How Trauma Functions in our Emotions, Brain, and Body

Course Cut-OutMoving Through Trauma
Written By Austin Cavaliere

If you need help seeing Jesus in the middle of your struggle, or just feel like you are stuck, ready to move into growth and healing, connect with a Christian coach.

Excerpt: How Trauma Functions in our Emotions, Brain, and Body Trauma - Session 3

Course: Moving Through Trauma

Speakers: Matthias Barker

Rebuilding Your Inner Toolkit: How Trauma Impacts the Brain and the Path to Healing

We've discussed how past trauma can continue to affect our present lives. To move forward, we need to increase our ability to process these experiences without feeling overwhelmed. This involves understanding how trauma impacts the brain and actively working to rebuild our internal resources for healing.

Trauma's Impact on the Brain: A Breakdown

Trauma can alter brain function, affecting key areas crucial for emotional processing and regulation. Think of your brain as having a toolkit; trauma can leave some tools missing or malfunctioning. Here are some key areas often affected:

Hippocampus: Impacts memory formation and the ability to place events in context. Trauma can reduce its activity, making it hard to understand past experiences and their connection to the present.

Thalamus: Acts as a sensory relay. Trauma can disrupt its function, leading to misinterpretations of safe situations as threats.

Prefrontal Cortex: Involved in higher-level thinking and emotional regulation. Trauma can decrease its activity, making it difficult to manage emotions and think clearly.

Understanding Emotion: The Four Key Components

Emotions are complex, arising from a combination of:

  1. Sensory Input: What we experience in our environment.

  2. Past Experiences: Our history and learned associations.

  3. Bodily Sensations: Physical feelings in our body.

  4. Cognitive Appraisal: How we interpret the above three elements.

Trauma can disrupt how we process sensory information, how we remember and contextualize experiences, and our ability to make sense of our emotions.

Strategies for Rebuilding Your Toolkit

Healing involves actively working to restore function in these brain regions and build emotional resilience. This isn't about forcing yourself through painful memories, but rather about implementing strategies that can help:

Support Hippocampal Function: Engage in activities that help integrate memories and create a coherent narrative of your experiences, like journaling or timeline exercises.

Regulate Thalamic Activity: Practice techniques that help you differentiate between past danger and present safety, such as mindfulness and grounding exercises.

Enhance Prefrontal Cortex Activity: Engage in activities that improve focus, emotional awareness, and cognitive processing, like mindfulness, therapy, and expressive arts.

By consistently using these strategies, we can begin to "rewire" our brains, fostering greater emotional balance and resilience. The goal is to approach the processing of traumatic experiences from a place of calm and safety, equipped with the internal resources needed for healing.

 

If you like the content, you can continue in a few different ways…

  • 1) See the outline below and check out other sections from the FFP course.

  • 2) Take the full small group course to your church community! The first course your church runs is free! Reach out to us here to learn how.

  • 3) Connect with a Share The Struggle Coach for one-on-one support. Let’s face it, some of us have tried kicking this thing, and we’ve had no luck. It’s time to start looking toward forms of support that can help us see and feel the beautiful life God has in store for us.

 

Moving Through Trauma

〰️

Moving Through Trauma 〰️

Session 1

Session 2

Session 3

Session 4

Session 5

Session 6

Session 7

Session 8

 

Share The Struggle Courses

Share the Struggle Courses are topical expert led video courses to help you understand life’s greatest struggles and provide you with tools for navigating them. Moreover, STS courses create a space for you to connect with others struggling with similar things, experience belonging, and encounter God’s nearness in a place of wilderness in your life (pain, confusion, healing journey). Want to start a group at your church? Reach out to us here to learn how.

 

What Share The Struggle Believes

Here at Share The Struggle we believe Jesus is present with us in the middle of our pain and mess, and it is in that place that we often experience and encounter Jesus most deeply.

We understand the unique challenges faced by Christians dealing with mental health. Our mission is to bridge the gap between faith and mental health support, providing a platform where individuals can find resources, coaching support and guidance, all tailored to their spiritual life and emotional needs.

We invite you to explore our resources, share your journey, and find the support you need to overcome the struggles you face.

Austin Cavaliere
Previous

Our Three Primary Responses to Trauma
Next

Breath and Bilateral Stimulation