How trauma changes the brain

Trigger warning: This story includes content about different causes of trauma, including sexual assault.

When we go through a traumatic event, whether it be something like a life-altering injury or illness, or the death of a loved one, it is often said that we are not the same after. That is becoming better understood because of the impact trauma has on the brain.

The American Psychological Association defines trauma as “an emotional response to a terrible event like an accident, crime, natural disaster, physical or emotional abuse, neglect, experiencing or witnessing violence, death of a loved one, war and more.” However, its definition is more complex and individual than that, says MRU social work professor Dr. Peter Choate, PhD, especially when referencing psychological trauma.

“Sometimes what matters is what the individual defines it as and why they define it that way,” Choate says, adding that some people will self-identify trauma because that is how they rationalize or make sense of what has happened.

“You can have people who have had very similar experiences and one might define it as traumatic and struggle with it whereas the other will classify it as a poor experience and move on.”

Choate points out that people who have access to more support systems might be less likely to identify something as traumatic than those who don’t. Similarly, trauma also has framing in cultural contexts.

“Some things that one culture may define as a trauma, another may not.”

When a person goes through a traumatic experience, Choate explains, it is then incorporated into their life and understanding of the world. This then becomes a part of the emotional structure of the brain.

“In other words, the brain says that what you previously understood to be safe is not safe anymore, which then changes how you react going forward. Pathways in the brain associated with the trauma are becoming stronger and you are therefore now more receptive to stimuli that reminds you of it. So, you go into fight, flight or freeze.”

Even after the threat is no longer present, when we are reminded of the trauma the brain responds the same way as if something traumatic is happening. “Even though the threat may not be currently real, it is reminiscent of the real.”

Choate shares a story of a woman who had been sexually assaulted by a man. Some time after the assault she was on public transit and went into a panicked state, feeling the need to immediately get off the bus. After reflecting upon the incident, she realized someone on the bus had been wearing the same aftershave as her assailant.

“She later realized she was not under threat, but her brain responded to the smell, causing her to believe she was under threat,” he says.

The traumatic experience isn’t going away, nor are the triggers, but we can learn to respond differently, Choate says.

There are a number of different pathways to healing, most notably various forms of therapy. But there are other options, such as meditation and different spiritual paths. Choate notes that many people find healing using a combination of approaches, too.

“There’s a misnomer that there’s a single answer on how to heal trauma. The trauma response and the recovery isn’t a single thing or moment, it’s a series of things that we do to become more aware of the trauma and the responses, and to become more connected to
things that help us to calm that down and respond differently.”

Assistance for those who have experienced trauma and are looking for help can be found through Alberta Health Services’ Alberta Trauma Services.