Stephanie L. Higdon LCSW, LLC

Trauma & The Brain

What We Know About Trauma and You Should Know Also....

As I often say, "knowledge is power". I believe that the more I can educate my clients and the more understanding they have in regards to their mental health issues, such as why they feel a certain way or why they think certain things or respond certain ways to feelings and thoughts, the more effective therapy and treatment can be. I also feel that fully engaging my clients allows for a greater level of acceptance of therapy and involvement they have in managing the support offered .

So, with this said, I am offering here an easy to understand (hopefully) explanation as to how and why we humans are negatively affected and even debilitated by past traumatic experiences and where PTSD actually comes from. Hopefully you will find this break down on how trauma profoundly affects the brain helpful as you begin your healing journey.

To begin with, it is important to distinguish in our brains, the three key areas involved in memory, emotion, and regulation: the hippocampus, amygdala, and prefrontal cortex. These structures are deeply interconnected and play major roles in how post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) develops and persists.

1. Amygdala: The Fear Detector

Function: The amygdala is responsible for detecting threats and generating emotional responses—especially fear and arousal.
Effect of Trauma:
- Becomes hyperactive after trauma.
- Responds more strongly to perceived threats, even when there is no real danger.
- This hyper-vigilance is a hallmark of PTSD—feeling constantly on edge or easily startled.

2. Hippocampus: The Memory Organizer

Function: The hippocampus helps store and organize memories, especially contextual information (e.g., where and when something happened).
Effect of Trauma:
- Trauma can cause the hippocampus to shrink or become less active.
- This leads to fragmented or disorganized memories—traumatic memories may feel like they are happening in the present (flashbacks), rather than being recognized as past events.
- Impaired hippocampus function also makes it hard to distinguish between real danger and safe situations that only resemble the trauma.

3. Prefrontal Cortex (PFC): The Rational Regulator

Function: The PFC is involved in reasoning, decision-making, impulse control, and regulating emotions.
Effect of Trauma:
- Trauma can cause the PFC to become under active.
  This reduces a person’s ability to regulate fear and anxiety, particularly because the PFC normally helps calm down the amygdala.
- In PTSD, this results in difficulty controlling emotional responses and makes it harder to reassess or reinterpret situations rationally.

How PTSD Emerges from This Brain Pattern (aka: where survival mode come from)

Hyperactive amygdala → exaggerated fear and threat detection
Hypo-active hippocampus → distorted memory and time perception (past feels like present)
Under active prefrontal cortex → poor regulation of fear and emotions

Together, these changes create a brain state that is constantly in survival mode, even when there is no immediate threat. This contributes to common PTSD symptoms such as:

Intrusive memories and flashbacks
Hyper-vigilance and exaggerated startle responses
Emotional numbness or irritability
Avoidance of reminders of the trauma
Difficulty concentrating or sleeping

There is Hope

'Survival Mode' is not the only way to navigate life... you Truly can find peace from within.

Too begin with, let me just be clear, when working through Trauma in Therapy, you should never feel alone, no longer feel like you are stuck on a deserted island, in an ocean filled with sharks all around! If you’re struggling with the lingering effects of a traumatic experience, you are not alone—and you don’t have to continue facing this pain by yourself.

Trauma can leave deep emotional imprints that show up in many ways. Perhaps you find yourself overwhelmed by sudden waves of emotion, haunted by intrusive thoughts, or avoiding people, places, or situations that feel unsafe or triggering. Even long after the event, the impact of trauma can quietly shape how you move through life—how you relate to others, how you see yourself, and how safe the world feels.

You may feel disconnected, as if you’re no longer the person you once were. Maybe trust feels impossible. You might feel isolated, misunderstood, or unable to fully be yourself—even with those you care about most.

These responses are not weaknesses. They are human reactions to overwhelming experiences. Trauma can rewire how the brain processes threat and safety, and it can deeply affect your sense of self and your connection to others.

But healing is possible.

Therapy can offer you a path forward—a place to begin releasing the pain, fear, shame, or anger you’ve been carrying. You don’t have to continue living under the weight of trauma.

Reaching out for support is a courageous first step toward reclaiming your life.

In trauma-informed therapy, we’ll move at your pace, with safety and trust at the core of our work together. The goal is to help you process painful memories in a way that feels empowering and manageable. Through trauma -informed, evidence-based approaches and compassionate care, you’ll learn to develop new tools for emotional regulation, rebuild your sense of self, and gently shift how you relate to the past—and to your present life.

You deserve a safe, supportive space to heal.

At Minding You, you will find space to heal, a space without judgment and with deep respect for your story. Your comfort, emotional safety, and trust is of highest priorities. Therapy is not about “fixing” you—it’s about helping you reconnect with your strength, your resilience, and your capacity to heal.

We understand that starting therapy can feel intimidating or overwhelming. But carrying this pain alone can be even heavier.

You don’t have to do this on your own.

If you’re ready to take the next step, we invite you to contact us for a free consultation. Let’s talk about how therapy can support you on your path to healing.

When Painful Memories Feel Too Present....When Painful Memor

Trauma & PTSD