The month of June calls to create awareness around Alzheimer’s, Brain Health, and PTSD. As we reflect on the realities of PTSD and Alzheimer’s, we cannot help but acknowledge the increasing correlation between these two topics. Fortunately, Brain Health Awareness Month highlights the importance of understanding trauma’s adverse effects on the brain. As consciousness around this issue increases, more early screening presents opportunities for prevention and healing.
What is the Connection Between PTSD and Alzheimer’s?
PTSD or Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder may surface after experiencing a traumatic event in military situations, in cases of abuse, or witnessing or being involved in an accident. As we study PTSD, we learn more about how it alters the brain, wiring it for increased anxiety, depression, intrusive memories, and hyperarousal. Portions of the brain can be affected, such as the amygdala- our threat detection center, the hippocampus- the memory center, and the prefrontal cortex-involved in complex decision making.
Further exploration of brain health and its relation to Alzheimer’s also has identified inflammation in the brain and body, often caused by stress and hypervigilance, as contributing factors. Furthermore, people with PTSD are often sympathetic dominant or in a state of chronic stress and arousal. Continual existence in this state of hyperarousal does not allow the body to enter a complete state of rest, contributing to difficulty sleeping, which is correlated with decreased memory consolidation and disrupted brain performance. Impairment in these areas is linked to reduced brain function and the declining symptoms of Alzheimer’s.
How could treating trauma with ART help prevent Alzheimer’s?
Untreated trauma can leave you in a state of survival. Existing in survival mode for too long has severe repercussions for the brain and the rest of the body. A trauma-informed, trained mental health professional can help you move through traumatic states into feelings of safety. Receiving treatment from an Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART) Therapist addresses PTSD quickly, often in as little as one to five sessions. The speed of efficacy is desirable in ART as it prevents the harmful effects of PTSD from taking hold in the brain.
ART helps:
Emotional Regulation:
ART helps regulate symptoms of trauma, such as chronic anxiety and depression. An emotional regulation tactic calms the body and helps move clients to rest and digest over a survival mode state. Using techniques such as soothing imagery, bilateral eye movements, and somatic awareness, ART helps form new perspectives and reframe distressing cognitions. With new perspectives and more properly regulated emotions, clients can move through life with improved emotional well-being and quality of life. These two factors contribute to the prevention of Alzheimer’s.
Enhancing Cognitive Functioning:
ART can enhance cognitive function by using cognitive restructuring and addressing thought distortions. As trauma stories are neutralized and then “positized,” individuals develop an improved mindset and more hopeful thinking patterns. Improved and less distressed outlooks contribute to more neural connections and neuroplasticity. Problem-solving abilities and the functioning of memory systems are enhanced, reducing cognitive decline.
Improve Parts of the Brain Affected by Dementia:
Using bilateral eye movements and other therapeutic approaches, ART can access crucial
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