once and for all.
Causes and Risk factors for a Trauma Loop
- Bullying
- Community violence
- Complex traum
- Disasters
- Early childhood trauma
- Intimate partner violence
- Medical trauma
- Physical abuse
- Refugee trauma
- Sexual abuse
- Sex trafficking
- Terrorism and violence
- Traumatic grief
- Chronic illness
- Combat trauma
How Trauma Loops are Diagnosed or Assessed
How Trauma Loops are Formed
Trauma loops are unique in how they form. Whenever the individual is facing a specific traumatic event, their limbic system responds with a stress response. This is done because the body wants to defend itself from potential threats. However, it should be mentioned that the body responds in varying ways. Therefore, what one person might deem traumatic will be different from another, so understanding trauma loops is essential to seeing the unique experiences that people face with each situation.
Many causes change the nature of the brain and the way that the limbic system works. Trauma loops can arise from exposure to chemicals, heavy metals, environmental toxins, infections, bad diets, EMF, prolonged minor stressful events, and even other forms of trauma. Everyone has their own unique experience, making it even more challenging to categorize people’s trauma into only one.
Once the limbic system has been activated and responds, physical, mental, or even emotional responses will be. The body will realize that this might be a threat, producing symptoms like fear, heavy breathing, or even an elevated heart rate. The individual might even attempt to avoid the situation if they deem the problem overly fear-inducing. Likely, a coping mechanism will also be employed to relieve oneself of the fear and the stress that one is experiencing.
This cycle repeatedly happens as soon as the threat comes into contact with the individual again until something breaks the process. Unfortunately, the more the threat is exposed to the individual, the more automatic the response to said trigger becomes, and the individual has a more difficult time overcoming the sense of threat that’s been previously conditioned. The trauma can be wired into the limbic system this way, especially when it is being re-exposed to the threat or when people relive their trauma due to triggers. Yet, there are ways to treat the trauma loops that can help break the cycle and relieve the individual of the concerns that they face in their everyday lives.
How Trauma Loops are Treated
Meditation
CBT
New Neuroplasticity Treatments at re-origin
How to Live and Cope with a Trauma Loop
Living with a trauma loop can be difficult, and we believe you shouldn’t have to live with this situation for a long time. With the help of re-origin, you can truly overcome your past conditioning and work to improve the quality of your health and life.
One of the most effective strategies to employ when it comes to rewiring an old trauma loop is to employ gradual exposure while implementing the re-origin program’s techniques. This is also known as incremental training and involves exposing yourself to the trigger minimally over time, while practicing neuroplasticity. The key is to do it at your comfort level and never put yourself into a more dramatically affected trauma loop. Then, with small doses of exposure, you can alleviate the trauma loop, as it will be much easier on your limbic system than total exposure to the traumatic event or trigger.
Through our proven methodology and the use of neuroplasticity, there is a systematic process that leads to success. In a matter of weeks or months, for most participants, a dramatic reduction in one’s reactivity can be noticed. What’s most important is that re-origin is based on the most recent research and proven systems that can help you retrain your brain and feel better all around.
Frequently Asked Questions
Conclusion and Final word from re-origin
We believe that trauma loops exist, but they needn’t be permanent parts of your daily life.. With our unique tools, program, and supporting community, re-origin can help you rewire your limbic system and replace your old trauma loops with new affirmative behaviors and bodily responses. Last but not least, remember that you’re not alone, and there is a way to find peace and reconnect with yourself and the world with joy! Click below to learn how.
References
- https://www.cascadebh.com/behavioral/trauma/signs-symptoms-effects/
- https://www.nctsn.org/what-is-child-trauma/trauma-types
- https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-many-faces-anxiety-and-trauma/201904/how-do-we-diagnose-ptsd
- Lewis, S. E. (2013). Trauma and the making of flexible minds in the Tibetan exile community. Ethos, 41(3), 313-336.
- https://www.apa.org/ptsd-guideline/treatments/cognitive-behavioral-therapy
- https://mhcsandiego.com/what-are-the-3-types-of-trauma/
- https://qbi.uq.edu.au/brain/brain-anatomy/limbic-system
- https://www.avalonmalibu.com/blog/limbic-traumatic-loops/