The Threat is Real, Why Trauma's So Powerful, and Areas of the Brain Affected by Trauma

6/12/2025: The Threat is Real

I’ve been reading a lot lately about how trauma affects different parts of the brain and it’s crazy what I’m learning.

I just read how trauma can make it more likely for someone to enter a survival mode or hyperarousal state even at the slightest perceived threat.

The key word here is “perceived.” It doesn’t have to be an imminent threat; it can just be something you feel is a threat.

I went on to read that the brain, particularly the amygdala, becomes highly sensitive to danger and may misinterpret neutral or even positive situations as threatening.

I think back to my worst times dealing with my trauma and how many situations I perceived as a threat, that were not a real threat, and how it made me behave.

The crazy part is that I wasn’t even aware that I was in a survival mode state. This is why awareness is key.

The heightened sensitivity can lead to a rapid activation of the fight-or-flight response or other stress responses, even when there is no actual danger.

I probably lived this way much more than I remember for the better part of 20 years. It will take a toll on you. No wonder why I turned to alcohol and other distractions.

Some other things I experienced over the years was dysregulation; trauma can disrupt the brain’s ability to regulate emotions and stress responses, leading to an inability to calm down or de-escalate after a trigger and emotional numbing; this is a coping mechanism I used extensively to deal with my trauma (or not deal with it).

We’re dealing with a lot of protection mechanisms after we experience trauma that we must work to overcome.

The first step is being aware that these exist. I was not aware that so much was taking place inside my brain due to the trauma.

A lot of what I’ve learned during my healing journey has been how to be aware of what’s taking place in my brain and starting to change those things that are taking place that have resulted from dealing with my trauma.

Like I said, it’s been about 20 years of being in this state of mind so it’s not going to change overnight.

It’s going to take consistency and showing up every day to take a step forward. It’s not always going to happen this way, but the key is not giving up on yourself. That’s the key for sure. 

6/12/2025: The Power of Trauma

Why is a traumatic experience so powerful?

Typically, when you’re trying to learn something new, it’s going to take time and repetition to learn it and even more time and repetition to become good in whatever it is you’re learning.

When it comes to trauma, it’s a different story. Trauma is so powerful that one traumatic event can solidify learning and start the processing of changing our brains, “one trial learning.”

https://www.newharbinger.com/blog/self-help/why-hyperarousal-after-trauma-is-so-common/.

This is pretty crazy if you ask me. Now, imagine what happens when we experience that trauma over and over again like I did with sexual abuse.

If one time can stick and start to change the structure of your brain, repetitive trauma can really cause some damage.

Our brains are absolutely amazing and their number one goal is to protect us. Therefore, we go into survival mode and prioritize survival over anything else when we feel threatened or experience trauma.

I had to work on my awareness first in order to start healing. I wasn’t aware of what my brain was doing, or my body was doing in response to my trauma.

Once I started facing my trauma from the past, I started to gain more confidence, it had less control over me today.

This confidence allowed me to stop treating every situation like a threat and start recognizing that I had to handle them differently. 

6/12/2025: Areas of the Brain Affected by Trauma

For so many years, I had no answers for my behavior.

I knew that it had to have something to do with the fact that I was sexually abused when I was 15, but I didn’t understand why I was still acting a certain way.

I felt fear constantly, overacted to minor stressors, impaired decision-making, difficulty calming down after stress, poor emotional regulation, anxiety, panic attacks, numbness, dissociation, unstable mood, lack of motivation, depression, etc.

I could probably add to this list, but this covers a lot of what I was experiencing and didn’t understand why.

Are you experiencing similar symptoms?

I think you’ll be able to be easier on yourself once you understand how much trauma affects the brain.

It’s not your fault; you just need to become aware of how trauma affects the brain and know what you can do about it. 

Here are the areas of the brain that are affected by trauma:

1. Amygdala (Fear Center)

• Effect: Becomes overactive and hypersensitive.

• Result: Heightened fear response, hypervigilance, and exaggerated startle reactions.

• Example: Feeling intense fear in safe situations or overreacting to minor stressors.

2. Hippocampus (Memory and Learning)

• Effect: Shrinks in size or become dysregulated.

• Result: Difficulty distinguishing between past and present; flashbacks and intrusive memories. 

• Example: A survivor may feel like they’re reliving the trauma instead of remembering it.

3. Prefrontal Cortex (Reasoning and Regulation)

• Effect: Underactive or less connected to emotional centers.

• Results: Poor emotional regulation, impaired decision-making, and difficulty calming down after distress.

• Example: Struggling to think clearly or make rational choices under stress.

4. Dysregulated Nervous System

• Trauma can leave the autonomic nervous system stuck in a fight, flight, freeze, or fawn state.

• Chronic dysregulation can cause anxiety, panic attacks, numbness, or dissociation.

5. Neurochemical Changes

• Altered levels of cortisol (stress hormone), dopamine, and serotonin, which impact mood, motivation, and sleep.

• Long-term stress can lead to emotional exhaustion or depression.

6. Developmental Disruption (for childhood trauma)

• Trauma during critical development periods can affect attachment, trust, emotional regulation, and even IQ.

Stay positive and take action!

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