All traumas are different, but they all have similar effects on the brain.

War veterans are now strongly encouraged to attend therapy upon their return home to assess and correctly live with their traumas, but there were times when this was not the case. Only recently has it become accepted that veterans will have trauma and should talk about it to prevent violent outbursts, a symptom of PTSD.

Previously, war veterans were told to not talk about their experience overseas, to just shove it down and “forget it happened.” Anyone who has taken a psychology class knows this is unhealthy and nearly impossible.

This actually causes even more trauma to the brain, specifically in increased amygdala function. The amygdala is a small part of the brain that controls fear, anger and the flight or fight response. When the activity is increased, feelings of anger are increased, as well as the “fight” response, which is why many PTSD patients can have violent outbursts.

The amygdala is triggered to activate by perceived dangers, meaning they might not be actual dangers. A person with PTSD could hear a loud noise and immediately go into a fight or flight response because they were in a war zone when loud noises meant bombs and danger.

Other effects of trauma on the brain include memory problems (hippocampus) and impulsiveness (prefrontal cortex.) Not all trauma is caused by something as violent and intense as a war, and age of when the trauma occurs plays a huge role in how the brain is affected as well.

The prefrontal cortex is not completely developed until, about 25 years of age, and it is in charge of making sensible decisions, planning and impulse control. Lack of these are easily observed in children who have experienced trauma at a young age. It affects children’s brains more than adults since their brains are still developing and are vulnerable.

In fact, children who have been abused or observed abuse in the home have a hard time learning in the classroom. Their brains are always in fight or flight mode, so they are on constant edge.

Trying to learn while your adrenaline is constantly pumping is not ideal. Because of this, many children who have experienced trauma are simply unable to comprehend new information in a normal classroom environment.

Trauma can be a touchy subject, especially when discussing how to be able to live a happy life with it. Many people assume that going to therapy makes someone crazy, weak or unable to handle their emotions on their own. None of these misconceptions needs to be true for someone to attend therapy.

Dealing with trauma healthily is extremely important. When dealt with properly, the neurological consequences of trauma can be dramatically reduced.