The Brain

Before we go into details here, I want to emphasize again that you can heal your brain from trauma and rewire your brain thanks to the neuroplasticity of your brain. 

The trauma has several effects on the brain. Trauma can be especially severe when experienced in childhood as the brain is then still in a critical period of growth and flexibility. Trauma during childhood can lead to an impaired growth of the prefrontal cortex, which is responsible for emotional regulation and functions like reasoning and planning. 

The key areas affected by trauma are the following:

- the amygdala: the brain’s emotional center that helps to process fear and threat-related emotions. In people with trauma, the amygdala tends to be hyperactive, which means it reacts more intense than the threat would actually call for. This can lead to anxiety, panic, hypervigilance, or PTSD. The brain then remains on constant alert. 

- the hippocampus: this part helps you form new memories and organizes memories. Trauma can shrink the hippocampus and makes it harder to distinguish between past and present experiences which can lead to flashbacks and difficulties processing new experiences. Chronic trauma, especially in childhood, can significantly reduce the size of the hippocampus. 

- the prefrontal cortex: the prefrontal cortex is responsible for higher cognitive functions like decision-making, impulse control, and emotional regulation. In people who have experienced trauma, the prefrontal cortex may be underactive, which leads to problems in emotional regulation, poor decision-making, problems with concentration, and impaired judgment. 

- the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis: the HPA axis regulates the body’s stress response through the release of cortisol and other hormones. After trauma, the body can have an overactive HPA axis, meaning it produces excess cortisol. Chronic stress and excess cortisol levels can affect the brain’s ability to return to a state of calm after stress, leading to anxiety, depression, sleep disturbances, and difficulties with memory or concentration.