Can Emotional Trauma Cause Brain Damage? Here’s How It Can and How You Can Heal

A traumatic event can happen in an instant, whether it is an instance of abuse, physical or sexual assault, or a severe accident. Trauma can also come from prolonged events like repeated exposure to conflict, war, continued abuse, or the impact of a serious health condition.

Yet, the terrifying truth about post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is that it can develop regardless of time frames. PTSD does not play favorites, and it does not only choose to impact those who have been repeatedly exposed to trauma. Whether or not a traumatic experience is acute, chronic, or complex, PTSD lingers around well after the event(s) have transpired.

One reason PTSD lingers is that it causes changes in the brain.

How Does Trauma Change the Brain?

Trauma is difficult for the brain to process. Because of this, traumatic memories aren’t properly stored. Think of the brain as a filing cabinet. Most memories can be properly stored in a drawer and that drawer can be closed. Traumatic memories haven’t been put away. Maybe they’re strewn on top of the cabinet or sticking out of random areas. That’s why those with PTSD experience flashbacks; those memories haven’t been processed. But it’s more than that.

According to neuroimaging research and studies, the brain of someone with PTSD looks different both structurally and functionally. Certain regions of the brain deal with emotional processing and stress response: the amygdala, hippocampus, and prefrontal cortex. 

The changes in these regions of the brain can impair someone’s ability to manage stress, especially in those who suffer from PTSD . It also increases the likelihood of developing certain mental health conditions, like anxiety and depression, because these conditions are often neurological in nature.  

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Here is a closer look at the effect of trauma on each area:

Trauma Can Shrink the Hippocampus

In people with post-traumatic stress disorder, the hippocampus appears smaller in size. This region of the brain is responsible for memory functions and emotions, and it’s where images show the most significant impact of trauma. The hippocampus helps people form new memories and distinguish those present memories from past ones. 

While some people with PTSD may struggle to recall certain parts of their traumatic event, some individuals experience vivid memories. In either case, people with PTSD don’t always process things like flashbacks and nightmares, causing anxiety due to this malfunctioning hippocampus. 

Also, when an individual is presented with an environmental situation that in any way resembles something from their traumatic past, their neural mechanisms trigger an extreme stress response, and this constant stress may further damage the hippocampus.

Trauma Overactivates the Amygdala

PTSD causes increased activity in the amygdala, which is the brain region that’s tied to fear responses. When someone responds to stimuli that are in some way connected to their traumatic experience, this hyperactivity in the amygdala leads to high-stress levels, panic, and anxiety.

An overactive amygdala will lead to greater and more consistent feelings of stress. Small inconveniences will feel greater and stressful events are unbearable. The changes that trauma causes to the amygdala create distressing levels of anxiety and fear.

Trauma Impairs the Ventromedial Prefrontal Cortex

The ventromedial prefrontal cortex is the part of the brain responsible for regulating emotional responses, such as negative emotions and fear, triggered by the amygdala. Like the hippocampus, people with PTSD show a reduction in volume in this region as well. However, instead of a hyperactive response, this area exhibits hypoactivity. 

The ventromedial prefrontal cortex's impaired functional ability leads to people with PTSD experiencing fear, anxiety, and stress, even when they are not faced with the stimuli that they might connect with their past experiences.

How to Heal the Brain After Emotional Trauma

It’s scary to hear that trauma changes the brain. However, it’s not a permanent change. With proper treatment and time, the brain can heal itself after emotional trauma. These are the treatment options that help the brain heal after trauma.

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Trauma Talk-Therapy

Trauma therapy is a broad term that encompasses kinds of therapy that are trauma-focused. Almost every form of therapy can be trauma-focused, but these are designed specifically for trauma patients.

Prolonged Exposure

This kind of therapy addresses PTSD head-on. This involves recalling memories and working through them with a therapist. Recalling traumatic memories can be an emotionally distressing thing to do. For that, it’s not for everyone. However, those distressing feelings will decrease over time.

Cognitive Processing Therapy

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is the most popular version of talk therapy. Cognitive processing therapy (CPT) is a trauma-specialized version of this modality. Designed in 1966, CPT challenges beliefs caused by trauma in a 12-session program.

CPT is not as common as other forms of trauma counseling. However, it’s a tried and true method that attacks trauma at its core.

Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

CPT is not the only form of therapy that is spun off of CBT. CBT itself can be adapted to meet the needs of trauma patients. CBT connects thoughts, emotions, and behaviors and helps people make meaningful changes.

Healing Trauma With Eye-Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing

While the above therapies are great options for trauma treatments, eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) is the gold standard for trauma treatment. 

Talking through traumatic memories can be difficult, and in some cases, it can feel impossible. EMDR offers a safe and calming experience to work through these memories, while also helping the brain reprocess them in a healthier, more positive way. 

EMDR not only reduces the emotional harm that’s tied to traumatic memories, but it also alleviates anxiety, depression, nightmares, and distressing flashbacks. Compared to other trauma therapies, many people experience significant relief in fewer sessions.

How Does EMDR Work?

EMDR works by activating the natural healing process in your brain. It uses bilateral stimulation, which is a technique that engages the same memory-processing mechanisms that occur during rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. REM sleep is a phase in the sleep cycle where the brain works through emotions and stores memories.

Bilateral stimulation relaxes the mind and body while it opens up the neural pathways to traumatic memories. By accessing the traumatic memory in a calm and intentional way, the brain can remove the intense emotions that are tied to it and then restore it in a more balanced, manageable form.

A fully processed targeted memory in EMDR will no longer produce nightmares, flashbacks, anxiety, negative self-concept, or emotional distress when recalled. In other words, you become desensitized to it.

Learn more about EMDR therapy at Inner Balance Counseling.

Start the Healing Process

Healing from trauma is a long journey, but it’s one you can start at any time. Whether you’re battling the long-term effects of complex trauma or have recently experienced trauma, Inner Balance Counseling can help bring balance.

Every therapist at Inner Balance Counseling goes through intensive training to be trauma-informed. Our trauma-informed approach ensures that each and every client gets personalized, compassionate, and effective treatment. We utilize not only different types of trauma-focused talk therapy, but also EMDR to resolve trauma and treat its symptoms. 

If you are struggling with PTSD symptoms, don't wait any longer to reach out and ask for help. Call us today and start seeing changes in your day-to-day life. While trauma changes those it touches, through therapy and other help, you can heal and start on your journey towards a hopeful future.