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How Trauma Changes the Brain

Trauma impacts several key areas of the brain, leading to long-term changes in behavior, emotions, and cognition. Understanding how trauma alters brain functioning is crucial to developing strategies for healing.

1. Amygdala Overactivity: The amygdala, which processes emotions like fear, becomes hyperactive during and after trauma. This overactivity can cause a person to perceive threats even in safe environments, leading to hypervigilance and anxiety.
2. Hippocampus Shrinkage: The hippocampus, responsible for memory formation and emotional regulation, can shrink in response to prolonged trauma. This shrinkage may result in fragmented memories or difficulty distinguishing between past and present threats, often seen in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
3. Prefrontal Cortex Suppression: Trauma can reduce activity in the prefrontal cortex, the part of the brain responsible for logical thinking, decision-making, and emotional regulation. This suppression can make it difficult to process traumatic experiences rationally, leading to emotional dysregulation and impulsive behavior.

These changes create a negative feedback loop, where traumatic memories are continuously re-experienced and reinforced, making it difficult to move forward. Fortunately, the brain has the ability to adapt and change—a concept known as neuroplasticity. By engaging in specific therapeutic approaches, individuals can rewire their brains and restore balance.

Neuroplasticity: The Brain’s Capacity to Heal

Neuroplasticity refers to the brain’s remarkable ability to reorganize itself by forming new neural connections. This process is essential for recovery from trauma, as it allows the brain to “unlearn” maladaptive responses and replace them with healthier ones.

Rewiring the brain from trauma involves:

• Breaking old patterns: Trauma can trap the brain in a loop of hypervigilance and fear. To heal, the brain needs to break these ingrained patterns and learn to respond differently to triggers.
• Creating new pathways: Rewiring involves forming new neural pathways, which can be achieved through repeated exposure to new thoughts, behaviors, and emotional responses.
• Reprocessing traumatic memories: In order to move forward, the brain needs to process and integrate traumatic memories in a way that no longer triggers fear or distress.

The Role of EMDR in Rewiring the Brain

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a highly effective therapy designed to help the brain reprocess traumatic memories. EMDR therapy taps into the brain’s natural healing abilities by using bilateral stimulation (typically through guided eye movements) while focusing on distressing memories. This process helps the brain “digest” the traumatic experience, allowing it to be stored in a less emotionally charged way.

Here’s how EMDR works in rewiring the brain:

1. Memory Reprocessing: During EMDR, clients are guided to focus on a traumatic memory while simultaneously engaging in bilateral stimulation. This could be through eye movements, tapping, or auditory tones. The goal is to help the brain reprocess the memory in a way that reduces its emotional intensity.
2. Desensitization: The process helps desensitize the brain to traumatic triggers. With repeated EMDR sessions, individuals often report a decrease in emotional distress when recalling their trauma, making the memory less disruptive in their daily lives.
3. Cognitive Shifts: EMDR also facilitates cognitive restructuring. As clients reprocess their trauma, they often adopt healthier beliefs about themselves and the world. This shift in thinking rewires the brain to perceive safety and control, rather than fear and helplessness.
4. Neurobiological Change: Studies have shown that EMDR can alter the neural pathways associated with trauma. It reduces activity in the amygdala, strengthens the prefrontal cortex’s role in regulating emotions, and improves connectivity between brain regions, allowing for more balanced emotional responses.

The 8 Phases of EMDR Therapy

EMDR is typically conducted over a series of eight structured phases, each targeting different aspects of the brain’s trauma response:

1. History and Treatment Planning: The therapist gathers information about the client’s trauma and creates a personalized treatment plan.
2. Preparation: The therapist explains the EMDR process and teaches the client relaxation techniques to manage emotional distress.
3. Assessment: The client identifies the specific traumatic memory they want to focus on, including negative beliefs and associated physical sensations.
4. Desensitization: The client recalls the traumatic memory while engaging in bilateral stimulation to reduce emotional intensity.
5. Installation: The therapist helps the client replace negative beliefs with positive, empowering thoughts during the reprocessing of the trauma.
6. Body Scan: The therapist guides the client to focus on physical sensations to release any residual tension or stress stored in the body.
7. Closure: Each session ends with relaxation techniques to ensure the client leaves feeling safe and grounded.
8. Reevaluation: In subsequent sessions, the therapist checks the client’s progress and determines if more reprocessing is needed.

The Benefits of EMDR for Trauma Healing

1. Rapid Results: Unlike traditional talk therapies, EMDR often yields faster results in trauma resolution. Many clients experience significant improvement after just a few sessions.
2. Minimal Talking Required: EMDR doesn’t require clients to talk extensively about their trauma, making it particularly beneficial for those who find verbalizing their experiences difficult.
3. Effective for Various Traumas: EMDR has been shown to be effective for a wide range of traumas, from acute incidents to complex, long-term trauma.
4. Holistic Healing: EMDR addresses not only the emotional aspects of trauma but also physical and cognitive symptoms, leading to more comprehensive healing.

EMDR Therapy at Spiler Psychotherapy

At Spiler Psychotherapy, our team of therapists specializes in EMDR therapy, offering trauma survivors the tools they need to rewire their brains and regain control of their lives. Spiler Psychotherapy is a national mental health practice, with its head office located in Burlington, Ontario. Our services extend across British Columbia, Nova Scotia, and Alberta, ensuring trauma survivors across Canada have access to effective, evidence-based care.

Conclusion

Rewiring the brain from trauma is a complex yet achievable process. Through the power of neuroplasticity, the brain can unlearn harmful patterns, reprocess traumatic memories, and build new, healthier neural connections. EMDR therapy is a proven and effective tool in this healing journey, helping individuals reduce the emotional burden of trauma and reclaim their sense of safety and well-being.

At Spiler Psychotherapy, our expert therapists are ready to guide you through this transformative process, providing support and evidence-based treatment that fosters long-term healing. With the right interventions, it is possible to not just survive trauma, but to thrive beyond it.