Tonic immobility
Piana Gallery
2022
In-depth
observation of the behaviour of certain animal species, sharks and
rays, demonstrtes that in the case of traumatic stress, they enter a
state of immobility – akinesia, which saves them from mortal
danger. Under great traumatic stress it is possible for humans to
enter such a state in wchich the body completely relaxes and
breathing becomes more stable.
Trauma
occurs if immobility is not released. This means that the person
cannot return to normal life. The immobilization reaction is combined
with chronic anxiety and other negative emotions like terror, a sense
of helplessness.
Peter
Levine
The
body has its own memory. During the first years of life, our brain
stores the thought and emotional patterns that we operate in adult
life. A stressful situation often triggers past emotions that seem
inadequate. This creates a bridge between our present and our past –
a time when, as children, we were unable to cope with difficult
stimuli. Being flooded with childhood emotions means that we do
not have access to the prefrontal cortex – a part of the brain
responsible for analysis, decision-making and empathy, among other
things. Based on her own experiences and also the experiences of
others, Agata Jarosławiec traces the traumas which have left their
mark on our individual fates, but also on the fates of our ancestors
from whom we have inherited fears that are difficult to recognise and
name. Perhaps the process of collective cleansing, of opening
up with empathy not only to others, but also to
one’s self – can pull us out of the wheel of violence that
is rolling through our community?
Michal Zawada
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