Trauma is an emotional response to experiencing or witnessing a severely distressing event, or series of events. In short, trauma is what happens when our system becomes overloaded.
Our brains and nervous systems are built to automatically protect us and help us survive. This automatic reaction is called the fight, flight, or freeze response. Trauma is a normal response to an abnormal situation. This means that trauma is not a defect or something someone has done wrong. The consequences, however, are that the threat – or perceived threat – from the traumatic event, can disconnect us from the moment, our reactions, or from those around us.
Fight-flight-freeze
The fight-flight-freeze response prompts our bodies into survival mode by increasing our heart rate, releasing stress hormones, and increasing blood flow to prepare for running or protecting ourselves. Adrenaline and other neurochemicals rush to the brain. These reactions impact certain parts of the brain, including the amygdala, hippocampus, and prefrontal cortex.
The amygdala acts as the brain’s emotional alarm system, or watchtower, when we feel unsafe.
The hippocampus assists with long-term memory storage.
The prefrontal cortex monitors rational thought and helps us control emotional responses.
When activated by trauma, the amygdala may disrupt signals to the hippocampus. This is why trauma memories may seem fragmented. The prefrontal cortex may also go off-line when the amygdala signals the need for alarm. This happens because the body doesn’t have time to think under threat. Any additional time spent thinking could jeopardize survival.
Our fight-flight-freeze response explains why thinking our way out of threatening situations becomes difficult. It’s also why trauma memories often become associated with images, feelings, and body sensations, rather than rational thoughts. The chemicals released during a trauma response prohibit the brain’s reasonable side from helping the emotional side escape memories of the trauma. In other words, a disconnect occurs from the side of the brain that handles reasoning and cognitive processing.
Recognizing trauma
People who have experienced trauma often appear shaken and disoriented. Some signs and symptoms of psychological trauma include, but are not limited to: confusion, difficulty concentrating, mood swings, anxiety, depression, and intrusive thoughts.
Because trauma changes the brain, it also impacts a person’s perspective. For example, trauma may lead someone to perceive a situation as dangerous, even when there is no actual safety threat. It may include consistent feelings of guilt and responsibility (self-blame), feeling ashamed, and feeling different from or misunderstood by others. To a traumatized brain, it can become difficult to distinguish threat from reality.
Trauma may also involve major emotional shifts, including difficulty regulating anger, as well as self-destructive behaviors, including unhealthy patterns related to food, substance use, and hurting oneself to relieve pain. Difficulties staying present may include feeling mentally disorganized, or detached from one’s own body and mind.
Other shifts include relationship challenges, such as difficulties trusting others, feeling disconnected from loved ones, or struggles with intimacy. Many people with trauma attempt to protect themselves from being hurt, which often lead to unsuccessful or unhealthy coping patterns over time.
What is PTSD?
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a diagnosis in the DSM-5 and refers to a specific set of criteria regarding trauma symptoms. PTSD occurs when the symptoms and reactions caused by a traumatic event do not resolve in a few months.
It’s possible to experience trauma and not develop PTSD. In these cases, the person will be able to process, or make sense of the event and feel okay with moving on after the experience. Someone who does develop PTSD will remain so overwhelmed by the event that it does not resolve, remaining stored in the brain and nervous system in an unhealthy way. In these cases, trauma memories linger and disrupt everyday life.
There are many reasons why someone might develop PTSD. Sometimes one single trauma event (ie. natural disaster, car accident) can cause PTSD. Other times, repeated events from childhood or ongoing traumatic events can create conditions for PTSD. Regardless of the reason, PTSD will occur when the body and brain’s ability to cope is disrupted and overwhelmed.
PTSD symptoms generally fall into four areas:
- Re-living symptoms: flashbacks or nightmares.
- Avoidance symptoms: staying away from activities, people, or places that are reminders of the trauma.
- Cognition and mood symptoms: negative thoughts about self and world, extreme guilt, or lack of interest in things that used to be enjoyed.
- Increased arousal symptoms: startling easily, having angry outbursts, and difficulty sleeping.
You can heal from trauma and PTSD!
Our bodies have a natural ability to heal, even through trauma and PTSD. Our team at Sustainable Wellness offers specialized services to heal your traumatized brain. We support your healing with therapies such as:
- Individual therapy
- EMDR therapy
- EMDR Intensives
- Brainspotting (coming soon!)
There is no shame in seeking the treatment you need. Let us help you understand why. Contact us at hello@sustainablewellnessny.com to begin your healing journey.