The Biology Behind Catharsis
Let’s start with catharsis: an expression that leads to release. Think of it like "emotional vomiting." When there is a poison, the body ejects it and we feel better. In this context, we aren’t doing this with substances, but with stored experiences—specifically, highly arousing negative experiences we call "traumatic."
"Arousing" is the significant part here. Humans are not the only creatures that go through traumatic experiences; it is something all life forms experience—even bacteria face the threat of being eaten. Not getting eaten is a fairly useful survival strategy, which means remembering and learning from these experiences is a priority. However, having them trigger debilitating behaviors is not.
Our brain has a process to turn highly arousing memories into inert information that we can use. It does this by learning from and diffusing the arousal through a transition called the alpha/theta crossover. These are two of the brainwaves our brain operates with:
Alpha: Connected to a calm, wakeful state—like sitting on a beach with no thoughts, simply watching the sunset.
Theta: The dream state. This is a highly suggestible, calm state associated with improved learning.
Think of theta as a three-year-old playing with blocks—taking images, sounds, and sensations apart and putting them back together. This is why dreams often make no physical sense; it is where the brain "gets a feeling" for something before it makes "sense."
In this crossover, the brain does two things at once:
It maintains a state of calm while the memory triggers arousal. If the process is successful, the calm neutralizes the arousing part of the memory, leaving only the information behind.
It "plays" with the memory like that three-year-old with blocks—experiencing the event but changing and moving elements.
This gives the brain the space to extract information and return to a stable place, allowing us to live with confidence and the ability to navigate future experiences.
How can we use this information?
Knowledge is the first key. If you know that the brain is naturally working to de-arouse a memory, the process becomes less scary. We lose our resistance to this natural function, which allows the brain to do its job.
We can also practice and explore behaviors that trigger this crossover, such as:
Breathwork
Hypnosis
Biofeedback devices
Meditation