From Hippocampus Explained: A Heal-Along with Primitive Man. An overview of how hippocampus memories affect us. Below may look familiar, as it was originally featured in Managing Our Executive Functioning Levels: A Mindfulness Tool. The gray circled areas show which of the three parts of the brain are being explored here.
All terms can be found in Trauma Glossary 3 (Section 1). The Timekeeper is in the Cerebral Cortex. The Hippocampus and Thalamus are in the Limbic System. Notice Hippocampus feeds the Thalamus (“first dibs”) and then feeds the Timekeeper (“2nd dibs”).
Below are further insights on how this works. Our memories influence our perception of what’s going on now (thalamus) and how long it will last (timekeeper). This is its basic function. Traumatic Memories can make the bad memories feel closer to our present, while making our good memories feel like that happened longer ago than reality.
Negative Noticing and Hyper-vigilance can be found in Trauma Glossary 2. The lasting effects of trauma cause us to forget our positive experiences.
Below are vocabulary words introduced in the article: Confirmation Experiences; Declarative Memories and how they impact our identity. Study them because there’s going to be a quiz later. Just kidding! This is actually a basic “blueprint” for you, when I start introducing my favorite tool next week. I will be referencing these again.
Below is an overview of how developing trust, both in ourselves and others, builds resiliency. Until we develop our trust, we will continue to be stuck in our not so comfortable “comfort zone”, where future planning can trigger the False Prophet (Catastrophizing: Trauma Glossary 2).
Self-discovery, not self-improvement thinking is what leads to healthy security and compassionate self-development. We learn to accept ourselves and believe (trust) in ourselves, so that we’re ready to take on life’s challenges and build our resiliency.