How Your Body Remembers Trauma
Changes in Your Brain
Several things factor into how your brain is affected in the face of trauma. Often, these changes remain long after the traumatic event is over.
Your brain perceives danger and prepares your body to take necessary actions, whether that be fight, flight, or something else. The stress of the situation can cause your brain to rewire as it processes the environment and enters that preparation phase.
Your amygdala activates and enters into overdrive. Since the amygdala is responsible for regulating emotion, it can affect memory formation, processing, and pain management in its overactive mode.
Alternatively, your hippocampus functioning becomes reduced. As your brain shifts functioning to necessary actions only, the hippocampus, which is responsible for memory storage and regulation, no longer operates correctly. The outcome is that negative memories associated with the traumatic event may not be stored appropriately.
Subsequently, the altered functioning of the amygdala and hippocampus affects the prefrontal cortex, affecting rational thinking and decision-making abilities.
The Impact on Your Body
Most often, when anyone thinks of trauma and its impact, mental health is the common association, not necessarily the impact it has on the body. Given that changes occur in the brain and some rewiring takes place, there’s the possibility that the body also changes.
All five senses can be sources of triggers for your body, causing physical reactions to the trauma experienced. For instance, the sound of an ambulance, the sight of an argument, or an unwanted physical touch can all transport you back to that moment in your mind.
Any harbored feelings or emotions can resurface and manifest in emotional and physical symptoms.
The Body’s Response to Trauma
One of the tricky parts of trauma is that we tend to suppress it to avoid feeling continued pain. When that trauma isn’t fully processed, or not fully healed, it can become triggered at any point in time. You may feel like you’ve forgotten it or moved on, but you can be quickly transported back and caught off guard.
Emotional responses that you may experience can include becoming overwhelmed and irritable, feeling anxious, depression, agitation, and, in some instances, dissociating from yourself. You may experience cognitive difficulties, brain fog, nightmares, or difficulty sleeping and finding rest. Physical symptoms may include body aches, headaches, muscle tension, and stomach issues. There’s also a likelihood that your memory can be affected by the noted function changes.
When you start to feel symptoms, they can take a toll on your overall well-being, both physically and mentally. The impact of symptoms can further lead to isolation, relationship issues, and changes to your daily routines.
Finding Healing
Trauma is universal but also a very individual and unique experience. The length of time required and the manner in which you find healing can differ from person to person, even in similar circumstances. Where one person may be able to weather the storm on their own, you may find yourself needing additional guidance.
Working with a therapist can not only create a safe space to navigate this, but it can also provide healthy strategies and tools for finding healing. If your previous trauma is causing you to struggle, you don’t have to manage this alone. Contact us today to learn more.