Q Why does Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) develop? The accident is over, but my body still reacts as if it's happening right now.
A An extreme traumatic event disrupts the brain's memory processing circuits, leaving the threat response continuously activated even after the event has ended. The amygdala becomes overactivated while the prefrontal cortex loses its regulatory function, causing the same fear and arousal responses to occur even with minor stimuli.
Detailed Answer
PTSD is a stress response that persists for more than four weeks after directly experiencing or witnessing a life-threatening event such as a traffic accident, assault, disaster, or sexual violence. The core mechanism involves the amygdala — the brain's threat detection center — becoming overactivated so that fear memories replay repeatedly, while the prefrontal cortex, which should regulate these responses, loses its function. As a result, exposure to similar smells, sounds, or scenes triggers the same physical responses as the original event: increased heart rate, sweating, trembling, and shortness of breath.
Korean Medicine Clinic Perspective
In Korean medicine, chronic fear and trauma are understood in the context of 心膽虛怯 (shim-dam heo-gyeop) — deficiency and timidity of the Heart and Gallbladder. The Heart governs Shen (神, spirit/consciousness), and when Shen becomes unsettled, it manifests as hyperarousal, insomnia, and flashbacks. At Dongjedang, we first work to calm the Shen and stabilize the autonomic nervous system, creating the physical foundation necessary for deeper psychological healing to take place.
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