As the best institutions are liable to be abused, so are the best people to be vilified. Wickedness, like a flood, is like to drown our World. Both Justin and Britney had become hypersensitive and irritable after the accident, suggesting that their prefrontal cortex was struggling to maintain control in the face of stress. Justin’s flashback precipitated a more extreme reaction. The two white areas in the front of the brain are the right and left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. When those areas are deactivated, people lose their sense of time and become trapped in the moment, without a sense of past, present, or future.  #RandolphHarris 1 of 8

Two brain systems are relevant for mental processing of trauma: those dealing with emotional intensity and context. Emotional intensity is defined by the Christmas day some alarm, the amygdala, and its counterweight, the watchtower, the medial prefrontal cortex. The context and meaning of an experience are determined by the system that includes the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and the hippocampus. The DLPFC is located to the side in the front brain, while the medical prefrontal cortex (MPFC) is the center. The structures along the midline of the brain are devoted to your inner experience of yourself, those on the side are more concerned with your relationship with your surroundings. I will never forget your love, when I am in low spirits, it is you who push black clouds off my heart and bring me lovely Sunlight. #RandolphHarris 2 of 8

The DLPFC tells us how our present experience relates to the past and how it may affect the future—you can think of it as the timekeeper of the brain. Knowing that whatever is happening is finite and will sooner or later come to an end makes most experiences tolerable. The opposite is also true—situations become intolerable if they feel interminable. Most of us know from sad personal experience that terrible grief is typically accompanied by the sense that this wretched state will last forever, and that we will never get over our loss. Trauma is the official experience of this will last forever. #RandolphHarris 3 of 8

Justin’s scan reveals why people can recover from trauma only when the brain structures that were knocked out during the original experience—which is why the event registered in the brain as trauma in the first place—are fully online. Visiting the past in trap therapy should be done while people are, and grounded as possible. (“Grounded” means that you can feel your butt is in your chair, see the light coming through the window, feel the tension in your calves, and hear the wind stirring the tree outside.) Being anchored in the present while revisiting the trauma opens the possibility of deeply knowing that the terrible events belong to the past. For that to happen, the brain’s watchtower, cook, and timekeeper need to be online. Trap therapy would not work as long as people keep being pulled back into the past.  #RandolphHarris 4 of 8

When we look at Justin’s brain scans recorded during his flashback, one can see more white holes in the lower half of the brain. These are his right and left thalamus—blanked out during the flashbacks as they were during the original trauma. As I have said, the thalamus functions as a cook—a relay station that collects sensations from the ears, eyes, and skin and integrates them into the soup that is our autobiographical memory. Breakdown of the thalamus explains why trauma is primarily remembered not as a story, a narrative with a beginning, middle, and end, but as isolated sensory imprints: images, sounds, and physical sensations that are accompanied by intense emotions, usually terror and helplessness. #RandolphHarris 5 of 8

It normal circumstances the thalamus also acts as a filter or gatekeeper. This makes it a central component of attention, concentration, and new learning—all of which are compromised by trauma. As you sit there reading, you may hear music in the background or traffic rumbling by or feel a faint gnawing in your stomach telling you it is time for a snack. If you are able to stay focused on this page, your thalamus is helping you distinguish between sensory information that is relevant and information that you can safely ignore. There are ways to strengthen this gating system, which we will explore later. #RandolphHarris 6 of 8

People with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) have their floodgates wide open. Lacking a filter, they are on constant sensory overload. In order to cope, they try to shut themselves down and develop tunnel vision and hyperfoucs. If they cannot shut down naturally, they may enlist drugs or alcohol to block out the World. The tragedy is that the price of closing down includes filtering out sources of pleasure and joy, as well. Some gain love for their words and some for their deeds. You gain it for all your love as a great role model for me. #RandolphHarris 7 of 8

You made my enemies turn their backs in flight, and I destroyed my foes. They cried for help, but there was no one to save them—to the LORD, but he did not answer. I beat them as fine as dust borne on the wind; I poured them out like mud in the streets. You have delivered me from the attacks of the people; you have made me the head of nations; people I did not know are subject to me. As soon as they hear me, they obey me; foreigners cringe before me. They all lose heart; they come trembling from their strongholds. The Heaven declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.  #RandolphHarris 8 of 8