WRITTEN BY: SARAH RIVERA, LPC-S Chances are you’ve been exposed to the word “trauma” more than a time or two. Trauma is a word that is gaining more awareness and space within conversations and information shared by people everywhere. This blog will talk a little more about what trauma is and how it affects the brain and body.
It’s important to understand that this is not a diagnostic blog, but one that can help increase awareness so you know when it may be time to seek support for trauma you have experienced.
What Is Trauma?
Trauma is an experience, or set of experiences, that calls into question whether someone can survive what they are going through. It involves an actual event—or the perception of an event—that physically or emotionally compromises a person’s sense of safety and well-being. These experiences often leave an individual feeling helpless, hopeless, or in extreme distress.
Interestingly, not every traumatic event will lead to a traumatic response. Just because someone is exposed to a life-threatening or highly stressful event does not necessarily mean they will feel traumatized by it.
A traumatic response develops after the event and involves emotionally disturbing symptoms that leave a person struggling to regulate emotionally, mentally, physically, and spiritually. These symptoms can interfere with day-to-day responsibilities, relationships, work, and overall quality of life.
How Trauma Affects the Brain
One of the primary ways trauma affects the brain is by activating the body’s fight, flight, or freeze response. Clinically, this response is controlled by the autonomic nervous system, which helps us react quickly when danger is present.
When the brain perceives a threat, it sends signals throughout the body that immediate action is needed to stay safe. Depending on the situation, a person may:
Fight
Attempt to confront or resist the threat.
Flight
Try to escape the threat by running away or avoiding danger.
Freeze
Become immobilized, feeling stuck, unable to move, think clearly, or respond.
All of these responses are survival mechanisms designed to protect us. There is no “right” or “wrong” reaction during a traumatic event. These responses are the brain’s way of trying to keep us alive.
Why Trauma Memories Feel So Strong
After a traumatic event has passed, the memory of that experience can sometimes remain highly active in the brain. For some individuals, trauma memories can feel so vivid that it seems as though the event is happening all over again.
This occurs because the brain’s alarm system becomes highly sensitive. It may struggle to distinguish between a real present-day threat and a memory from the past.
This is often what people experience when they encounter a trigger.
A trigger is a sight, sound, smell, feeling, place, person, or situation that reminds the brain of the traumatic event. When triggered, the body can react as though the danger is happening right now—even when it is not.
As a result, trauma survivors may experience intense emotions, anxiety, panic, fear, or physical symptoms that seem disproportionate to the current situation. In reality, the brain is responding to a memory rather than a present threat.
Physical Symptoms of Trauma: How Trauma Is Stored in the Body
Many people are surprised to learn that trauma affects more than emotions and thoughts. Trauma can also create very real physical symptoms in the body.
These are sometimes referred to as psychosomatic responses, meaning emotional distress is expressed physically.
Common physical symptoms of trauma include:
- Difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep
- Sleeping too much or not enough
- Chronic muscle tension, especially in the face, neck, jaw, and shoulders
- Frequent headaches
- Digestive issues such as nausea, stomach pain, or diarrhea
- Increased heart rate
- Fatigue or exhaustion
- Feeling constantly on edge
- Hypervigilance or feeling the need to always watch your surroundings
Many individuals describe feeling as though they can never fully relax. Their body remains prepared for danger, even when danger is no longer present.
Can Trauma From Childhood Affect Adults?
Yes.
Even when a traumatic event occurred years or decades ago, the effects of trauma can still be present in adulthood. The brain and body may continue responding to reminders of that experience long after the original event has ended.
Many adults seek counseling only to discover that some of the symptoms they have struggled with for years are connected to unresolved trauma from childhood or earlier stages of life.
Trauma does not always stay in the past simply because time has passed.
How Counseling Helps Heal Trauma
One of the most important things trauma counseling can help a person understand is that many triggers are reminders of something that has already happened—not evidence that it is happening again.
Because trauma is stored in both the mind and the body, it can create the feeling that danger could return at any moment. This leaves many people feeling unsettled, nervous, overwhelmed, and exhausted.
Counseling can help individuals:
- Understand their trauma responses
- Recognize triggers
- Develop healthy coping skills
- Learn how to regulate their nervous system
- Reduce anxiety and hypervigilance
- Process traumatic memories safely
- Rebuild a sense of safety and control
Therapies such as EMDR, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), and other trauma-informed approaches can help people process traumatic experiences and reduce the intensity of their symptoms.
A person can learn what to do when a trauma response is triggered and how to calm the body and mind so they feel more regulated and in control. While healing is possible, it is often difficult to navigate trauma recovery alone.
You Don’t Have to Carry Trauma Alone
If you or someone you know has experienced a traumatic event and appears to be having a traumatic response, reach out for support. Trauma is a very real clinical experience that often requires the help of a trained mental health professional. It is not something most people can simply “figure out” on their own.
Whether the trauma happened recently or many years ago, healing is possible. You do not have to spend the rest of your life feeling trapped by the effects of something that happened in the past. With the right support, like trauma counseling with a therapist in San Antonio, it is possible to regain a sense of safety, healing, and hope.
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