Two weeks ago, we covered the most important parts of the brain for healing trauma. It reiterated the importance of being present while building and maintaining our window of tolerance. That article, which was an introduction to this series is here. This week, we are covering the thalamus, how it works, its connection to our trauma, and how it impacts our daily lives.
How we interpret what’s going on in the present has a major impact on the rest of the brain. That’s because our brain’s interpreter, the thalamus, turns around and shares that information with other parts of the brain. The very parts that determine how we will (or not) function day-to-day. The strength of this process determines yet another function of the thalamus, which is our ability to concentrate.
Our Brain’s Messenger
Our memories (hippocampus) influence what we notice and how we interpret it. For example, when we are triggered by something we see or hear, it stems from our memories. In which case, our amygdala reacts (fight or flight) due to what’s going on right now (thalamus). Microseconds later, the thalamus messages the Watchtower, which acts as the amygdala’s counterbalance. If the reaction was a false alarm, for example, the watchtower has the authority to quell the panic. Here is how quickly it works:
Most common example is when a person one trusts enters the room unexpectedly. One jumps, startled (Amygdala) and in the next beat, seeing that the person poses no threat (Watchtower), reason sets in and stills the fight/flight response.
Trauma Glossary 3
We will get more into the relationship between the Watchtower and Thalamus in a bit. Now that we know the basics, let’s see how it works in our daily lives. And maybe even more importantly, what on earth is it telling the other parts of our brain?
The Thalamus in Our Day-to-Day Life
The thalamus has a significant impact on our concentration levels. It’s the result of a four-part process that gets us there.
First: Regulates our sleep and our alertness throughout the day.
So, it begins with a good night’s sleep. This is very important, as our quality of sleep will make or break the next steps in this process.
- Nightmares can shift our alertness into hyper-vigilance (Trauma Glossary 2). In which case, our amygdala’s counterweight, the watchtower won’t be as effective.
- Too little or too much sleep, on the other hand, can have a “hypo-alert” type of effect on our day.
- Insomnia impacts our cognitive skills, which keeps us in a brain fog. This also feeds into our mid-day crash.
- Too much sleep gives us that “sleep hangover” feeling, which dulls our senses significantly.
Second: A filter for our senses.
- The thalamus blocks out the “background noise” so that we can focus on whatever needs our attention. For example, the sound of traffic or the everyday happenings outside the window are unnecessary distractions. So, the thalamus understands that we don’t have to notice every little thing when “all is well” in the moment.
- It’s our “sensory filter” while scanning our environment. We all have predetermined beliefs about our world that greatly influences what we expect to find. For better or worse, our thalamus filters out what it perceives as “minor and unnecessary contradictions” to our belief. Even if those “contradictions” are for the better.
Third: Decides what we will notice.
We need to make sense of our surroundings so that the thalamus can get busy messaging all the other parts of the brain what’s going on. So, what we notice is going to be the result of whatever it is our “sensory filter” found that can confirm how we see the world.
- The Law of “Attraction” isn’t so much what we’re attracted to. It’s whatever it is we believe about our world, that’s exactly what we are going to find. If we believe that the world is cruel and dangerous, we will keep noticing that one hateful person while overlooking the sea of friendly faces.
- Negative Noticing in Trauma Glossary 2 might be worth your time reading. There are also tools for this in Master Toolbox 1.
Fourth: Our Focus (Concentration)
The thalamus has interpreted our present moment based on whatever it is we have noticed. So, it messages that information to the other parts of the brain and now we are ready to focus. However much or little that is depends on the steps that have gotten us here. Are we going to stay present and aware, or will we filter out too much (tunnel vision) or too little (over stimulated)?
So, first things first, how is your ability to concentrate on the present when the event is not a triggering one?
Hyper focused: Do you lose yourself in a task and block your surroundings?
Hypo focused: There are two ways, either by outer stimuli or inner.
- Are you easily distracted by something mundane and end up giving it your full attention?
- Living inside one’s head: Do your thoughts or daydreams reel you in without warning, even while someone is talking to you?
All the above are examples of dissociation (Trauma Glossary 2). You may ask, “But wait, aren’t these symptoms of ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder) or ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder)?” And you would be correct. While ADD and ADHD are legitimate diagnoses, minds forged in trauma are often misdiagnosed with one or the other. That’s because the Freeze response in Complex-PTSD shares a lot in common with ADD, while the Flight response has a lot in common with ADHD. (A quick reference in four visual aids concerning the trauma response types is here.)
Coping in Mundane Events with the Thalamus
Bad memories influence our perception of the present. We “learn” to cope either by trauma responding or using our tools. Triggering events are painful. So naturally when we think of coping, we think of our triggers first. But we don’t often consider how we are coping in mundane events.
When the amygdala has no cause to react, there’s uninterrupted harmony between the thalamus and watchtower. “All is well” in the here and now. This is when we determine how we will (or not) participate in mundane events.
In the complex-PTSD community, our minds were forged in trauma. This wired us for being more present in a stressful event than in an event that’s uneventful. Mundane events confuse us because we lack “sufficient data” on how to process them. A nervous system set on “high alert” will feel bored and restless. We cope by escaping the moment. Find something to do and shut out the confusing event (hyper focus). Distract ourselves by staring at the passing traffic or get pulled inward by thoughts or daydreams (hypo focus).
When we check out of the present, we are not sending new information to the other parts of our brain. They are never getting a chance at understanding these new and calm experiences. This is how we stay stuck in the hamster wheel of not knowing how to handle an uneventful event.
We are Not Usually Dissociating on Purpose
Sharing my ongoing issues with you
Most often, especially when hypo focused, it’s done on autopilot. I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve heard my husband, while talking to me, pull me out of my “zone” by asking if I was listening to him. The answer is, I had started listening but somewhere along the way, I got pulled in by my own thoughts. Such situations are always awkward when we return to the present. We feel like terrible listeners and we wonder why on earth we tuned them out when we hadn’t meant to. Perhaps this article will validate you or help your loved one understand that you truly hadn’t meant to ignore them. It’s simply a byproduct of Complex-PTSD.
Hyper focusing deserves some space as well. Even though there’s more choice involved compared to hypo focusing, it comes from a specific type of pain that becomes unbearable. When we hyper focus, it’s because inertia or a quiet mind feels more painful than a triggering event. As an extreme flight type, I can relate to this one as well. I have a nervous system set for perpetual motion and deep topics. I find small talk emotionally painful, which for reasons I don’t understand, are popular “topics” at gatherings. So, I look for the kids and I hang out with them instead of “those boring grown-ups.” The good news is, kids love me because my energy matches theirs. The bad news is, I’m not helping my brain learn how to process mundane events.
But honestly, would it kill the adults to talk about deeper topics? Tell a story or discuss something deeply philosophical! At least kids know how to have fun. Ah, digression aside.
Mindfulness Work Strengthens Our Thalamus
Mindfulness is the practice of being present, so it goes a long way in strengthening our thalamus. There are tools for our thalamus in Master Toolbox 2. I also recommend tools for both Dissociation and Negative Noticing in Master Toolbox 1. Staying present in boring calm situations is a major challenge for us. But remind yourself why you are doing it. It’s to strengthen your thalamus so that you can start living your best life.
I’ll share what my favorite tool has been. it’s under Negative Noticing in Master Toolbox 1: Positive Feedback Loops. We have so much experience with noticing the negative, we have to prepare ourselves in advance for the positive. It’s easy to forget, trust me on this one. However, when we can be mindful and remember, we can coach ourselves in advance. “I am going in there (even if it’s the supermarket) and I’m going to look for smiling faces and anyone worthy of a compliment.” This helps our “sensory filter” in the moment because we are giving our thalamus specific instructions. It will find what we are scanning for and we will therefore notice it. However much we participate in what we notice creates positive feedback loops.
I still remember the first time I practiced this, it brought happy tears to my eyes because I had never before noticed how much good I had been missing out on.