On Trauma & Neglect

In this enlightening video, Dr. Syl explores the complex realm of PTSD and developmental trauma, shedding light on their impact on the brain and the intricate neurobiology behind them. Gain a deeper understanding of the connection between trauma, brain function, and the development of attachment styles. Dive into the fascinating exploration of the Self and its role in trauma and healing. Discover the top-down and bottom-up treatment approaches used to effectively address PTSD and developmental trauma. Whether you're a professional in the field or seeking insights on trauma and its treatment, Dr. Syl's analysis provides valuable knowledge and practical guidance. Don't miss out on this transformative video. Subscribe to Dr. Syl's KZbin channel for more engaging content on mental health and psychiatry.
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** The information in this video is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. All content, including text, graphics, images, and information, contained in this video is for general information purposes only and does not replace a consultation with your own doctor/health professional. If anything in this video was distressing please consider calling LifeLine 131114 **
Timestamps
00:00 - Introduction
01:25 - Trauma and the brain
06:45 - Neurobiology of trauma
09:32 - Development & Attachment
14:01 - The Self
15:46 - Top-down Treatments
22:47 - Bottom-up Treatments

[@Moxxiemorgan]

My ragdoll cat (which is a breed I truly think is unlike any I’ve ever owned as far as the depth of connection) saved my life during the worst of CPTSD after leaving an abusive situation & the scary aftermath. He came to me dying & sick & it gave me something to live for. Idk how he found me but he goes everywhere with me & I’m so grateful he’s mine. 🖤

[@Svedorszag]

Maybe I have an outdated view of the medical profession but the fact that a conventional doctor is talking about trauma and treatment for it in this way gives me so much hope 🙏 really enjoy your channel, Dr. Syl!

[@annika1383]

I was misdiagnosed Bipolar at 21 and put on heavy medications for years. All the psychiatrists I saw were male and never asked about my past sexual abuse or rape. Now i'm being treated for CPTSD. I hope you manage to preserve your curiosity and empathy, in my experience its almost unseen in psychiatry.

[@RickiFluhr]

❤ hugs.

[@kellywhitaker3631]

I will have to agree. I've seen a lot of burnout over the years. Stay strong Dr Syl.

[@123March22]

Uneducated, no educational skills, inhumane, just psychiatrists with absolutely NO HOLISTIC KNOWLEDGE...that 's the WESTERN THINKING......try to find what AYUR VEDA means🎉

[@Etobicoke67]

I relate to your experience❤. I had same "treatment" for what took until age 52 and 33 years since misdiagnosis of "bipolar" to fight for a more accurate diagnosis of CPTSD and Dissociative Disorder. The only psychiatrist who actually listened to my chronic experience of child abuse and diagnosed me, saying the mental health system exacerbated my trauma, said she dies not believe in the DSM manual,but has to use it to get funding for treatment from health insurance or Government services. She said most psychiatrists are lazy, focussed on income or too stressed to give survivors time to listen to life experiences. DSM is only a signpost for help to help us live life and is not infallible. My local services said it was "too late" to deal with trauma on a developing child's brain. I had to fight. I was also finally diagnosed privately with Aspergers/high IQ Autism. Autistic trait to speak truth even if socially uncomfortable for others. The Dr said I masked alot which is more a female coping mechanism to cover up, so as a male I suppressed male feelings from toddler age which are now coming out as I integrate my split off selves.

[@ceciliamorandotti6931]

I really enjoy your videos, they are really well made, very clear and educational. I wish more people knew about your channel!

[@DrSyl]

Thank you! Please feel free to share it around 😂

[@TheNurseWhoLovedMe89]

I love my psychs flexibility with approaches because we’ve found stuff that I really vibe with by trying out different things, and my psych can judge when to switch between modalities in session depending on what’s going on (ie what content comes up in session, if I’ve started going into a freeze response, if I dissociate and can’t remember what happened in the session before he was able to bring me back safely, if a “part” takes over, etc). It’s very helpful! My favourite modality so far is IFS because it’s a way to look at aspects of myself/my life/experiences/etc with a bit of distance, so it’s not *too* confronting but it’s still very helpful. It’s also fun if anyone’s artistic - I’m going to make an art journal of my “parts” and sketch them as characters etc. The other nice thing is that there’s so many videos on KZbin about IFS, and there’s loads of demonstration videos that you can follow along with and do some of the work/exercises yourself (which is helpful because therapy is expensive, unfortunately). Another big game changer for me was joining a Krav Maga group. I’ve been training with the same crew for about 4 years now (3-4 times a week). Hanging out with genuine people who are happy to see you and care about you helps so much. Before meeting those guys I didn’t even feel human anymore - I used to say that I felt like I was wearing a malfunctioning human suit, because it felt like I was pretending to be a human like everyone else, but that I was actually secretly and irreparably broken at a core, fundamental level. Moving my body and being physically in sync with other people helped me feel human again 🙌🏻💖 A really great video Dr Syl! I wholeheartedly agree that treatment works best when it’s approached like a custom cocktail of treatments for each individual. It makes sense that every person is different so there’s no “one size fits all” approach 🤗😇

[@raemarsbar]

Hiya! Really great video! I nearly cried watching that poor person be manipulated so roughly and left in awful positions for so long. I also learned a lot about my own condition! I experience catatonia caused by extreme stress. Super stressful situations (usually physical/verbal/sexual abuse, but also loud sounds - especially sudden, but also overstimulation in general when I'm already very stressed) trigger my episodes. I have negative symptoms, not many positive ones. I can actually feel it coming on, and if someone is nearby, I can quickly call for help. First, my arms lock up tight, then I lose muscle tension in my legs, and it very quickly progresses to total body immobility. I have fallen while cooking before, and thankfully, my partner was nearby, or I could have been seriously injured. The first time, I was trapped for around 45min during a car ride. Nobody noticed because I simply froze sitting up, and my head nodded down, so it looked like I was sleeping - which was a probable outcome since it was late at night. At first, my mind was in a fog with racing panicy thoughts - much like panic attacks I've had, but I regained rational thought - though it was slow - part way through the experience. I have had 6 years of therapy at this point and was in my 4th year of a bachelor's majoring in psych, so I used some of my skills to self soothe and eventually learned if I concentrated hard enough I could force a small group of muscles in one of my limbs to relax briefly and I actually managed to harness the force of the vehicle turning and strategic relaxing to get myself to sort of flop over toward the driver in a desperate bid to communicate something was wrong. Unfortunately, him and the other passenger still assumed I was just asleep. I then discovered that I could very slightly influence my breathing rate (which was quite shallow and slow) to exhale with a slightly increased amount of force and much quicker, to produce a slightly audible puff of air. I tried to do that during red lights, but it was too quiet to be heard over conversation and the engine. I finally was discovered when we got home thankfully. My partner and I set up a communication system for when I was catatonic. One puff for yes, two for no. Sometimes my response might be delayed due to the extreme mental effort required to make that sound, but I am lucid and aware of my surroundings and remember what happens. Sometimes I need a break to rest and regain energy to consciously control my breathing again. I'm out of that extremely stressful living situation and have heavily pruned my associations with various people who brought stress into my life, and I haven't had a catatonic episode since. However, Albertan (Canada) hospital staff are severely undereducated on catatonia. I had an episode after I had to call police on someone, and the police had to carry me to their car and take me to emergency. I regained functionality during triage at the hospital. Nobody at the hospital believed me when I said it was stress based catatonia, and they even were so insulting as to suggest it was because I was on my period, or because of my recent miscarriage a few weeks prior to the incident. I actually discharged myself and went home. Thankfully, with good stress management and lots of therapy, I haven't had an episode in a few months. :)

[@storydates]

The Body Keeps the Score was such a helpful, insightful book for me. I haven't experienced the most traumatic childhood, but I did experience some chronic neglect and abuse. I'm not sure it really is possible to be as well as someone with healthier formative experiences, but I think of therapy / meds as helping me have "the best experience I can have out of the options available to me." Maybe I'll try neurofeedback some time, but I'd need to save up quite a bit since it isn't covered by insurance (for me anyway).

[@annagalabova1289]

It is totally possible!

[@MamaBear_2629]

You’re EXTREMELY effective at explaining the topics you speak about! As a now, 27 year old adult who went through repetitive sexual abuse as a child I’ve gotten more understand about how that has lead to certain issues I have today from your video than a handful of therapists I’ve tried to see/get help from! You just can take something very complex and explain it in such a broken down and simple way! It’s very very helpful! Thank you for these videos!! I’m extremely glad someone like you is going into the field of psychiatry because we TRULY need more doctors like you in that field!!

[@jellycupy]

i agree! he is so good at making things more understandable.

[@zaddkiel4458]

As someone with c-ptsd, EMDR is the only thing so far that has helped me in any way. I've spent time in talk therapy and it was a pure waste of time for me, I was really invested but it never did anything for me. I can't take medications due to allergies and finding a psych that is experienced in EMDR has really changed my life, it's not easy and it took months for me to see the effects and it's not the end of the road nether but being able to feel like you finally can breath and not felling consistently in a hurricane of negative emotion is such a relieve!

[@katieeasley3945]

Have you done a video on the role of Ketamine/esketamine and trauma, PTSD, treatment resistant (insert diagnosis of choice here)? I lived in the US for years and infusion clinics are popping up everywhere. But there, insurance still doesn't recognize it and to access it, well you need big bucks that the poor broken souls are most likely to not have! Anyhow - love your channel - you're always super informative!

[@ZadkielMolinero]

Hi Dr Syl, great video! As someone who has been struggling with mental health all my life, this feels validating. Make some more videos like this going in depth into topics... Long video assays is a format that is harder to find

[@80islandia]

It's great that you are acknowledging the nervous system and the areas of the brain. I have a psychotic disorder and have tried to explain my freeze responses to my psychiatrist. Unfortunately, it is difficult for them to distinguish trauma responses from psychotic symptoms. My wish is the professionals at the forefront of abuse literacy (Dr. Ramani, Judith Herman, Bessel Van Der Kolk, Pete Walker) will be more central in psychiatry and mental health services in the future. Let's also remember that for some of us, trauma is ongoing as opposed to a flashback. The power of repetition compulsion leads us to the same versions of people and the same patterns. Being a psychiatric survivor means that core wounds such as not being believed in childhood solidify you into an unreliable narrator for life.

[@Alice-si8uz]

To me a part of not being able to speak is that as a child I learnt that my issues and feelings weren't really important. Its a part of neglect that children learn its not worth bothering their caregivers and so become very used to the feeling of having to face intense emotions alone. Also it can be hard to discuss something involving a sense of shame and or failure as there an inherent fear of judgment and when your being so cruel to yourself that your in a dark place the last thing you want (or feel you can cope with) is external judgement. It's protective as if I'm barely managing to keep myself safe with my own judgment then the judgement of someone else could be disastrous. Regardless of if the judgement will occur it's still a valid concern, especially for someone who has faced a lot of criticism or outright emotional abuse that being open about those thoughts and feelings is dangerous... It's a learned behaviour and view of others due to direct experience (and often repeated experience)

[@grumpysincebirth]

I love your input please don't stop. I suffered parental trauma and I suddenly realised that while i was listening to you my legs were crossed my arms were crossed and i was resting my chin on my clenched fist which covered my mouth. I guess that says it all. I also love listening to Gabor Mate. From from what you have said here and what he has been saying for a long while, his and many other researchers work seems to confirm that childhood trauma has a direct link with mental health diagnoses later in life. In a way it seems unfair to me that those who did nothing wrong should be punished again when they perpetrate crimes later in life after suffering abuse that they had no control over. I realise that if these folk are going to harm others the only system that is available to society at the moment is to imprison them but it just doesn't seem fair. Wondering what your thoughts are here?

[@julesmcdowell8852]

I think you are such a amazing Dr. I truly wish I had Drs like you. I've been treated so badly by the system, basically I was locked away and treated like I didn't exist. I've learned so much from your channel. I wish you so much joy on your journey!

[@thereasalewis3942]

If you need ideas for more videos, I'd be super grateful for some on Autism. Specifically 'non-verbal'. Thank you so much for all your videos you make Dr Syl. You are thorough with your analysis and I learn so much from the information you share.

[@jellycupy]

this is BY FAR the most helpful video i have watched! please put more videos on here about trauma healing! it is much needed!

[@HeyLetsTalkAboutIt]

I have first responders based PTSD and I’m starting EMDR in February. Nervous about it but excited to see if it helps.

[@indiboo5]

Trauma is interesting in how it effect people! Some people develop serious mental health disorders and some don’t but there is no underestimating the effects it can have, even if you seem functional and just have some anxiety! I’ve had a lot of psychological trauma from childhood but the last 20 years particularly in my adult life and have come across as functioning and resilient but in reality i didn’t even realise I’d suffered any trauma I thought it was just bad luck and detached my emotions from the trauma but it stores up in your body and now have a long list of chronic physical health issues related to all that trauma and I’ve been told i need specific trauma therapy but still don’t get it 😮 I’ve also been told I have complex grief, chronic stress and in a constant state of fight,flight or freeze but I do t know what the best treatment is as I’m a tough nut to crack 😊

[@singingsam40]

EMDR is definitely interesting and some people may find it weird, but I found it to be very helpful for trauma around dental treatment in childhood. Sadly, NHS dental treatment is now, more or less, extinct in the UK, so I now can't afford to build up my tolerance to visiting my dentist ... 😶

[@graceecannell]

This is the perfect video to help me procrastinate my SOAP notes. To describe a trauma response, is it accurate to say, "flight, fight, freeze, and fawn?" From personal experience, I find people who are feminine sometimes default to befriending the aggressor as a survival strategy. Maybe I'm wrong or maybe it is worth considering?

[@karenturner8739]

Yes. Mentioned same to him

[@123March22]

Thank you dr.Syl...for all the knowledge you have and tfw aay you share it!!🎉

[@happycampers7889]

Why is it that psychologists in America don’t seem to understand this. I tried to get help for my kids (adopted from foster care) for 11 years. They only offered meds. When I mentioned this book they knew nothing about it. Now I’m learning Trust Based Relational Intervention and Drs have never heard of that either 😢

[@ginamoyle4713]

The USA is busy making money out of meds.

[@buttercxpdraws8101]

Interesting content. (Subtitles would be really good) ✌️💕🌻

[@EyeMyke]

I've been in IFS therapy for over a year, and it's been incredible for me. It's helped me develop a great relationship with myself and my trauma, and understand how different parts of me work together and why. It's also helped me decode what my parts are trying to do when they make me act or think a certain way. We also did a lot of EMDR in the harder parts of going through trauma processing and it's magic haha

[@PirateWW]

Thanks so much for the video Dr Syl! Very informative and easy😊 to follow.

[@alanadillon180]

Thank you ❤

[@JustNotEverybody_]

Appreciate your delve into the topic. I just realized i am suffering from C-ptsd and havent been able to work while we figure out the exact diagnosis needed for support. It seems i have developed polyneuropathy from these events. I just liked watching scrubs with you but now have subscribed.

[@sharynbailey4235]

Fantastic video Dr Syl, but as someone who has Complex trauma (including developmental, adulthood & quite possibly even in utero as I was one of the 'forgotten generation') I feel the need to add I have found Somatic Experiencing to be hands down one of the most effective treatments. Seems I'd spent most of my life out of my body when distressing emotional sensations came up and would check out in some way, shape or form. My psychologist also uses Gestalt therapy and other forms of psychotherapy. He also has Neurofeedback available which I used early in my therapy around 4 years ago & absolutely loved. Was always so chilled afterwards. More recently he has introduced Brainspotting which is a bit like EMDR which I used with incredible success with another psychologist for a single incident trauma some years ago now. Thanks for all your fantastic videos and your podcast. As an ex-nurse who worked in both general & psych I can't get enough go them. 😊

[@chrissybishop654]

I have Cptsd and schizoaffective disorder, your videos are very informative and helpful, for those suffering or not..Bless

[@lolapkh]

Excellent video, thanks for the information, I learned so much.

[@user-hs2nt2zk7p]

Cheers for the info, very helpful. You are an authentic being.

[@diarmoita]

This is hard to watch for me, I have to dose it. Thank you so much👨🏼‍⚕️

[@milochamp1586]

Extremely extremely interesting video with a great explanation. I've been dealing with complex traumas resulted in being very sensitive due to witnessing care giver in trouble several times at the time. That made me sensitive to get triggered with new events. So to overcome first thing I started doing was stop listening to music and reduced watching entertainment/social media and stopped putting any perfumes/deodorants on as well as cutting down on caffeine, sugar etc while incorporating EMDR and mindfulness meditation. Extreme pleasures that came through ears, eyes, nose and tongue have been the addictions for over 20 years, to heal the trauma. But those are the actual trap that stop you from healing traumas in my opinion. Letting go of these should help desensitizatize the nervous system in my opinion as our addictions never gave a chance to the inner child to become mature and connect with soul. Well monitored medication may help too.

[@candicehiles729]

Love all your videos

[@isabellefaguy7351]

The body keeps the score is a really good book. It has helped much more reading that book than any professionnal up to now. Maybe I haven't met professionnals properly trained in treating trauma, but still the book helped me get out of panic moments quicker and being able to more easily get better after nightmares. It also helped me understand what is happening, why and thus I've been able to work through some of the traumatic events by myself. I wish I could find a professionnal that could help me with the remaining events. But it doesn't seem likely. Your country seems to give way much better training about trauma...

[@julesmcdowell8852]

Also, I would love too know what you think of serial killers and how their brain works!

[@karenturner8739]

Dr Syl Why do people often neglect and leave out the 'friend/faun' response -very important and complex esp in situs of abduction/sa/situs of no escape..

[@chillednotstirred901]

I know that ECT may be beneficial for those with PTSD, would ADHD symptoms improve with ECT if they had both PTSD and ADHD?

[@user-wy3es8ye9g]

I love your videos. I have bipolar schitzoaffective disorder and Ptsd. Is there a reason why when get scared or upset that I totally black out and don't know what I'm doing? It's very scary

[@chickinchainmail]

Hi Dr Syl, thank you so much for your posts. I have understood a few things I didn’t quite understand before. Hope you get to see this and respond, but understand if you don’t. I had quite extensive child abuse and neglect and At 57 I’m still not as well as I could be, but definitely not where I was and things are better. But I am finding it hard to be heard at the moment, I am not sure if is me or the professionals I am talking to. Anyways, can you pls do a talk on explicit and implicit memory and trauma?? This is only something I have read about recently. I’ve been diagnosed in the past with PTSD Dissassociative subtype, but my current psych says I don’t have it. Mainly I think, because I don’t have visual flashbacks (thinking like I am back them), but I do have states where my emotions, body feeling and level of distress and overwhelm tells me it is a trauma reaction. I don’t quite trust him on this, but hoping to check the facts, so hoping you can shed some light. Thx

[@pollypops2]

I wonder how psychiatrists chose their partners and manage their relationships, they have knowledge the rest of us do not.

[@tedallenwolff]

You mentioned 3 attachment styles, but there are 4 aren't there? Secure, Avoindant, Anxious, and Disorganized?

[@kellywhitaker3631]

Dr Syl I suffer from Ptsd. I love these videos. I have fight flight freeze constantly. My flashbacks are terrible. Please help?

[@neonice]

Knowing that certain experiences cause narcissistic/aggressive traits doesn't mean one should feel empathy towards these kinds of people. Explanation doesn't equal excuse imo.

[@thislslove]

Would many of these therapy’s work for children under 6? I am doing an assessment on trauma in early childhood, for my research unit and also working in early childhood education and care. The neuro feedback therapy sounds very interesting! Very insightful video

[@DennisBolanos]

Dr. Syl, is it true that without stress we would be depressed? I heard that from Dr. Datis Kharrazian.

[@hurricane_valence]

I am diagnosed with ASPD and it's developed from trauma and neglect

[@ritaagopian4150]

Are you familiar with prolonged exposure therapy? I did it last year, it took several months and it’s difficult emotionally but it helped me a lot with my PTSD.

[@ellievanbuskirk8059]

cool jacket

[@mariaf.1732]

Would it not be reasonable to think on - when imagining/working on the trauma - that putting the individual there in their mind, akin to a flashback, and giving them the tools to actively fight the perpetrator - that the act of reacting and taking back power from the moment they're forced to revisit regularly will then serve as a reminder for them going forward: That when they experience the same flashback next, now that they have taught themselves through treatment to fight, they find themselves capable of it? Sorry if it's confusing the way it's written. It just kinda makes sense to me. When they've been trapped in the role of their given trauma in flashbacks, memories keeping them locked in memory, that they can alter the scene by the power of mind through conscious thought later - and maybe even as it happens with practice (hopefully?). It sounds reasonable that it would benefit, i think. It's a way to take back power from a powerless situation using the same tool the PTSD is weaponizing.

[@aspidoscelis]

Talking about mindfulness as a tool in getting in touch with / developing the self is odd. Mindfulness comes from a worldview in which the self is an illusion and a cause of suffering-and my experience is that experience with mindfulness confirms at least the illusory nature of the self. You need a well-developed self that you believe in if you want to be 'normal', but why is that the goal and why would we expect mindfulness to get us there?

[@meganwaters7772]

I find Centrelink traumatising. I think Universal Basic income would solve all the problems in the world including mental illness. Also, I think you should comment on one of Dr Mike's videos if you haven't already to grow your channel. And thank you for making these, I just found your channel and think it's a great idea and very helpful for those struggling with mental health as well as education for other specialties.

[@dionysusapollo]

It's safer to meet a bear in the woods than a man.

[@worstleagueplayerever9671]

I am no longer going to use the term 'personality disorder' they are vulnerabilities now.

[@orestes1984]

Bro, PTSD is not just anxiety. You have not heard the broken filing cabinet in relation to the executive function of your brain. Its not a choice. There is this big annoying constantly on display picture that represents what happened on that day that was never correctly filed away by your executive in your brain. Imagine having a memory constantly in the foreground of your mind of what happened and not being able to make it go away. Hang and ugly painting on your wall and then let everyone tell you that you are not allowed to take it down ever again. Now imagine having to stare at it every day and see how much you like it. You obviously do not understand this component of a traumatic event. Its not a choice that it is there, it just is there, stop with the DSM textbook analogy where the fight is whether it is anxiety or not anxiety. PTSD is not just anxiety, its also fear, anger, disgust, revolution, depression, sadness, agitation, ad a pervasive image of what happened stuck in your mind almost permanently unless there is a clear resolution of that trauma.

[@karenturner8739]

Hey, think you mean 'revulsion', just to clarify (:

[@hayleyprice8345]

To much information