Disorganization of neural circuits in the brain due to trauma can have a devastating affect on our physical, emotional and mental health.

This is especially true of limbic system trauma in the brain that is involved with illnesses like Chemical Sensitivities, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia.

The initial trauma can be caused from bacterial or viral infection, toxic injury, direct physical injury or prolonged or severe emotional or psychological stress.

And indeed, all forms of trauma have the potential to alter brain structure and function. And usually it is a combination of various stressors that leads to the “perfect storm” that precipitates changes within limbic system neural circuits in the brain.

When neural circuits within the limbic system become disorganized due to trauma or injury, it activates a five-alarm stress response along with many innate self-protective mechanisms. With injury or trauma to this area, the brain inadvertently sends distorted stress and impending danger signals to the rest of the body. The brain and body become stuck in a chronic fight, flight or flee reaction.

Photo: Contributed

It’s as if the brain perpetually feels that is has to run away from a very hungry tiger.

Trauma to the limbic system can also alter our ability to perceive the world and heighten our sensory perception. We become acutely attuned to stimuli that most others cannot sense. This overwhelming hypersensitivity to the world has very real physical consequences that perpetuates illness and feeds into a stress feedback loop.

As a result, the organs and systems of our body are constantly flooded with stress hormones that shut down the normal growth and repair state of the body. Chronic stress of this nature directly affects every system of our body. That is why symptoms associated with limbic system illnesses are so far reaching in nature.

We unconsciously become hyper vigilant about our environment, looking for impending danger and seeking escape routes at every corner. We become consumed with our environment, our body and time and look for ways to safeguard our precious energy.

We constantly look for things or situations that appear to be the cause of our pain. And in a self-protective mechanism, we learn to avoid the perceived trigger of the pain. We are literally and figuratively exhausted with every ounce of our energy squarely focused on our survival.

However, the more we run or avoid the trigger, the stronger and scarier the tiger in our mind becomes. Furthermore, the pathological neural disorganization associated with limbic system impairment become strengthened and re-enforced every time we run from the tiger.

Correcting or rewiring the disorganized circuits in the limbic system resulting from an injury or trauma requires a level of understanding and determination that rivals that of an Olympic athlete.

In order to change the disorganized neural circuits within this system we need to think, feel and behave in ways that are beyond the habitual fear reactions, pain and/or exhaustion messages that are being sent by the brain. We learn that not all messages that the body feels are accurate or worth entertaining.

Moment by moment, through our conscious awareness we re-evaluate our primitive and often unconscious reactions and learn to discern incoming information and engage in a different response.

In effect we tame the tiger as we learn to think and behave in ways that are greater than how we feel. In doing so, we can effectively rewire neural circuits which over time decreases the hyper alert status and allows the body to return to a normal state of growth and repair.