The Body Keeps The Score

The physiological imprint of psychological trauma

Psychological trauma fundamentally alters the biology of the brain and body, shifting the nervous system into a persistent state of defence that cognitive understanding alone cannot resolve. Recovery requires moving beyond narrative processing to address the physiological imprint of distress through somatic interventions, neuroplasticity, and emotional regulation. Effective treatment demands a shift from asking 'what is wrong with you' to understanding 'what happened to you', acknowledging that the body retains the memory of terror even when the mind attempts to forget.

The neuroscience of survival

Trauma creates a specific dysregulation in the brain's architecture. The amygdala, functioning as the brain's smoke detector, becomes hypersensitive, interpreting innocuous stimuli as life-threatening. Simultaneously, the medial prefrontal cortex, or the 'watchtower' responsible for rational thought and emotional regulation, goes offline. This disconnection traps survivors in a state of reactive survival, characterised by fight, flight, or freeze responses. Research indicates that during flashbacks, Broca's area—the speech centre—deactivates, rendering the experience of trauma pre-verbal. Consequently, therapies relying solely on talking often fail because they cannot access the subcortical regions where traumatic memory is stored.

Neuroplasticity and the malleable brain

The concept of neuroplasticity offers a robust scientific basis for hope. The brain is not a static organ; it is constantly being rewired by experience. Just as trauma creates neural pathways of fear and helplessness, targeted therapeutic practices can forge new pathways of safety and mastery. Healing involves actively retraining the brain's electrical patterns and chemical responses to restore the capacity for being fully alive in the present moment.

Somatic pathways to recovery

Because trauma lives in the body, effective treatment must engage the body. 'Bottom-up' processing utilises physical sensations and movement to calm the brain stem and limbic system, bypassing the often-blocked rational mind. This approach contrasts with 'top-down' cognitive therapies that attempt to manage emotions through logic.

Polyvagal theory and regulation

The autonomic nervous system regulates arousal through the vagus nerve. The ventral vagal complex facilitates social engagement and calmness, while the sympathetic nervous system drives mobilisation (fight/flight), and the dorsal vagal complex causes shutdown (freeze). Trauma survivors often oscillate between chaos and rigidity. Interventions that stimulate the ventral vagal system—such as rhythmic breathing, chanting, and safe social connection—can manually engage the body's braking system, reducing heart rate and restoring equilibrium.

Evidence-based modalities

Several specific interventions show high efficacy in treating the physiological roots of trauma:

EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing): This therapy mimics the memory processing mechanisms of REM sleep. By using bilateral stimulation, EMDR helps the brain integrate frozen, fragmented traumatic memories into a coherent narrative, moving them from active threat to historical fact.

Yoga and Interoception: Trauma often leads to dissociation and a loss of bodily awareness. Yoga cultivates interoception—the ability to feel internal sensations. Studies demonstrate that yoga improves Heart Rate Variability (HRV), a key marker of resilience, helping survivors tolerate physical sensations without becoming overwhelmed.

Neurofeedback: This technology allows individuals to observe and alter their brainwave patterns in real-time. By training the brain to produce calm alpha waves or focused beta waves, neurofeedback can stabilise the electrical activity that drives hyperarousal and dissociation, providing a biological foundation for psychological therapy.