The Imprints of Trauma: Understanding how Trauma can Affect you and how to Find Healing

Psychological trauma is the emotional response to highly distressing and disturbing experiences. These experiences may include being involved in an accident, being the victim of abuse or violence, losing a loved one, witnessing a natural disaster, or living in an unsafe environment. If you have gone through any of these experiences and are finding it difficult to cope or function, it is important to remember that help is available to you. Dealing with trauma can be a scary process, but with the right support, you can find your way toward healing and inner peace. This article is intended to explore the impacts of trauma on the brain, body, behaviour, as well as steps you can take to help you cope with your trauma in healthy ways.

Trauma Effects on the Brain

Trauma can rewire the brain, leading to neurological changes. Studies have shown how trauma can alter brain function and structure, impacting brain regions involved in emotion regulation, problem-solving, memory, and the “fight-or-flight” response. Key areas in the brain that become affected include:

Amygdala: This is the brain’s fear centre. Trauma heightens amygdala activity, leading to hypervigilance, hyperarousal, and an exaggerated startle response.

Prefrontal Cortex: This area of the brain is responsible for impulse control and rational decision-making. Trauma’s impacts on the prefrontal cortex can lead to difficulties with concentration, planning, and emotion regulation.

Hippocampus: The hippocampus is responsible for memory and learning. Trauma can cause the hippocampus to shrink, leading to memory impairments and difficulty distinguishing between dangerous and safe situations (i.e., a hallmark of PTSD).

Trauma Effects on the Body

Your body keeps score of any traumatic experiences you may have undergone in your life. For instance, studies exploring childhood experiences have found a strong correlation between early trauma and chronic health issues in adulthood. Trauma is associated with chronic muscle tension, increased inflammation in the body, abnormally high or low cortisol levels, chronic pain, gastrointestinal issues, fatigue, and increased risk of diabetes, heart disease, and autoimmune disorders. These issues are not psychological – they are physiological and biological responses to prolonged stress and unresolved trauma.

Trauma Effects on Behaviour

The lasting impacts of trauma can lead to maladaptive coping mechanisms, behavioural issues, and interpersonal distress. Negative behaviours and coping strategies may include substance abuse, disordered eating, increased risk-taking or impulsivity, increased irritability, aggression, learned helplessness, shame, and self-blame. Interpersonal manifestations of trauma may involve social withdrawal, difficulty trusting others, sex or intimacy issues, difficulty setting boundaries, fear of abandonment, conflict-avoidance, increased reliance on others, and people-pleasing tendencies.

A Journey Toward Healing

Being aware of the impacts that trauma can have on you is crucial for your ability to move forward and heal. Moving forward does not simply involve “moving on” or “getting over it.” Moving forward in healing is a deep, complex journey that involves regaining the trust, security, and connectedness you may have lost. It involves feeling empowered and free to live an authentic and enjoyable life without being held back by your past.

Seek Trauma-Informed Therapy

You may feel overwhelmed by where or how to start your healing journey. You do not know what healing means or looks like for you. If this is your experience, rest assured that you are not alone. Working through trauma is a difficult and emotionally provoking process. It can be especially overwhelming to try and figure it all out on your own. Seeking support from a trauma-informed therapist can help make the process less intimidating and daunting for you. Therapy not only provides you with a safe and judgment-free space to discuss your struggles, but it can also provide you with a framework for healing. Together, you and your therapist can explore healthy coping strategies, allowing you to gain more resilience and take back control.

Engage in Somatic Practices

When the pain of trauma is left unprocessed, it becomes trapped in the body. This leads to chronic pains and other physical complications. Unprocessed trauma also creates imbalance and misalignment between your mind and body. For instance, you may be experiencing emotional numbness while suffering from chronic physical pain, suggesting a mind-body disconnect. Practicing somatic activities such as yoga, tai chi, deep breathing, or body scan meditations can help release tension, ease chronic pain, and restore balance. Somatic practices help reconnect your mind and body by increasing your self-awareness and ability to be present with your pain. Processing your struggles frees you from being unconsciously controlled by them.

Reconnect With Your Sense of Control

Trauma can leave you feeling helpless and out of control. One way to combat this is by creating a daily routine for yourself that allows you to feel productive, accomplished, organized, and consistent. This can be done by setting and achieving SMART goals, adopting healthy habits, making choices for yourself (e.g., choosing how to arrange your living area or what meal you want to eat), and setting boundaries. You do not always have to engage in big gestures to feel empowered or in control. Sometimes, the little steps you take and decisions you make are reminders that you have agency and autonomy. Try to approach everyday with the mindset that you now have an influence on your life.

Develop Mindful Self-Compassion

As a trauma survivor, you may feel responsible in a way for what happened to you. Feelings of shame and self-blame or thinking that you are “broken” and “unfixable” are common post-traumatic struggles that perpetuate emotional suffering. Self-criticism hinders your healing and growth after trauma. Practicing mindful self-compassion is crucial for two main reasons. Firstly, mindfulness trains you to acknowledge your pain with non-judgmental awareness (i.e., without resistance, avoidance, or shutting down). You simply observe your difficult emotions and negative thoughts without reacting to them or labeling them as “wrong” or “bad.” Being present with your internal struggles while reassuring yourself that you are safe helps to calm your overactive stress response. Secondly, self-compassion allows you to cultivate a healthier relationship with yourself, thereby increasing your self-confidence and resilience. Doing so helps you break out of the cycles of self-blame and learned helplessness, enabling you to be on your way toward emotional freedom and empowerment.

Do Not Give up on Yourself!

Whatever your traumatic experience may have been, remember that you are deserving of having joy, peace, safety, and love. While healing may seem like a slow and complicated process for you, it is essential to remember that you are worth the effort. Some days will be harder than others and that is okay – progress is not linear. Give yourself the grace that you need on those difficult days. By embracing your difficult emotions, you open yourself up to experiencing joy and other positive emotions more fully.

If trauma has been holding you back and you are ready to break free from its constraints, I welcome you to contact me so that we can work together to help you take back control and embrace your autonomy. Let’s continue the conversation  – marina.daif@mylifecounselling.ca