Trauma and the brain

Does our brain really Work differently during a traumatic Event?

It does! Under normal circumstances, our brain takes in information from our senses and sends it to our prefrontal cortex (pictured to the right). This is where we can rationally think through a situation, and make a decision on what we want to do in that moment.

Our amygdala is the fear and emotional center of our brain. Normally, it functions by processing and keeping memories, making sure our emotions stay in check, and keeping us motivated.

HOWEVER. In a traumatic situation, all that information that would normally go to our prefrontal cortex completely skips that step and dives straight into the amygdala, ringing our brain’s alarm bells. This makes us do things we normally wouldn’t do, activating our fight, flight, freeze, and fawn responses.

So imagine you’re really hungry, and there’s a pizza shop nearby. You feel the hunger in your stomach, smell the delicious pizza and garlic knots, and you can see that glowing neon open sign. Your brain takes in all this information, and you can then rationally make the decision to go get yourself a pizza

These responses came from millions of years of evolution, and are here to keep us safe. They just mean that our brain loves us so much it wants to keep our body safe, and will make us do whatever it thinks will achieve that. Each one is broken down below!

Trauma Responses

There are many different types and combinations of trauma responses, and they can be experienced in a TON of different situations. The biggest thing to remember is that your trauma responses are your brain loving you so much that it wants your body to stay as safe as possible, and looks for the best way to do that.

Fight

When people try to imagine how they’d react in an emergency situation, we tend to think we’d fight. This can mean fighting off our attacker physically, screaming, kicking, or even fighting for justice after the fact. In this situation, our brain looks at what’s going on and decides that the best way to survive is to physically escape through any means possible.

Freeze

When we experience the freeze response, our brain has decided that the best way to keep us safe is to not move and potentially provoke our attacker into hurting us more severely. People that experience this response can either physically freeze up, unable to move, or they dissociate so it feels that the actions aren’t actually happening to them, like an out-of-body experience.

Flight

During the flight response, the survivor will attempt to flee the situation. This can be accompanied by the fight response, as they try and fight off their attacker just enough to escape. If it is not possible to escape the attack, some may find ways to mentally escape the situation, like dissociation or repression of memories

Fawn

During the fawn response, survivors will go along with whatever their attacker wants. This means that they will give in to persistent begging for sex, or they’ll engage in activities because they fear what might happen if they don’t, or they have been hurt for saying no before so saying yes feels safer. This does NOT mean that the survivor consented to the activities, though. It simply means that the survivor’s brain looked at the situation, and decided that complying was the best way to avoid harm.

Those that experience the freeze or fawn responses can experience confusion and shame after the attack. Sometimes, it might feel like they didn’t do enough to stop it, or that “hey, I went along with it. So clearly it wasn’t assault/abuse.” While these feelings are valid, it is important to remember that trauma responses are very real and are there to keep us alive. The way you react does not change the reality of the assault or abuse. During dangerous situations our brain wants to keep us safe. These responses are your brain loving you so much that it wants to keep your body safe and alive.

PTSD and the brain

Our brain can get stuck in those trauma responses, and treat every day like its a life-or-death situation. This is where people can develop triggers and PTSD. Let’s break down what some common symptoms are.

  • Hypervigilance means being constantly on edge, and looking over your shoulder.

  • Flashbacks are where you feel like you are reliving the trauma. This can manifest in a few different ways, including body memories, overpowering intrusive thoughts, and panic attacks.

  • Sometimes, our subconscious forces us to relive the events, or the anxiety that accompanies them, through nightmares. These nightmares don’t have to specifically be accurate memories of the trauma, but can be thematic (dreaming the person who hurt you finds you, that you’re being chased, that you are being forced to do something you don’t want to do, etc).

  • Sometimes, sudden loud noises or movements can make you jump or yelp more than you normally would. This can also trigger a flashback or panic attack

Sometimes you might get triggered in an inconvenient place, like in public or with people you don’t want to trauma dump on. Even if you’re in your own home or with people that know and love you, going through an episode of intense fear or a flashback can feel really embarrassing and emotionally exhausting. I’ve been there too, and it’s important to know that even though you might feel embarrassed, the people you are with shouldn’t judge you or think anything negative about that experience. It can be helpful to have a conversation about different coping techniques and how to help you calm down after a trigger with people you are comfortable sharing this experience with. Community and love help MASSIVELY when you’re overcoming trauma; they can help spaces feel safer.

More of a visual learner?

I got you. Here are a few videos that explain how our brain processes trauma really well with helpful graphics and animation

This one, by TEDed, goes into how traumatic experiences can lead to PTSD, explaining triggers and our brain’s alarm systems. It also goes into how to cope with flashbacks and other systems following a traumatic event.

This video by the NHS Lanarkshire EVA Services goes into the brain science of how our brain reacts in dangerous and potentially life threatening situations