Thanks for the memories - The Hippocampus as Timekeeper

Before reading further,  let's try something. Take a few moments to revisit a favorite memory. As you do that, see if you can also recall when the event happened. Your ability to do that, know the where and the when the event occurred, is because of the hippocampus. The hippocampus is also referred to as the memory center of the brain. But hippocampus is such a weird word, we'll just call it the timekeeper, a term we borrow from Dr. van der Kolk.

There are several areas of the brain that are involved with memory, but the hippocampus is considered the main part of the brain that is involved in what we would refer to as declarative, explicit, and autobiographical memories. Essentially, the timekeeper stores memories that we can consciously bring up. Examples of this might be birthdays, holidays, or upsetting or distressing events.

As we work with trauma, the timekeeper is important because during traumatic events or times of severe stress, this area of the brain becomes under activated and over time it may actually shrink resulting in difficulties with memory. This inconvenient circumstance contributes to why eyewitness testimony can be controversial. Memories that get stored under stressful situations can be distorted, or not even stored at all. And the traumatized brain we frequently find that the timekeeper is less active and smaller than in the brains of those who have not experienced trauma or prolonged anxiety.

Regarding PTSD, the timekeeper will often provide the amygdala (see previous post) inaccurate information. When the amygdala, also known as the smoke detector, interprets sensory input, The first thing it does is ask the question “ is this dangerous?”  It will vary frequently ask the timekeeper ”has this sort of thing ever been dangerous before?”  If the timekeeper isn't functioning as it should, it may offer bad information that a completely ordinary and safe stimulus or situation is somehow dangerous.

An example of this might be the sound of a car backfire being interpreted as a gun being fired. As we work with the traumatized brain, we seek to increase the activation of the timekeeper to remind the person that they are safe here in the present and help them extinguish the fear response to trauma triggers.

If you'd like to learn more about the amazing brain, or perhaps seek assistance working through trauma you may have experienced, please don't hesitate. Reach out to us here at total life counseling at www.tlcincva.com.