PTSD Symptoms: How Trauma Alters The Structure Of Your Brain

Trauma resulting from combat, car accidents, natural disasters, domestic violence, sexual assault or child abuse can leave a deep imprint on both the brain and body. The effects of these experiences can be incredibly variable. For some, the disruption may be relatively brief, with disturbing dreams or heightened emotional responses resolving within weeks. For others, symptoms that emerge after trauma eventually become chronic, disrupting daily life, work, and relationships.

Healing is a very intimate process, and what heals one may not heal the other. Survivors must, therefore, find treatments that resonate with them and embark on their journey of self-discovery to alleviate symptoms and be in control again.

PTSD is a testament to the adaptability of the brain and its drive to protect us. It can empower survivors to seek help while creating a compassionate support network around them. Time, resources, and care can be put to use to move toward healing, bringing life back from the trauma.

This article reviews the complex interaction between trauma and the brain, providing insight into how traumatic experience re-configures neural structures and contributes to the development of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Brain is a marvelous organ, designed with a definitive purpose in mind-safety or survival. As we negotiate the complexity of human existence, the brain enlists experience in memory so that we can differentiate between agents of either good or evil. Trauma makes this mechanism hyperactive, for the safety instinct overrules everything else.

After a traumatic event, the brain is compelled to overuse past experiences in predicting dangers which might be present at the moment, but long gone. Hypervigilance and an inability to discriminate between threats of past times and those of the current time define individuals with PTSD.

Paul D. MacLean's Triune Brain model offers a framework to understand how trauma affects the functioning of the brain. The model divides the brain into three main regions:

The Reptilian Brain: This is the most primitive part of the brain, responsible for survival instincts and autonomic processes like heart rate and breathing.

The Mammalian Brain: Includes the limbic system, which processes emotions and regulates attachment and reproduction.

Neomammalian Brain: Processes sensory information, learns, memorizes, and makes decisions and complex problems-solving.

The brain suppresses higher cognitive functions and favors the functions of the reptilian and mammalian brains when faced with trauma. This shift will automatically trigger the "fight, flight, freeze, or fawn" response, which sends out stress hormones like cortisol throughout the body.

Normally, the parasympathetic nervous system will rebalance once the threat is gone; however, people with PTSD are stuck in survival mode, causing a state of chronic stress.

The amygdala, responsible for detecting danger, becomes overactive in individuals with PTSD. It often misinterprets harmless stimuli as threats, causing persistent feelings of anxiety, hypervigilance, and fear. This heightened response can lead to emotional outbursts, difficulty relaxing, and an ongoing sense of unease.

The hippocampus, which is used in learning and memory, atrophies in people who suffer from PTSD. Shrinkage of this particular region makes the brain have difficulties distinguishing between past and present events, resulting in flashbacks, intrusive thoughts, and an inability to recall the specifics. The diminished function of the hippocampus also interferes with problem-solving and regulation of emotions.

Trauma reduces activity in the prefrontal cortex, which controls decision-making and logical thinking. This reduction in activity makes it difficult to contextualize and process fear responses, leaving people prone to overreaction to perceived threats.

Nervous System

The nervous system's constant activation in PTSD diminishes a person's capacity to handle stress. Even minor challenges may provoke intense reactions, as the brain remains primed for danger.

The effects of PTSD are not confined within the brain, having an impact on every part of daily life. The American Psychiatric Association states the following common symptoms include:

All this symptoms of trauma often interfere with a patient's personal relationships, professional skills, and general well-being, making the survivors more and more isolated and misunderstood.

The changes, however, that trauma triggers in the brain are of such magnitude that recovery from this is possible through targeted intervention. Treatments often come in the form of psychotherapy, including:

Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT): Identifies and helps in altering negative thought patterns.

Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT): Helps reshape belief patterns based on trauma.

Prolonged Exposure Therapy (PE): Helps develop resistance to triggers through gradual exposure.

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR): Facilitates processing trauma with bilateral stimulation, creating new, healthier associations.