The long-term effects of trauma on your brain

What Trauma Is

One of the most important avenues to treatment for trauma, and any mental illness really, is an understanding of what it is, vs what it isn’t.

Anything can traumatise you, and in many cases, two people can react wildly differently to the same traumatic event - its causes can quite literally be boundless.

Many people are quick to self-diagnose or in many cases get misdiagnosed with a condition that they don’t have, the results of which can often be more damaging to the person than no treatment at all, so let’s have a look into the distinguishing features of trauma.

Trauma arises as a direct result of an overwhelming event: Trauma arises from exposure to an overwhelming event or series of events that exceed a person's ability to cope. These events can include physical or emotional abuse, accidents, natural disasters, violence, or witnessing a horrifying incident.

It has a long-lasting psychological impact:: Trauma goes beyond normal distress. Many of us have dealt with the death of a loved one, for example, but not everyone can be accurately categorised as traumatised by an event like this.

Genuine trauma leads to intense psychological reactions, such as intrusive memories, nightmares, flashbacks, and heightened arousal. These can also worsen into conditions like Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) as a result.

Disruption of Functioning: Trauma can significantly disrupt daily functioning. 

People might experience difficulties in relationships, work, and general well-being due to their traumatic experiences. It can also have a direct impact on your ability to self-regulate, including everything from your mood, your thought processes, and in severe cases, cause physical reactions, especially if exposed to the wrong kind of stimulus.

What Trauma Isn't

Regular Stress: Everyday stressors, like work deadlines or minor arguments, are not trauma. While they can be distressing, they typically don't cause the same intense and persistent psychological reactions as trauma.

Temporary Discomfort: Temporary discomfort or unease in challenging situations is a normal part of life. Clinical trauma, on the other hand, leads to lasting emotional and psychological distress.

Personal Weakness: Experiencing trauma is not a sign of personal weakness. It can happen to anyone, regardless of their strength or character.

A One-Size-Fits-All Experience: Trauma responses vary widely between individuals. What might be traumatic for one person might not be traumatic for another. It depends on factors like personal history, resilience, and coping mechanisms.

Easily Forgotten: Traumatic experiences aren't easily forgotten or pushed aside. They can linger in a person's mind and affect their thoughts, emotions, and behaviours for a long time.

The importance of not “leaving it too long”

"Delay is the deadliest form of denial." - C. Northcote Parkinson

When it comes to any disorder or mental illness, the longer it gets left, the worse it can get for an individual - but that’s likely more true for trauma than for any other form of mental illness.

It can certainly get better by itself. Humans are incredibly resilient creatures and can bounce back from virtually anything. But if the symptoms are persisting, it’s often the case for trauma that they can become more severe and permanent as time goes on.

Imagine your brain is a loaf of bread in the closet and trauma is the mould. While we can all be anxious, lacking in sleep, or playing back a negative experience in our brain after experiencing something traumatic, it can quickly escalate into worse and worse conditions if it’s not getting the help it needs.

This can be anything from chronic pain or emotional anguish, risk of addiction to substances (particularly if they’re used as coping mechanisms), cognitive deterioration, social isolation, and severe physical health conditions.