A Closer Look at Trauma and How It Affects the Brain

Most people understand that trauma can wreak havoc on your mental well-being—but it is so much more than just living with negative memories or fearful flashbacks. Traumatic experiences can actually change the chemistry and structure of your brain, leaving a lasting impact that is hard to heal from on your own.

The effects of trauma can linger for years because of these brain alterations, causing problems in everything from your career to your relationships.

Understanding how trauma affects the brain can be the necessary first step in coming to terms with your experience and seeking out the help you deserve. Here is a closer look at the changes your brain can go through after a traumatic event, and what you can do to start healing.

Boosted Amygdala Activity

The amygdala is the area of the brain responsible for processing your emotions—including fear. When you experience a traumatic event, the amygdala is not just triggered. It can become overly reactive. Essentially, your “fight-or-flight” response is on nearly all of the time. This causes heightened anxiety and can make you feel like there are threats everywhere, even when there are not.

While your brain’s response to fear is a survival mechanism, it is not something that is meant to be “on” all the time. If you start to react with impulse to perceived threats or you are always on alert, it is likely to cause a lot of stress and anxiety in your life.

A Blow to the Hippocampus

The hippocampus is responsible for memory storage and consolidation. Trauma can make it difficult for the hippocampus to work properly, so you might struggle with creating new memories.

If you have heard of trauma causing flashbacks and nightmares, that is also due to a dysfunction within the hippocampus. You are more likely to experience flashbacks of what happened to you. Because your new memories might not be getting stored properly, those flashbacks can often seem very real, making you feel like the traumatic experience is happening all over again.

Prefrontal Cortex Problems

The prefrontal cortex controls rational thinking and problem-solving within the brain. When you have experienced trauma, it can become less effective. That can make it difficult to think things through, overcome challenges, or see the bigger picture of a problem.

Children and teens do not have a fully developed prefrontal cortex. How do they think about things? They often lead with emotions and are not always thinking about the long-term consequences of their actions. The same problem can happen when your prefrontal cortex becomes less effective. Unfortunately, as an adult, having trouble concentrating or problem-solving can create issues in your relationships, your career, and more.

Healing the Brain

It can be scary and overwhelming to think that your brain changes after a traumatic experience. But, with the right treatment and support, you can heal from the effects of trauma and retrain your brain to work the way it should again.

There are many things you can do on your own to promote healing in your daily life. Self-care practices, mindfulness, meditation, and journaling are all great ways to start fighting back against the effects of trauma—including negative invasive thoughts.

The best way to walk through your healing journey is to work with a mental health professional. Trauma therapy can help you dig into the core of your trauma. When you learn where it stems from, you can start to challenge the negative thoughts while managing your symptoms more effectively. All the while, you will be healing the impact of trauma on your brain, so things will start to work normally once again.

If you are ready to take that step or you want to learn more, feel free to contact my office for a consultation.