Lesson 7

Compassion for the Brain

Our body and mind need mild to moderate levels of stress that are short-lived within a supportive environment. This kind of stress helps us grow. Examples include taking a test or playing a game.

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A story about the need for stress is about a caterpillar that was stuck in its cocoon. A group of school children thought it was suffering, so they cut the cocoon so it could get out. After it received the “help,” it could not fly because it needed the stress of emerging from the cocoon to push blood into its wings.

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As children, we need some level of stress to grow and learn. This stress can be small or even moderate, but it should always include support and a period of recovery. Toxic stress is a kind of stress that is bad for us. It is extreme, frequent, or lasts for a long time without the presence of a supportive adult. Experiencing toxic stress as a child can change our brains, making us react more strongly to things as adults.

Experiencing toxic stress as a child can change our brains, making us react more strongly to things as adults. Self-soothing skills and interactions with people in your support system help us overcome moderate or severe stress. With a strong support system and good habits of mental well-being, we can overcome challenges that might otherwise overwhelm us.

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Lesson 7

Trauma and the Brain

Self-soothing skills and a supportive network can also help us deal with another type of common psychological challenge called trauma.

When we experience a traumatic event, all our body systems become extremely energized and alert. We are ready to fight or flee or freeze to protect ourselves. We turn off our thinking system. These experiences have a greater and long-lasting impact on children than adults. At the same time, we want you to know that the brain is flexible, meaning it can grow and change.

As we talk about stressful events during this lesson, if you notice that this conversation bothers you, feel free to take a break. Use your self-soothing skills such as 5,4,3,2,1 or focused breathing to calm yourself. Then, return to the lesson. Feel free to take these breaks as often as necessary. During this lesson, stay focused on gaining new information and understanding about yourself-

Let’s look at some diagrams that show how the brain can change over time when it has experienced moderate or severe trauma. The healthy brain shows the most activity in the front part of the brain, the thinking part of the brain. After living through trauma, brain activity shifts from our thinking brain to our instinctive, reactive brain.

One part of the reactive brain is the hippocampus, our memory keeper. It actually looks like a seahorse. It is impacted by intense emotions and fear. As a way to protect us, it remembers frightening experiences. When it is exposed to toxic stress or trauma, people can become hyper alert, meaning that they are always on the lookout for something going wrong. They can only focus on what they believe is dangerous and have trouble remembering anything else. Because of this focus, it is hard for them to learn or remember positive things.

An example of how the hippocampus works is how you more easily remember when someone says something critical of you as compared to when someone gives you a compliment.

Compassion for the Brain

Another part of the brain is the amygdala, our personal alarm system. Think of it as our smoke detector, constantly on the lookout for danger. The problem is that it cannot tell the difference between burnt toast and the house burning down. Sometimes trauma confuses the amygdala. It can respond in the present based on past negative experiences. For example, a smell or sound can remind you of a past experience. When this happens, we feel like this past experience is happening now. The rest of our brain does not usually know that this is happening.

The amygdala and hippocampus are sensitive to triggers. These are sights, sounds, sensations, or smells that remind our brain of a past experience of toxic stress. Our amygdala and hippocampus activate and our body responds as if we are currently in danger.

Our thinking brain turns off in the face of the trigger and past and present danger become confused. When people are triggered, they become less functional. They may have trouble paying attention, become aggressive, zone out, or experience negative thoughts about themselves.

Because it is an instinctual reaction, it is very difficult to notice when someone’s brain has been triggered. It is often hard to understand how triggering sensations relate to the past event. They can seem insignificant, making those that experience them feel bad or doubt their own experience.

We might say something like, “Why am I reacting so strongly to this?” These experiences, however, are real and valid. When people learn this information they often say to themselves, “You mean I am not crazy?” They finally understand that there is a reason for some of their unexplainable emotions, thoughts, and behaviors.

Lesson 7

The Flexible Brain

Lastly, trauma affects the prefrontal cortex. Remember this is the thinking part of the brain. It does the planning and organizing, determines what we pay attention to, makes decisions, moderates our behavior, expresses our personality, determines our mood, and motivates us. It works more slowly than the hippocampus and the amygdala and basically shuts off when a threatening event happens.

These changes in the brain are not permanent, although they may take time to change. They can look like changes in someone’s personality. In response, some people shut down their emotions while others become highly reactive and emotional. These experiences may also cause negative and intrusive thoughts.

In order to protect themselves, people may avoid persons, places or things that are reminders of these negative events. They may have difficulty trusting others and forming new relationships. They might believe that creating the life they hoped for is impossible or out of reach.

Traumatic experiences are common, especially during childhood. If you have experienced one, you are not alone. The term Adverse Childhood Experiences, or ACEs, comes from a study where researchers discovered how frequently people went through different kinds of abuse, neglect, or household dysfunction when they were children. These events are usually traumatic, and often create toxic stress.

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