Dr. Sarah Vose, PT, DPT

10/28/2024

27 years ago

I’m a totally different person now. Reading this post doesn’t bring up any big emotions for me anymore. I think my brain has finally fully processed and stored all the memories from this time period. I guess that’s the result of all the work I’ve done over the last 4 years.

4 or so years ago I knew there had to be a different way to live. A more relaxed way with more ease, enjoyment, and happiness. I used to picture a version of myself that embodied those qualities. When I would envision that version of myself she was like 70+ years old before she achieved that energy.

Doing “the work” has allowed me to access that version of myself now. I might not feel that way every day but that happy, relaxed, at ease version of myself is there, just below the surface, easily accessible when I take the time to check in and connect.

Maybe in another year or 2 I won’t even have to do that to access her. Maybe I’ll just be her🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷

05/25/2024

🔗Link to article in comments

Autism = development of PTSD from mild stressors = worsening symptoms of Autism = more sensitivity = development of PTSD from even milder stressors. It’s a viscous cycle.

This is why most people with ASD also have cPTSD.

PTSD develops when we don’t have the tools on board to process an experience and/or when we feel alone in that experience.
When someone with autism is reacting strongly to something that seems mild to others and are told they are being too sensitive or are making a big deal out of nothing, they don’t receive the validation and co regulation they so desperately need to help their brain and body process the event so it doesn’t result in PTSD.

Try to practice Compassion before Comprehension. Validate emotions even if you don’t understand why someone has them. You can always try to figure it out later but compassion is needed immediately.

The good news is that I’ve experienced first hand myself and with my patients that when you heal the trauma some of the autism symptoms also decrease. The viscous cycle can be reversed into a healing cycle with the right methods. (Highly recommend body based, bottom up methods)

🔗Link to article in comments

01/01/2024

“There’s absolutely, categorically no denying that some autistic people’s sensory experiences are the best thing to them about being autistic…. So there’s this extraordinary juxtaposition on the one hand of sensory joy and on the other hand, sensory distress sometimes within the same individual.”

I feel like the idea that your greatest strength is often also your greatest weakness is a common and accepted one.

For me this also applies to my tactile and interoceptive sensory systems.

My hypersensitivity in both areas helps me excel as a manual therapist. When I feel safe and comfortable my hypersensitivity, especially with interoceptive awareness, leads to an incredibly rich internal experience, beyond what my words could ever describe. (I often wish I had skills as a painter because I feel like that would be the best way to depict the experience.)

However, the same hypersensitivity often leads to distress. The texture and pressure of clothing can easily be overwhelming to the point where my brain function and emotional state is affected. I can become irritable until I’m able to change my clothing (or take off that damn bra). The slight internal sensations that travel up the vagus nerve to our brain and help create our emotions that would go unnoticed by many, I instantly detect. This sometime leads to rapid changes in my emotional state with seemingly no reason to the people around me.

Learning about neuroscience and what is happening internally has helped me tremendously. Unstanding why something is happening allows for more self acceptance and less judgement. Now I’m learning to apply the idea of impermanence to those slight internal sensations and emotions when they arise so I can pause and let them pass or respond (instead of react) when necessary.

As a society we often only notice the negative aspect of sensory hypersensitivity because it can lead to a “disruptive” autistic meltdown. Often the postive aspect of sensory hypersensitivity goes unnoticed because for many it is an internal experience. If you have an autistic person in your life are you aware of the joy their hypersensitivity brings? If you are autistic please feel free to share your sensory joy in the comments.

▶ Watch this reel https://www.facebook.com/share/r/Vx73c8PTZ1Bk4SA9/?mibextid=cQnZ3id

09/13/2023

Love when they figure out something new about the nervous system!!

https://neurosciencenews.com/hybrid-cell-discovery-neuroscience-23883/?fbclid=IwAR3MNIiaEd1WfL2qHKoczEUpBIeQvk8j84-B3FMR1gbvm-80SqvzJChPwtk_aem_AafVyFFk2HSpYtPIBEA7lpFDgwRgTvVXPKrTuq56oA_wfzAkScQlT6L_NEcgep2iteU&mibextid=Zxz2cZ

Neuroscientists have unveiled a new hybrid cell, straddling the line between the well-known neurons and glial cells in the brain.

06/29/2023

03/27/2023

Interoception. It’s one of our senses yet hardly anyone knows about it, even medical professionals.

I’ve found that precision with interoception is often the key to diminishing or eliminating symptoms when I’m working with someone who has chronic pain, PTSD or both.

Interoception is our brains ability to sense and identify our internal bodily sensations. It goes beyond noticing that we’re hungry, tense, or have a full bladder. It also encompasses our ability to notice the sensations that occur inside our bodies when we experience emotions. A nervous belly, breath holding when scared, chest tightness with anxiety are all things we’ve probably heard of before and examples of interoception awareness.

We all know awareness is the key to creating change.

The more precise you are with your awareness of exactly what organ or tissue is involved with the internal sensation(s) you are experiencing the more potential there is for change. (This is where an anatomy nerd, like a PT, comes in handy 🫀🫁🧠🤓)

You don’t need to see someone else though to start increasing your interoception awareness. Take 2 minutes, find a quite spot, close your eyes, and scan your body. Think about how your body feels from the tips of your toes to the top of your head. Notice any areas of tension, any areas of heat, any areas that feel different from the rest. The important part is to just notice them, NOT judge or change them. Just notice that they’re there and acknowledge their presence ✌️

If you’re a PT or body worker I’d love to know if you work on interoception awareness with your patients. If you do, drop a 🧠in the comments and if you don’t give me an 💪

💆‍♀️🌿💆🏻‍♂️🧠🙏