Hypervigilance — a state of elevated threat detection that persists even in safe environments — is both a symptom and driver of traumatic brain injury.
What Hypervigilance Looks Like in Traumatic Brain Injury
- Constantly scanning the environment for threats related to traumatic brain injury
- Interpreting ambiguous information as threatening
- Difficulty relaxing even when safe
- Exaggerated startle response
- Exhaustion from sustained threat monitoring
The Neurological Basis of Hypervigilance in Traumatic Brain Injury
Hypervigilance in traumatic brain injury reflects an amygdala that has been conditioned to fire easily. This is adaptive in genuinely dangerous environments but becomes a traumatic brain injury driver in safe ones.
Reducing Hypervigilance in Traumatic Brain Injury
- Safety signaling: Deliberately noticing evidence of safety in the environment
- Exposure: Gradual, safe exposure to traumatic brain injury triggers reduces amygdala reactivity over time
- Somatic practices: Body-based calming directly addresses the physiological component of hypervigilance
- Trauma therapy: When hypervigilance has trauma origins, trauma-focused therapy addresses roots