Neurobiology Of Trauma | The Alchemist

THE NEUROBIOLOGY OF TRAUMA

“An abnormal reaction to an abnormal situation is normal behavior.”

–Viktor Frankl

When you are chronically exposed to traumatic event(s), your brain starts to rewire how it functions and communicates, through an adaptive process called neuroplasticity. While some of these changes can be significantly detrimental, the process of neuroplasticity also allows you to rewire the brain for healing. Understanding the neurobiology of trauma can help you gain insight around how traumatic experiences can alter functions in the brain and how you can use this knowledge to heal.

30%-80%

30%-80% of clinicians endorse having a personal trauma history, suggesting that many mental health professionals enter the field due to their personal histories (Manson, 2019).

50%

50% of individuals in healing roles experience some form of emotional distress, such as vicarious trauma (VT), secondary traumatic stress (STS), or burnout (Miller, 2022).

70%

70% of individuals worldwide are affected by the adverse impact of trauma

(Perrotta, 2019).

The command center of the brain

The autonomic nervous system, limbic system, and the frontal lobe, all act as your command center working together to manage communication between the lobes.

The autonomic nervous system is responsible for all involuntary functions. It is also the home of the fight, flight, or freeze response.

Involuntary functions include: regulating temperature, digestion, and breathing.

AUTONOMIC NERVOUS SYSTEM

FRONTAL LOBE

The frontal lobe is the largest part of your brain and is responsible for managing cognitive and behavioral functions. The prefrontal cortex is responsible for decision-making, impulse control, and social behaviors.

THE LIMBIC SYSTEM

Your limbic system is responsible for your emotions and behavior. It houses your hippocampus and amygdala. The hippocampus is understood as the memory center. The amygdala is your alarm system and it is responsible for interpreting threats or danger.

If you're interested in learning more about how trauma memories are stored and memory classification, check out the PDF files below.

Dr. Dan Siegel, M.D., developer of the hand model of the brain, created the model to easily demonstrate how the brain functions.

The model divides the brain into 2 sections. The "upstairs brain", which consist of the frontal lobe and the "downstairs brain" which consist of the limbic system and autonomic nervous system.

Activation of the sympathetic nervous system, the fight, flight, or freeze response, leads to disrupted communication between the upstairs brain, the logical part, and the downstairs, the emotional part of the brain.

Check out the video below to learn more about the hand model of the brain.

THE "UPSTAIRS" BRAIN & THE "DOWNSTAIRS" BRAIN

NEUROPLASTICITY AND TRAUMA

Neuroplasticity is defined as, “the ability of the nervous system to change its activity in response to intrinsic or extrinsic stimuli by reorganizing its structure, functions, or connections."

Neuroplasticity is a process that allows different areas of your brain to rewire itself. When someone experiences chronic exposure to trauma the process of neuroplasticity allows the brain to adapt and change to survive the adverse experiences. This adaptive process is also what helps you to release old brain connections that were formed to survive the traumatic experience and form new harmonious connections.

(Mateos-Aparicio & Rodríguez-Moreno, 2019).

Neuroplasticity & Hypervigilance

Hypervigilance is an example of how the brain may rewire itself after experiencing a traumatic event.Hypervigilance is an arousal response that enhance's an individual’s sense of awareness, in an attempt to predict a potential threat.
Hypervigiliance is an effective survival skill when it is used to respond to a real and true threat. On the other hand continuing to feel hypervigliant after the threat has passed can lead to you "mistaking every garden hose for a snake."
In the context of a traumatic event, any thoughts, feelings, reactions, or behaviors developed out of need for survival are normal. Neuroplasticity can help you repurpose the skills that you developed to the survive the trauma through forming new connections that better support who you are now.
The transformative nature of alchemy and the adaptive nature of the brain are two processes that can be used for transformative healing by generating new connections between your upstairs brain and your downstairs brain.

Arden, 2010;Davidson & McEwen, 2013; Kaul, et al., 2021; Mateos-Aparicio & Rodríguez-Moreno, 2019

Learn about reframing hypervigilance from a post-traumatic growth perspective in the interview clip below with trauma specialist Dr. King, Psy.D.

Dr. Alexandria King, Psy.D,

Licensed Clinical Psychologist