Axiomempiricalv1
Trauma recalibrates the nervous system's threat detection to
Trauma recalibrates the nervous system's threat detection to treat a wider range of stimuli as dangerous and weakens prefrontal-amygdala connectivity.
Why This Is an Axiom
This is van der Kolk's core finding about how trauma changes the nervous system. It describes a persistent neurobiological adaptation that cannot be derived from general principles—it required longitudinal trauma research to discover and is foundational to understanding trauma-related dysregulation.