In episode 12: PTSD and Suicide, Part I, we discuss trauma and how it can affect the brain. Trauma can literally change the way your brain works. Even after a traumatic episode has ended, you may still notice differences in the way you think, feel, or remember things. If a person experiences repeated or ongoing trauma, such as may happen with victims of domestic violence or sexual abuse, among combat soldiers, or among First Responders, the effects of trauma can be compounded.
These videos offer easy-to-understand explanations about what trauma does to the brain. They also describe the relationships between trauma and the brain, PTSD, and normal brain functions. Any severe, life threatening event can create trauma (e.g. rape, violence, natural disasters, etc.) that may negatively affect the brain.
There are a few important lessons from these videos:
- Trauma may literally change the way your brain functions.
- No matter how tough or strong you are, you can still be negatively affected by traumatic events.
- The emotional control centers of the brain are particularly likely to be damaged by traumatic experiences.
- The emotional control center (limbic system) of the brain manages the brain’s threat warning system (fight/flight/freeze mechanism.) This mechanism activates the body’s response to perceived threats.
- When people continue to suffer significant symptoms for more than 30 days after a trauma, they may meet the diagnostic criteria for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.
In Closing…
If you’ve experienced a trauma, and especially if after that trauma you’ve found yourself suffering from dark, depressing, or suicidal thoughts, we encourage you to reach out to a mental health professional, specifically someone who has experience treating trauma. You can learn more about this in episode 13: PTSD and Suicide, Part II. Effective treatment for traumatic experience is best provided by a professional with specific training in that area.