Perspectives: Alzheimer, Dementia, & Similar Symptoms
Disclaimer: The following information offers a spiritual and trauma-informed perspective and is for educational purposes only. It does not replace any medical facts, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult with a doctor for diagnosis before considering any alternative perspectives.
From a holistic healing perspective, symptoms like those associated with Alzheimer’s, Dementia, and similar cognitive decline (often seen in elders nearing the end of their life cycle) can be viewed as an involuntary process of trauma integration.
The individual’s system, sensing its final opportunity, forces them to process emotionally impactful events they were either previously unable to handle or chose to ignore.
This is a deep, psychological forced processing—a final attempt to harmonize the emotional and mental self. This process can manifest in two major ways:
Time for Processing: The individual finally has the mental and physical time to process certain trauma or emotionally impactful life events.
Overdue Processing: Trauma or events that were previously ignored have caught up to them, demanding resolution.
When this process is initiated, a person’s memories can become disorganized or distorted, leading them to speak in fragmented narratives, or, as it may appear to an observer, to speak “nonsense”. How these episodes present depends on the impact the original event and the individual’s inherent coping style.
Guidelines for Supporting a Loved Once During an Episode
When a person enters one of those processing episodes, resisting the process by trying to “pull them back into reality” or medicating them to sleep is generally not recommended, as it can delay the individual’s involuntary “trauma healing process.”
It is important to understand that the individual often does not have control over when these episodes start, how long they last, or what information they choose to process.
Here is how you can support them:
1. The Talkative Episode (Verbal Processing)
If the individual is talkative during their episode, join their conversation. Listen to the story they are telling you. This is a unique opportunity to learn about their life experiences as they are actively recalling them.
Listen, Don’t Correct: Think of the conversation as making up a story together. Do not correct the facts of the story.
Gauge Readiness: If you wish to ask for clarity, do so gently. If the individual becomes triggered or agitated when you ask for detail, this indicates the individual still has a lot to process and isn’t quite ready to talk about that topic openly.
2. The Quiet/Active Episode (Physical Processing)
If the individual is quiet but active, gently observe what they are doing.
Prioritize Safety: Only intervene if they are trying to hurt themselves or some else.
Encourage Talk: You can try to encourage them to talk about what they are doing. If they are willing to share, great. If not, let them be, but stay close by and supervise them in a safe environment.
3. The Aggressive Episode (Emotional Distress)
If the individual becomes aggressive, allow them to let the anger or emotion out by yelling or speaking, as long as they are not physically trying to harm themselves or others. This may be their system finally releasing a lifetime of bottled-up emotion.
Remember: Regardless of what the individual does or says during their episodes, their reaction is a reflection of their own internal wounds and experiences, not a direct attack on you. It is a manifestation of the trauma that happened to them, and they are not intentionally directing anything at you.
