Understanding Our Brain, Part 3

Today had some challenges.  Some things came up that were bad and scary.  We talked about this in the last blog about our amygdala and how it functions.  The third level in our brain is the attunement center.  This is where God intended for us to be met with His love and community who can be “Jesus with skin on”.  When something is bad and scary and our amygdala is going off like crazy, if we have someone we can attune with then we find out that we can survive and it isn’t so bad.  It can actually turn into something good.  This can help calm our amygdala down and help us regulate our emotions, as well as help to build secure attachments.

Today I was able to journal with God about my feelings and then share them with Ken and be held.  Ken comforted me in a way that I needed today to be able to face the challenges and to know that I am not alone.  This relieved a lot of pressure inside and gave me hope to continue this often difficult journey of being a survivor.  This is how God designed us to function – to have those in our life who can attune with us – to be seen, known, heard and understood and to have hope for solutions to challenges we face. 

Unfortunately, in trauma, we tend to self-protect and isolate.  This keeps us from the very healing we need.  When faced with difficulties, we often try to solve it ourselves with coping mechanisms and survival techniques.  Yes, it can help us get through and is sometimes the only way we know how.  However, God’s plan is for us to be able to thrive and to experience all He has for us.  The challenge is that this involves risking being vulnerable and asking for help.  Many have done that and been hurt and aren’t willing to try again.  I understand.  And God does have a way through.  He can provide us with community so that we can risk things again.  I encourage you to read a previous blog about relational rupture and repair as I hope it will give you courage to try again with God’s help. 

The more our attunement center (the cingulate cortex) experiences comfort and love from God and others, the more regulated we can be in our emotions.  It takes time to develop this, so be patient with yourself and others.  Together we can do this.  If we miss it, we can work on repairing and working through issues until restoration comes.  This is God’s plan and the way He created our brains.  I hope this encourages you in the journey.  We want to be here for each other as together we are becoming who we are in God’s love and power.