Understanding Trauma Survival Responses: Defensive Rage with Dr. Kate Truitt

In this psychoeducation video, Dr. Kate Truitt explains that the trauma survival response defensive rage is an extreme form of survival that leads to feeling so out of control in our anger that we get tunnel vision and forget what happened. Amy the Amygdala has a specific nuclei dedicated to defensive rage, and it is triggered when we feel we can’t escape, we can’t fight regularly, or there’s no likelihood of survival. Our system becomes crashed with norepinephrine.

Dr. Kate tells us that dissociation and defensive rage are actually quite similar. In dissociation, our system cuts out and we disconnect, anticipating the death blow. In defensive rage, we’re fighting until that death blow comes. Our system is hard wired to keep our people alive. This nucleus says that we will fight to the death for ourselves and for the people who matter to us.

Like the other trauma survival responses, if we’ve had this experience of defensive rage, it can become our go to response. This is especially true for children who have learned that they are unsafe or under constant threat. It’s deeply painful and highly taxing on the nervous system.

Dr. Kate reminds us that there are opportunities for healing, and it starts with self compassion. After we come to from a defensive rage response, we can use CPR for the Amygdala.

In this video Dr. Kate mentions the CPR for the Amygdala technique. Please find the complete playlist here:    • CPR for the Amygdala - How to's and G...  

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Want to learn more? Dr. Kate hosts live virtual workshops teaching self-healing in your hands tools and techniques. Join her and the Viva Excellence team to build your at home brain care program! Register here: https://www.vivaexcellence.com/self-h...

Dr. Kate Truitt is a clinical psychologist, neuroscientist, as well as holds a MBA in Healthcare Administration. She is the CEO of the Trauma Counseling Center of Los Angeles, Chairman of the Board of the Amy Research Foundation, and leads her flagship organization Dr. Kate Truitt & Associates located in Pasadena, CA. Her teams of expert psychologists and psychotherapists provide individual therapy, group therapy, executive coaching, and neurofeedback throughout California via telehealth.

Contact us today to learn more or to begin your healing journey with one of our expert team members: 626-524-5525 or https://www.drtruitt.com

© 2022 by Dr. Kate Truitt All rights reserved. No part of this video may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without the written permission of the copyright holder.