Understanding Trauma and Its Devastating Impact
If trauma is not effectively addressed and worked through, then it has the potential to completely derail the life of the victim AND the lives of every single person that lives within the circle of the victim. Trauma never affects a victim in isolation. Trauma hurts individuals that are members of families that are a part of a community. Trauma devastates communities.
My name is Dr. K, and I’m a psychiatrist based in the Southeast. Lately, I’ve been feeling a pressing and urgent need to talk about trauma and its impact on mental health. During this first video segment about trauma, I’ll share with you some important definitions and statistics as well as discuss a bit of trauma’s impact on the brain.
First and foremost, let me provide some definitions and possibly debunk some misinformation around what exactly trauma entails.
Multiple mental health institutions and resources define a traumatic event as occurring when a person is exposed to actual or threatened death, serious injury, or sexual violence. Let me repeat that: a traumatic event is defined as an experience when a person is exposed to an actual or threatened death, serious injury, or sexual violence. Now, understand, this exposure can be direct or indirect. Direct means that the person actually experienced the traumatic event. Indirect means that the person witnessed the event as it occurred to others, learned about the traumatic event occurring to a close family member or friend, or experienced firsthand repeated or extreme exposure to upsetting and graphic details of the traumatic event—as in the case of first responders who are called to the scene after the occurrence of a trauma.
Now, let me share with you a few disturbing statistics: about 60-80% of US adults have experienced a traumatic event in their lives. Similarly, more than 2/3 of children have experienced trauma by age 16. A recent survey of high school students showed that 3 out of 4 students had experienced a traumatic event. So, very clearly and consistently, about 2/3 to ¾ of the population in the United States has experienced some form of trauma. The take home message: if you’ve experienced trauma, you’re not alone. You are not alone.
Now, this is something else that I believe you need to know. When I said trauma has the potential to derail a person’s life and also the lives of those around them, I was, in no way, exaggerating. On the individual level, trauma negatively impacts the mental, physical, and emotional health of the victim. Trauma can potentially injure the whole person.
When a person experiences a traumatic event, the brain undergoes biological changes that have actually been observed on brain scans. One of the frontal regions of the brain—known as the prefrontal cortex—can be negatively impacted by trauma. The prefrontal cortex controls rational thinking and regulates emotions and impulses. Due to impaired functioning—trauma victims may become emotionally reactive and inappropriately fearful. They may also experience increased difficulty thinking rationally and making decisions. Another brain structure that’s negatively affected by trauma is the hippocampus. It’s the part of the brain that controls learning and memory. Trauma can reduce the volume of the hippocampus and impair the functioning of this structure, causing it to become less active. As a result, children who experience trauma may demonstrate impairments in learning and memory. Also, trauma can affect this region of the brain by impairing a person’s ability to distinguish between past and present. Anything that triggers memory of a past trauma may then be perceived as a threat—even if it’s relatively harmless in nature.
The amygdala, the part of the brain that detects danger and processes emotions, can become overactive as a result of trauma. Fearful impulses may take over and inappropriately direct the behavior of trauma victims. This is because the more hyperactive the amygdala is, the more difficult it is for the brain to think rationally. That means that those who’ve experienced trauma may be more prone to make fear-or emotionally based responses rather than rational responses when their brains detect a potential threat.
As you can see, trauma can be extremely harmful to the brain, which translates to increased stress for the entire body, mind, and soul. The hopeful news is this: the brain is a wonderfully resilient organ, and many of these negative structural changes in the brain can be repaired through various therapeutic interventions.
Okay, that’s going to wrap up the first segment of this series on trauma. I hope you’ve found this video informative and enlightening, especially if you are a trauma survivor. If you’ve experienced any of things I’ve described, know that these are very real, valid biological responses to trauma. You are in no way to blame for these responses, and you are not alone. This is Dr. K with Mental Health | Plain Speak. And remember, be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.
