ABSTRACT
The author of this chapter, “a psychiatrist who does a lot of long term work with people who have been severely wounded by life,” continues the tone of thoughtful reflections on meaning on the topic of neurobiology and medication. Since hippocampal processing of experience is bypassed when amygdala circuit breakers pop, the people then have traumatic experience filtered through a sensorial symphony that may sound more like a kindergarten class that's been let loose to have unbridled play with the instruments of a chamber orchestra. A well-moderated online discussion can be a thick lifeline in the tumult of a trauma practice. The author emphasizes a gamut of thinking about the neurobiology of affect, autonomic nervous system function, understanding the experiential dimensions of affect, the meaning of medication, the value of learning from placebo success, and some of the tricks of the trade in prescribing psychotropic agents.
