HOW DOES THE BRAIN FUNCTION 

IN THE CASE OF TRAUMA? 

by Ienke Keijzer

What happens in the brain when we experience trauma, an emotional shock, or severe stress? Why can the emotional charge of a trauma sometimes remain so persistent even after years of therapy? I will attempt to answer these questions clearly and accessibly, without delving too deeply into neurophysiological details.

When facing a trauma, our brain does not function the same way as when we are in a state of safety. Our reactions, emotions, and behavior change profoundly. You might imagine how you would react to a traumatic event, but the actual experience is often very different from what we expect.

In life-threatening situations, our brain shifts into survival mode. From this point, our brain automatically manages our responses and reactions, and we no longer have real control. We endure the reactions chosen by our brain. It’s an instinctive neurological mechanism. Those who have experienced trauma know how disorienting and impressive it can be to realize that their brain is taking control, often without their awareness.

Personally, I had a severe motorcycle accident a few years ago, which gave me the opportunity to experience and understand these mechanisms from the inside. As a therapist, it was not only extremely painful but also fascinating to live through. I experienced firsthand everything I discuss in training and in my books.

WHAT HAPPENS IN THE BRAIN DURING TRAUMA?

Our usual resources in the face of trauma

Normally, when we are safe, we can draw on our relational, emotional, cognitive, and behavioral resources as needed.

However, when faced with danger or intense stress, these resources diminish.

When the threat becomes severe, and we are truly in danger, our capacity to react is limited, and the brain instinctively directs our responses. We no longer react as we might want to; instead, we endure the responses chosen by our brain: fight or flight, fear, and anger.

For major traumas, the resources for managing the situation diminish to the point of leading to freezing or dissociation. Victims lose control over their reactions; their brain takes over their survival with an exclusive focus on immediate danger.

HOW DOES TRAUMA GET IMPRINTED IN THE BRAIN?

To form a memory, external information passes through structures deep in our brain, such as the hypothalamus, hippocampus, and amygdala.

Hypothalamus - information distributor

Traumatic event information is initially stored throughout the brain, in the regions involved in the initial experience. The neurons of the hypothalamus then retrieve these details to organize and classify them into memory.

The hypothalamus is the brain's entry point for memory information. It plays a crucial role in sorting and directing this information to the hippocampus or amygdala for further processing. It’s essentially the emotional data manager, ensuring that information is stored correctly.

Hippocampus - information processing and encoding

Generally, the hypothalamus sends information to the hippocampus for processing and encoding into memory. The hippocampus is responsible for converting these details into conscious, organized memories. It processes information so it can be sent to the cortex for storage. It acts as our software for processing and encoding conscious memory and learning.

The brain has an innate physiological mechanism to handle incoming information and bring it to a level of mental health. This process of information processing, adaptation, and cleaning is called natural catharsis. I have discussed this in previous articles.

Catharsis alleviates negative emotions, effectively cleaning them. An emotional charge linked to an event is processed, modified, and dissipated over time. Learning then integrates properly, and the memory becomes an autobiographical fact without disturbing emotional charge. The memory becomes a usable learning experience for the future.

In severe trauma, however, the information is not processed in the same way. The information is too violent, too rapid, and/or emotionally too intense for the hypothalamus to do its job properly. This information overload causes a sort of paralysis, and the hypothalamus fails to moderate or extinguish emotional responses.

Amygdala - our survival assurer

In severe trauma or intense stress, the traumatic memory is directly sent to the amygdala, the seat of emotions and fears, where it remains stuck without being processed by the hippocampus. Thus, catharsis (emotional cleaning) does not occur, and the memory is encoded with its emotional charge.

The amygdala is the most primitive part of our brain. Its primary role is to ensure our survival in immediate danger. Once the amygdala receives the alarm signal from the hypothalamus, it decides the best response to the threat. Our reasoning ability is disconnected, and we no longer choose our reaction to the extreme situation. We react instinctively. This is a reflex triggered by the amygdala’s choice to ensure our survival.

Dysfunctional storage

The traumatic memory is not processed by the hippocampus and cannot become an autobiographical memory told as a fact. The event is stored dysfunctionally. Interestingly and somewhat perversely, it remains neurologically fixed in its disturbing state. This memory cannot clean itself. It remains vivid, stuck in trauma, unchanging, and charged with the initial emotion (fear, distress, pain, etc.).

If an experience is stored dysfunctionally, negative thoughts, emotions, and physical sensations automatically emerge, taking over and inappropriately coloring our perceptions and actions in the present. Thus, a dysfunctionally stored traumatic memory allows negative emotional reactions to invade our present.

This traumatic memory network can be triggered by various external or internal stimuli, often unconsciously. The memory is hypersensitive and comparative, so it will activate in response to any stimulus—whether visual, auditory, kinesthetic, olfactory, or gustatory. This activation often occurs unconsciously and illogically for us, meaning we may not know what specific stimulus triggers the emotional reaction.

It’s important to understand that the memory network is a system of information linked by associations. Dysfunctionally stored memories form separate networks, information frozen in time, stored and isolated within their own neural network. No learning can occur because no therapeutic information can associate with it. Results from years of verbal therapy, reading, and lived counterexamples are stored in the brain but in separate neural networks, having no effect on the network of the traumatic event.

FINDING SERENITY AFTER TRAUMA

Although traumatic memories are stored dysfunctionally, they can be effectively processed, notably through eye-based techniques. Tools such as hypnosis and NEURO techniques, including eye movements, are powerful and effective methods for reprogramming neural connections and eliminating trauma. These methods enable individuals suffering from trauma to quickly regain emotional well-being.

It is no longer necessary to suffer forever from your traumas. You can address them yourself or in collaboration with a professional skilled in these techniques and tools. Perhaps there is a NEURO practitioner near you?

After treating a trauma, the entire memory network becomes available, including positive and useful memories, allowing the person to redefine themselves with new capabilities and a positive outlook. The trauma remains a fact of history, and while we cannot change history, it will no longer negatively affect daily life.

If you want to learn more, you can read the book Connect, Disconnect, Reconnect – Reprogramming the Brain to Thrive in Life (in French!), or perhaps even train in NEURO techniques.

Looking forward to connecting!

Ienke KEIJZER
Neuro Psycho Practitioner - Trainer - Author
GRANDIS OSE