When a person experiences a traumatic event, adrenaline rushes through the body and the memory is imprinted into the amygdala, which is part of the limbic system. The amygdala holds the emotional significance of the event, including the intensity and impulse of emotion.
Brain areas implicated in the stress response include the amygdala, hippocampus, and prefrontal cortex. Traumatic stress can be associated with lasting changes in these brain areas. Traumatic stress is associated with increased cortisol and norepinephrine responses to subsequent stressors.
(flight response) The left brain has “shut down” during the trauma, therefore, the memory is stored in the right side of the brain and does not travel to the left to be placed in the filing cabinet.
Traumatic memories rerouted and hidden away
Memories are usually stored in distributed brain networks including the cortex, and can thus be readily accessed to consciously remember an event.
Our subconscious is where we store all of our emotional information and memory, such as the emotions we associate with our traumas and hurts, our fears, anxieties and insecurities, our mistakes, wrongs and regrets.
Dissociative amnesia occurs when a person blocks out certain events, often associated with stress or trauma, leaving the person unable to remember important personal information.
For some people, the tremors are big movements in the muscles. For others, they are tiny contractions that feel like electrical frequencies moving through the body. TRE® is not painful—in fact, most people enjoy the sensations.
In a traumatized brain, the Thinking Center and the Emotion Center are under-activated and the Fear Center is overactive. This can cause chronic stress, irritation, difficulty sleeping and other symptoms.
Compared to the healthy brain, left, the brain in cerebral atrophy following traumatic brain injury experiences a widening of the cortical sulci, a gradual enlargement of the ventricles, a pronounced cortical thinning, and a shrinking of the hippocampus, right.
And the answer is yes. The brain is incredibly resilient and possesses the ability to repair itself through the process of neuroplasticity. This phenomenon is the reason why many brain injury survivors can make astounding recoveries.
Falls. Falls from bed or a ladder, down stairs, in the bath, and other falls are the most common cause of traumatic brain injury overall, particularly in older adults and young children.
Neck Tension = Fear and Repressed Self-Expression
Neck muscle tension is also related to trust issues.
There aren't any treatments that specifically help the amygdala. Instead, treatments target specific symptoms or conditions related to it. Treatments can vary widely and include: Mental health therapy (psychotherapy).
It disrupts your memory storage processes and changes the way your brain works. Trauma left untreated can have a big impact on your future health. Trauma can lead to physical and emotional distress, which can lead to more serious health conditions, such as heart attack, stroke, obesity, diabetes, and cancer.
Grief can be stored in various parts of the body, such as the heart, lungs, throat, and stomach. People may also experience physical sensations like heaviness in the chest or tightness in the throat when experiencing grief.
Treatment for trauma
By concentrating on what's happening in your body, you can release pent-up trauma-related energy through shaking, crying, and other forms of physical release. Cognitive-behavioral therapy helps you process and evaluate your thoughts and feelings about a trauma.
Trauma-specific therapeutic modalities with a high rate of effectiveness include eye movement desensitization, reprocessing (EMDR), Dialectal Behavioral Therapy (DBT), Somatic Experiencing (SE), as well as neurofeedback.
So, these three parts of the brain- the amygdala, the hippocampus, and the prefrontal cortex- are the most-affected areas of the brain from emotional trauma. They can make a trauma survivor constantly fearful, especially when triggered by events and situations that remind them of their past trauma.
Unpredictable emotions, flashbacks, relationship problems and physical symptoms like headaches or nausea are some of the ways that unresolved trauma can manifest, according to the American Psychological Association.
Physical Symptoms
We sometimes assume that trauma can only affect us mentally, but there are many ways the effects can physically manifest themselves: Constant tiredness even after you have had a rest. Headaches and general pain in your body. Difficulty falling asleep.
Emotional Trauma Symptoms
Psychological Concerns: Anxiety and panic attacks, fear, anger, irritability, obsessions and compulsions, shock and disbelief, emotional numbing and detachment, depression, shame and guilt (especially if the person dealing with the trauma survived while others didn't)