How Does Trauma Affect the Brain?

Trauma is referred to as a psychological response directed towards stressful or disturbing events such as the death of a loved one, sexual harassment, or a natural disaster. By saying that, not everyone who experiences a troubling event will develop trauma.

Sometimes the trauma from a certain disturbing event subsides after some months, but for others, that trauma stays with them. Oftentimes, people will experience post-traumatic stress disorder, where a certain situation would act as a trigger for them. So how does trauma affect our brain, and how can we move on from it in a healthy manner?

How Does Trauma Affect Our Brain?

When we experience a traumatic event, our body, and brain change, our mind will link certain things with that specific event so that every time we come in contact with those things, they trigger our mind and body. Oftentimes, people will say that they seem to be "reliving that event" every time they get triggered. For example, a survivor of sexual harassment says that her trigger was the sound of a bell; now, every time she hears a bell, she remembers that event.

Changes in Hippocampus

Hippocampus is the part of the brain that differentiates between the past and the present, and trauma can result in low activity in Hippocampus. So, when our Hippocampus does not work the same, it cannot distinguish between our present and our past. Now in the presence of a trigger, our brain will not be able to process the triggers. Our brain will consider those triggers as threats.

Cognition Problems

When our brain is overwhelmed by negative and disturbing events, it becomes difficult to process what is happening around us. Our brain, then, cannot remember full details of our life, memory issues arise, and people are unable to perform like they used to. Many people also say that certain parts of their lives became a blur after certain traumatic events. That is because, in order to process the trauma, our brain disregards some events of our lives.

Emotional Changes

People who experience trauma live in a constant state of fear. They may also feel:

● Shame

● Guilt

● Anger

● Denial

● Numbness

● Hopelessness

They also find it difficult to cope with everything around them and experience emotional flare-ups.

How to Heal from Trauma?

Now it may seem difficult, but you can move on and heal from trauma. The first thing to do is acknowledge what happened and tell yourself that it was not your fault. Many people feel guilt and shame when a certain traumatic event happens, while others stay in a state of denial.

Our brain is extremely adaptive, which means we can rewire it and form new and healthy connections towards the triggers so that we can come out of the stress. Not only that, but we can also strengthen our prefrontal cortex to get back in control. Visiting a health professional and getting therapy when needed is also extremely helpful when we want to heal.

Conclusion

Trauma can make us feel isolated from others, so telling yourself that you are not alone and surrounding yourself with people who care for you is another step towards becoming a better us.