Understanding Trauma - Part 4 - The Brain

An introduction to how trauma affects the brain, including the impact on brain development, anatomy, and functioning.

Discussion on brain anatomy focusing on the brain stem, limbic brain, and cortex development, highlighting the importance in understanding trauma.

Explanation of how children primarily use their emotional brain for decision-making and the impact of trauma on decision-making processes.

Insight into how emotional reasoning influences decision-making, instant gratification, and the development of a wise brain through understanding consequences.

Discusses how complex trauma leads to emotional reasoning, impulsive decisions, and challenges in developing long-term wisdom.

Exploration of the chemical changes in the brain due to trauma, including cortisol, dopamine, serotonin, and oxytocin, and their impact on emotions and well-being.

Details the effects of cortisol on memory, brain function, adrenaline addiction, and long-term consequences of cortisol release due to trauma.

Explanation of the role of oxytocin in bonding, emotional connections, and its impact on relationships in the context of trauma.

Discusses how trauma affects sensory perceptions and the subconscious brain's role in processing trauma-related patterns, behaviors, and reactions.

Insights on rewiring the brain to change subconscious programs influenced by trauma, emphasizing the importance of conscious awareness and practice in altering default patterns.

Explanation of immediate responses in trauma healing, the role of cortisol and decision-making, and the necessity of choosing different responses to promote growth and healing.

Discussion on how trauma impacts memory processing in the brain, with a focus on the limbic brain, cortex, and brainstem functions in response to traumatic stimuli.