How Trauma Rewires Your Brain and What You Can Do About It

When we think of trauma, we often think of it as something that happens in our minds—something that causes emotional pain or anxiety. But what if I told you that trauma actually rewires your brain and gets stored in your body, affecting how you feel, think, and live, long after the traumatic event?

As someone who works with both the mind and body through Core Energetics and Integral Psychology, this connection between trauma, brain function, and physical health is a topic I’ve studied closely and continue to study. Some very recent medical research has me all fired up, in fact.

I’ve seen firsthand how understanding this connection can open up new possibilities for healing. If you've felt stuck in patterns of fear or stress, this post is for you.

Trauma and the Brain: The Science Behind It

Let’s start with what happens in the brain after trauma. Key areas of the brain, including the amygdala, prefrontal cortex, and hippocampus, are deeply affected by traumatic experiences.

• The amygdala, which is responsible for processing fear, goes into overdrive during and after trauma. It becomes hypersensitive, constantly on alert, scanning for threats. Even when you’re no longer in danger, your brain remains in survival mode. This can lead to feelings of **anxiety**, **hypervigilance**, and a lack of trust in your surroundings or relationships.

• The prefrontal cortex, which helps with decision-making and emotional regulation, becomes less efficient after trauma. That’s why people who have experienced trauma often struggle with emotional outbursts or feel like they’re reacting impulsively rather than responding thoughtfully.

• The hippocampus, involved in processing memories, can actually shrink due to trauma. This can make it difficult to properly integrate traumatic memories, leading to intrusive thoughts, flashbacks, or feeling "stuck" in the past.

These changes aren’t just emotional—they’re physical. Trauma literally changes the structure and function of the brain.

Trauma Lives in the Body Too

Here’s where things get even more interesting. Trauma isn’t just stored in the brain; it lives in the body, too. This is something we focus on in **Core Energetics**. When you experience trauma, the energy from that event can get stuck in your body. It’s as if your body is holding onto the memory, even if your mind tries to forget.

This "stuck energy" often manifests as chronic tension, stress, or even emotional numbness. You might feel tightness in your chest, clenching in your stomach, or persistent aches that seem to have no physical cause. It’s the body’s way of holding onto the trauma, and until that energy is released, healing remains incomplete.

That’s why traditional talk therapy, while sometimes valuable, is often not enough on its own. We can’t just think our way out of trauma—we have to physically release it from the body as well.

How Core Energetics Helps Release Trauma

Core Energetics works by addressing the body’s role in trauma. It involves physical movement, breathwork, and bodywork designed to release the blocked energy that trauma creates. By working directly with the body, we help release the tension and stuck energy, allowing for emotional freedom and healing.

Here’s an example: If you’ve been carrying the weight of unresolved trauma, you might feel constantly on edge—like there’s a knot in your chest or a tightness in your throat. Core Energetics helps you work through those physical sensations, loosening the tension and helping your body process the trauma in ways that talking alone can’t reach.

Integral Psychology:
A Holistic Approach to Healing

This is where Integral Psychology comes into play. Ken Wilber’s Integral approach views each person as a whole being, comprised of mind, body, spirit, and social dimensions. Trauma doesn’t just affect one of these areas—it touches them all.

In Integral Psychology, we look at how trauma affects your emotional and mental states, your relationships, your physical health, and even your spiritual connection. Healing isn’t just about reducing symptoms. It’s about integration—bringing together all aspects of who you are to heal fully and completely.

Let’s say you experienced emotional neglect in childhood. This kind of trauma might leave you feeling anxious in relationships or make it hard to trust others. But it can also cause physical symptoms, like chronic tension or digestive issues. Integral Psychology looks at all these layers, helping you heal not just from the emotional pain but from the ways trauma affects your body and spirit, too.

How Understanding Trauma Leads to Deeper Healing

One of the most exciting things about this approach to trauma is the potential for real, lasting change. When we include the body in the healing process, we’re not just managing symptoms—we’re addressing the root cause.

Research shows that trauma leads to elevated cortisol levels (the body’s main stress hormone), which, over time, can lead to **health problems** like high blood pressure, immune system dysfunction, and chronic inflammation. This helps explain why so many people with a history of trauma struggle with physical health issues later in life—it’s all connected.

When we work with both the mind and the body, we can begin to release those deeply held patterns of stress, anxiety, and fear. We can stop living in a constant state of fight-or-flight and start living with more ease, peace, and connection to ourselves and others.

How You Can Start Healing Today

If you’ve experienced trauma—and so many of us have—know that healing is possible. It’s not about erasing the past or pretending it didn’t happen. It’s about finding ways to move forward that involve your whole self—your mind, body, and spirit.

Start by reconnecting with your body. Pay attention to where you might be holding tension or stress. Practices like breathwork, gentle movement, or even spending time in nature can help you begin to release that energy. If you’ve been relying solely on talk therapy, consider exploring somatic approaches like Core Energetics, which work directly with the body to release trauma.

And if you’ve ever felt disconnected or overwhelmed by the idea of healing, Integral Psychology offers a framework that looks at the whole picture. It’s not just about fixing what’s broken—it’s about growing into a more integrated, whole version of yourself.

Moving Forward:
Breaking Free from Trauma

Healing from trauma is a journey, and it’s not always easy. But the good news is, with the right tools, it’s possible to heal on a deeper level. By understanding how trauma affects both the brain and the body, and by working with approaches like Core Energetics and Integral Psychology, you can start to release the patterns that keep you stuck and begin to move forward in a way that feels truly freeing.

If this resonates with you, I’d love to hear your thoughts. Drop a comment below, and let’s start a conversation about what healing looks like for you. Remember, you don’t have to do this alone. With the right support, real transformation is possible.

Take the Next Step

Follow me for more insights on how trauma impacts our bodies and minds—and how we can heal from it. If you found this helpful, feel free to share it with someone who might benefit from this understanding of trauma and the possibilities for healing. Together, we can move toward greater wholeness and freedom.

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