Individual Addiction Treatment Center Resources

THE NEUROSCIENCE OF TRAUMATIC BODY-WIDE MEMORIES

For persons who have experienced severe trauma a sudden overwhelming emotional and physiological reaction may occur in response to a seemingly minute trigger, like a wave of emotions flooding over them. The subsequent dramatic shift in mood may seem out of proportion to the situation at hand. Individuals may look at this individual as being a “drama queen” when, in fact, something more complex is unfolding than what can be observed on the surface.

To understand how the present is linked to the past it is important to recognize the difference between feelings and emotions, and how the former can prompt the latter. To even more fully understand how feelings can potentially unleash a cascade of emotional responses, a primer on brain functioning may be helpful.