What is Trauma?

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Trauma: An Overview

Trauma can profoundly affect the brain, influencing emotions, memory, and overall well-being. Whether experienced through domestic violence, sexual assault, or other distressing events, trauma can leave lasting imprints. Understanding how trauma affects the brain is key to healing and finding the right resources for support.

When someone experiences trauma, the brain's natural response is to enter survival mode. The amygdala, which is responsible for detecting threats, becomes overactive, heightening feelings of fear and anxiety. Meanwhile, the prefrontal cortex — the part of the brain that helps with decision-making and emotional regulation — may become underactive, making it harder to process information logically. The hippocampus, responsible for memory, can also be affected, causing fragmented or distorted memories of the traumatic event.

These neurological changes can result in symptoms like hypervigilance, dissociation, emotional numbness, and difficulty concentrating. Healing from trauma involves finding strategies to calm the nervous system and re-establish a sense of safety.

“Big T” Trauma vs “Little T” Trauma

Sources:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK207192/#:~:text=%E2%80%9CTrauma%20results%20from%20an%20event,being%E2%80%9D%20(Substance%20Abuse%20and%20Mental