Hello @supmethods, and thanks for the tag @CherryBomb.
There MUST be specific things that can be done for the Limbic system.
We must be on a synchronicity train @supmethods, I am currently reading a book about PTSD and recovery by Bessel van der Kolk titled "The Body Keeps The Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma".
I have only read the first few chapters, and had to return it to the library, but have ordered my own copy from Booktopia (an Aussie online bookseller). I think the book would be an excellent source to answer your specific questions if you haven't read it already.
Your specific questions in regards how to heal the hippocampus might be in the book, I know from the bit I read the medial frontal cortex and hippocampus, limbic system amygdala etc were all referred to as "see later chapter" in regards work that we can do to improve function.
There are two things I gained insight into for the first time.
- The mental health care system wants us to LOOK recovered but to date has not really provided a path to recovery that is effective. In fact for me no pathway to recovery from PTSD has been presented at all.[1]
- I understood for the first time exactly how PTSD 'works' int he body and the revelation and my realisation that what happens whenever I am triggered could be switched off again if I caught the moment of triggering, the reptile brain (amygdala, insula) overides the neo-cortex. If I could get a snap-message to the reptile (first evolutionary) brain from the neocortex I could interrupt the cascade and stop it in its tracks. So I came up with a very quick "brain message", when I felt myself falling into a trigger/cascade. "That was then. This is Now" - OMG, you wouldn't believe how much that has helped in the past two weeks as I am in a situation where I am being triggered repeatedly. I stepped out of the cascade and onto solid ground JUST be doing that, my anxiety levels have fallen because of the interruption of the cascade process.
The PTSD cascade as I understand it is some catalyst (a thought, smell, interaction with a person) triggers the reptilian brain (Amygdala/Insula), the limbic brain responds (emotion/fear/anger) and at the same time the neo-brain shuts down, removing our immediate ability to have any effective thought process that can ameliorate against the deeper/older physiological response. Having a quick strong THOUGHT to overcome the triggered cascade has helped.
I wonder therefore if tracking back down the brain responses and finding things to overcome the trigger, and having a DIFFERENT reaction over and over can help heal the shrunken/damaged hippocampus? Practicing and visualisation of what good emotional responses could (should?) be may strengthen it too. We are wired, and even visualisation fires off these pathways... If we could imagine the 'best self' response to any given emotional situation and practice that (both in real life and by regularly visualising it) it would have to strengthen all the nueral pathways involved.
To illustrate some of the ways the Brain can be changed I am going to jump to Neuroplasticity from a different angle.
I have an interest in neuroplasticity in regards managing or overcoming chronic pain too, which again looks at 'healing' parts of the brain but in this case damaged by physical trauma such as stroke or disease processes, like spinal cord damage (which is what I have) etc.
The book by Norman Doige MD, titled “The Brain's Way of Healing: Remarkable Recoveries and Discoveries from the Frontiers of Neuroplastici...” lead me to the work of Marla D Golden, DO and Michael H. Moskowitz, MD - Neuroplastix. I am sharing this because although it is not specifically regarding PTSD - it shows the kinds of approaches used in nueroplastic responses to changing the brain consciously.
I was about to travel overseas at the time I dug deep into this stuff, so really worked a number of the suggested things to try to overcome crippling back pain (all pain is in the brain) - and got a good understanding by printing out some of the slides from the Nerroplastix website about which parts of the brain were over active, or not working properly.
Also I listened everyday to the 'music' [2] sample link (which I managed to find as sound files for free download at other locations on the www -) called Default Mode Network - DMN which is supposed to help reset the Default Mode Network.
I suspect more what happened for me was all this concentration on the brain and doing things that affect specific areas that were not acting as they 'should' -did help to reset the brain. I have had a lasting effect in that I do not PLUG into my pain as much but the pain is still there as strong as ever. So, I had limited success, but was self-directed, who knows what might have happened if I had someone holding my hand and coaching me through it. (I was very motivated too.)
Illustration 1: The areas of the brain involved in Pain.
Illustration II. Some suggested ways to strengthen function of these parts.
Images (c) Neuroplastix.
Link to The Body Keeps the Score book on Booktopia: here
Link to Brain's Way of Healing book at Booktopia: here
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Footnotes:
[1]- I have not really EVER had the PTSD treated in any structured way, and on one hand I feel pretty pissed off about that - I have been presenting as a survivor of CSA since my 20's in dire need of help and PTSD was not ever really mentioned despite it being evident that my myriad mental health issues include complex PTSD.
Like anything in life it is up to us, if we can to do what we can for ourselves, but I do wonder how effective the mental health system is if NO ONE in all these years of treatment hasn't recommended me to someone who specialises in recovery from PTSD. Most treatments to date however seem to be the "exposure and biofeedback" type stuff which lessens the EXTERNAL acting out of fear/rage - it modulates and makes us more 'normal' on the surface while all the cascade of neuro and physiological changes still occur on the inside we just don;t act out, freeze up etc. That fits us up for 'purpose' to be good little worker bees, but hardly makes for a lovely life, being FREE of the terror, the adrenaline, the fear, the nightmares, the reactionary and self-protective impulses etc would be a huge relief and a goal that I now know it is possible because of the book.
[2] These soothing sound files are music to your brain. For example: Two Tibetan Singing Bowls are played with one another to help re-establish the slow rhythm of the brain's resting state networks. The sounds are relaxing, calming and pleasurable. Between each bowl sound a second rhythm is generated to help calm the excessive firing of nerve cells and restore normal communication in brain circuits. Using an MP3 player with ear bus means the shift from right ear to left ear can be heard and results int he brain 'resetting'.
Help us push aside the stigma and discrimination surrounding complex mental health and change the way people talk about, and care for, mental illness.
SANE acknowledges the Traditional Owners of Country throughout Australia and recognises the continuing connection to lands, waters and communities. We pay our respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures; and to Elders past and present.
SANE values diversity. We are committed to providing a safe, culturally appropriate, and inclusive service for all people, regardless of their ethnicity, faith, disability, sexuality, or gender identity.
Help us push aside the stigma and discrimination surrounding complex mental health and change the way people talk about, and care for, mental illness.
SANE acknowledges the Traditional Owners of Country throughout Australia and recognises the continuing connection to lands, waters and communities. We pay our respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures; and to Elders past and present.
SANE values diversity. We are committed to providing a safe, culturally appropriate, and inclusive service for all people, regardless of their ethnicity, faith, disability, sexuality, or gender identity.