These slides explored the threat arousal cycle and how to work with protective responses associated with fight, flight and freeze states. These slide address who people can be thwarted in moments of self-protection and how to work with completion of these survival strategies.

1. Tracking Threat Arousal Cycle and
States in the Elements of the Felt-
Experience
Trauma B– Somatic Approaches to Trauma
2016 Summer

2. Possible Threat
Mobilize
Defensive
Response
Freeze Response
Step 1 Brace
Freeze
Response
Step 2
Collapse
Mobilize
Defensive
Strategy
Completion
Discharge
and Return
to Social
Engagement
THREAT ARROUSAL CYCLE

3. Threat Arousal
Cycle
If the completion of a
part of the threat
arousal cycle is thwarted
symptoms related to
that stage will develop.
Completion happens
when the sequence of
that phase is allowed to
move through to the
natural fulfilment of the
cycle
http://www.pods-
online.org.uk/index.php/information/articles/article-
categories/crisis-care-and-grounding/235-managing-
flashbacks

5. Over Inhibition
Not Enough Energy
To Reach Threshold
Failure to Inhibit
Going Past
Threshold
Failure to
Complete/Discharge
3 Main Types of Dysregulation

6. Threat Detection Phase
The body stops and becomes arrested. This happens before the
orienting response. There is a pause and a scan of the
environment for danger.

7. Orienting Response
In the orienting phase one scans the environment for danger. There is an
engagement of the neck muscles and eye muscles. There is a body arousal
and a feeling that there might be a threat.

8. Threat Detected
At this stage a threat is detected. There is a danger perception.
This system is a fuzzy fast system that gets to the brain before
one can consciously think. It is error prone and has lots of false
positives because the risk of not identifying a danger is too great.

9. Defensive Orienting Response/
Mobilize Defensive Response
Defensive response chosen and mobilization of the response is
started. The main defensive responses
at this stage are: Fight (aggression as protection),
Flight (avoiding danger), Tend and Befriend (Social Caretaking to
Sooth Aggressor).

10. Completion – Success of Defensive Strategy
When the defensive response is able to protect the individual the
system moves towards discharge of energy and completion. There
is often a feeling of success and pronking (the experience of
healthy
pride in self-protection).

12. Freeze State – Tonic Immobility
If a threat is unavoidable and one can not in the moment fight it
off the defensive protective response of Freeze is engaged. This
response has three parts. The first is a bracing or tonic immobility.
The second is a collapse
or cataplexia. The third is rebound. In the
last stage people tend to come out of a freeze state in the same
defensive strategy they entered.

13. Mobilization of Defensive Response
After the threat is gone the animal mobilizes the defensive
strategy initially attempted. This mobilization discharges the
energy of protection. Once the response has completed the body
returns to social engagement and rest.

15. Elements of SIBAM-R
The Elements of SIBAM-R make up the “Felt-Experience.” The mind’s
attentional capacity regularly cycles through awareness of parts of
consciousness.
As attention cycles through these parts of consciousness (Mental
Saccade) they add together through working memory and sensory
integration to develop a sense of self-in-context.
Regulation has four key parts… Attention, Attentional Shift, Integration
of Sensorium and Affect State

16. Coupling Dynamics
Memory is laid down in a sequence of felt-sensory states. Trauma
is in essence too much too fast for the brain to lay down
appropriate memories.
In heightened states of arousal parts of consciousness become
‘coupled’ or connected. Paired tightly together. This in essence
warps the relationship and bends the elements of the sensory
experience creating a tight bond between elements of SIBAM-R.

17. Coupling Dynamics
Over-Coupling: When two ore more
elements of SIBAM are paired together
when a traumatic memory is encoded. This
process is more associated with fight flight
states being paired with elements of
SIBAM-R.
Sensation
Tingling in
Stomach
Affect
Hopelessness
Behavior
Using a Drug

18. Coupling Dynamics
Under-Coupling: If the information processing comes in
far to fast for processing and the body initiates the freeze
state often elements of SIBAM-R become paired with one
another and then fragmented from the larger sequence of
the trauma memory.
This leads to floating disconnected patterns
that have no sequence or connectivity.
Often this is disorienting and has a feeling
of being shattered.

19. Boundary and Trauma
 Trauma is in essence a boundary rupture.
 Re-establishing the ability to say yes and no is the hallmark
of boundaries
 Defensive orienting responses allow for healthy boundaries
 Felt-Experience of Safety - Feeling the Container of Self
 Muscles can be overly tight as a way to contain the
uncontainable affect
 Micro-Boundaries are a tool to support re-establishment of
protective responses