A metaphor for understanding trauma that I have learned from
my training in Rapid Resolution Therapy:
When zebra sees lion the brain of zebra causes him to feel
fear. The fear serves three specific
purposes – 1) it causes zebra to be very alert, 2) it increases zebra’s
motivation, and 3) it increases zebra’s strength. This allows zebra to run very fast to get
away from lion. When lion catches
another zebra and is no longer a threat, the fear is instantly gone. Zebra returns to his grazing and everything
is fine. If I could speak “Zebra” I
could ask zebra, “So, what do you think about that lion that was just chasing
you?” Zebra would look at me and ask, “What
lion?”
Our brains differ from the brain of the zebra in many ways. One of the main ones is in how we store and
recall data. You might be able to
remember some mundane incidents from yesterday – what you were wearing or a
conversation you had. You might not be
able to recall what you were wearing a year ago today. However, we could say that the memory is
stored in your brain. It is just not
that easily recalled. On the other hand,
you might be able to recall in great detail something traumatic that happened
five years ago. More than likely that data
is experienced in “high definition.”
Sometimes it is experienced as if it is happening right now.
You might be familiar with how a garbage disposal
works. Spaghetti, bell pepper stems,
cucumber peels, and pretty much anything you put down the garbage disposal goes
right through – no problem. But, the
garbage disposal doesn’t work so well when it comes to the avocado pit. It gets stuck in the garbage disposal. We would then need to use some sort of avocado-pit-destroyer
to break it up so that it goes through and is no longer stuck.
The data in someone’s mind related to traumatic experiences are
like that avocado pit. It is “stuck
data.” We can call it a “data clump.” Some people have many data clumps that are
stuck and that still cause them problems.
This data is stuck in a part of the brain that is close to “the surface”
– close to where current incoming data passes through. If incoming data is similar in content to the
stuck data, it will “trigger” the stuck data and the brain will cause the
person to think it is happening all over again.
A woman who was raped by a man with alcohol on his breath
when she was 16 yrs. old smells alcohol on her boyfriend’s breath when he
kisses her six years later. She panics,
pushes him off of her, and locks herself in the bathroom. A man who witnessed several of his buddies
die in an explosion while serving in the military in Iraq hears a car backfire
in his neighborhood. He falls down on
the floor and covers his head. He no
longer realizes that he is home and all is safe.
Our objective in Rapid Resolution Therapy is to clear out
these data clumps. That way the person
is finally able to live fully in the present moment – free of fear. A kiss is just a kiss. A car back firing is just a car back firing. The avocado pit is through, and the garbage disposal
is working as good as new.
(To learn more about RRT visit www.rapidresolutiontherapy.com. If you or someone you know is interested in
scheduling a session with me, please visit www.billyledford.com)
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