During stressful situations, the ‘alarm’ in your brain goes off and it sends a message to the rest of your brain and body to enter a “fight, freeze or flight state”
- It tells you to “fight” and get prepared to face a threat
- It can tell you to “freeze” and stay until the threat is gone
- It can tell you to “flee” and to get away from the threat
This is the way your brain’s autonomic system protects you from threats. Your brain shifts its energy and attention into dealing with the threat. Once the threat subsides, you can come back to a baseline, relaxed state.
However, sometimes when you experience trauma, your brain can stay in that mode of trying to help you deal with the threat even after the threat has passed.
One example of this is experiencing a startle response, for example you might jump or feel startled by a loud noise.
Trauma can affect some areas of the brain and how they work. However, it is important to note that your brain can change and it is possible to heal and recover from trauma.