Trauma is not only an emotional experience. It is also a physical one. When something overwhelms your system, your brain and body work together to protect you. Sometimes those protective patterns get stuck long after the danger has passed.

The Brain

Amygdala
The amygdala acts like the alarm system of your brain. Trauma can make it overactive, which means it sounds the alarm even when you are safe.

Prefrontal Cortex
The prefrontal cortex helps with decision-making and calming down after stress. Trauma can weaken its response, making it harder to think clearly under pressure.

Hippocampus
The hippocampus is where memories are stored. Trauma can shrink or disrupt it, leading to flashbacks, gaps in memory, or a sense that the past is still happening now.

The Body

Nervous System Activation
Trauma often keeps the body in fight, flight, or freeze. You may feel on edge, exhausted, or disconnected.

Hormones and Stress Response
The body may release stress hormones like cortisol too often or for too long, which can cause anxiety, sleep problems, or physical tension.

Physical Symptoms
Headaches, muscle pain, digestive issues, and chronic fatigue are all common ways the body carries unresolved trauma.

Why This Matters

Understanding how trauma impacts the brain and body is the first step toward healing. These changes are not signs of weakness. They are signs that your system adapted to survive. With the right support, your brain and body can relearn safety, balance, and connection.