Ever wonder why, in the face of tragedy, some people remain calm and collected and others fall apart? It’s called resilience and all of us have it, to varying degrees. The thing is that most of us don’t know how much we’ve got until we are faced with a crisis.
There are many ways to define resilience, but simply put, resilience is our ability to bounce back after a setback, to get up and dust ourselves off after a failure, or to keep going after a tragedy. It’s being able to adapt to life’s challenges, misfortunes, hardships, and traumas.
To previous generations, these “adverse events” were simply called “life,” and many of us (myself included) were taught to “suck it up” and just deal with them. But psychologists, psychiatrists, and other experts are beginning to understand that these adverse, stressful events that we all experience actually change the brain and can change the way we perceive the world and evaluate danger.
Sometimes, it seems that we’ve gone from the “suck it up” mentality of dealing with adversity to the opposite end of the spectrum, with many universities now offering “safe spaces“ and ”cry closets.” And we seem to have gone from a culture of warriors to one that seeks to avoid pain and discomfort at all costs—which we can see from our inability to handle opposing viewpoints to our ever-increasing reliance on antidepressants.
With the new and evolving understanding of trauma by pioneers such as Bessel van der Kolk, who wrote the seminal book “Your Body Keeps the Score,” Peter Levine, author of “Healing Trauma,” and Gabor Maté, who has studied and treated trauma for decades, we are better able to understand how these inevitable events affect us and, most importantly, how to heal from them and move on.
You may be wondering what kinds of events can be defined as traumas. Well, that’s tricky, as something that may be traumatic for one person may not be for another—and it isn’t the event, but how we respond to it that defines it as traumatic. There are some common situations, however, that are thought to be traumatic for most people. One of the definitions of trauma is feeling overwhelmed by events that are beyond your control.
Here is a list of some common causes of trauma:
- Experiencing a natural disaster, such as an earthquake, flood, fire, or tornado
- Being in a serious accident, like a car accident
- Receiving a disease diagnosis
- Suffering a violent attack by a stranger (assault, robbery)
- Suffering a violent attack by a relative or someone you know
- The sudden, unexpected death of a loved one
- Combat or war exposure
- Childhood physical or sexual abuse
- Being neglected or abandoned by parents or caregivers
- Being sexually assaulted
- The death of a child, sibling, friend, or relative
- Witnessing someone being hurt or killed
- Imprisonment
- Going through a divorce or the breakup of a relationship
- Witnessing abuse
- Extreme poverty
- Frightening or painful medical procedures
- Being separated from a parent or loved one
Trauma and the Brain
Three parts of the brain are affected when we experience traumatic events—traumatic because they overwhelm our ability to process them in the moment. We all experience lots of unpleasant things in our day-to-day lives, and most of the time, they happen, and then they are over and we don’t think about them again. A traumatic event, however, is one that your body repeatedly relives after the fact, according to Bessel van der Kolk.The Amygdala
The amygdala deep inside our brain is part of the limbic system. It helps us perceive and control our emotions, and is responsible for our fear response. When a threat is detected, the amygdala sounds the alarm and initiates the fight, flight, or freeze response. A traumatic event can cause the amygdala to become overactive long after the traumatic event is over, making people overly alert, on edge, and susceptible to seeing threats that may not exist. This is also called hypervigilance.An overactive amygdala can make a person more susceptible to anxiety disorders, excessive worrying, irritability, trouble focusing, and an upset stomach, to name a few. A key symptom of anxiety disorder is panic attacks, which can include symptoms such as shortness of breath, a racing heartbeat, tightness in the chest, and dizziness.
One of the ways that people sometimes cope if they have experienced a traumatic event and have an overactive amygdala is by adopting “avoidance behaviors,” meaning they avoid people, places, or experiences that may trigger the memory of the trauma. For example, veterans may stop watching the news or scrolling social media because they want to avoid stories about war or other military conflicts.
The Hippocampus
Also part of the limbic system, the hippocampus is another brain structure involved in learning and the formation, storage, and retrieval of memories. In a dangerous situation or perceived threat, the hippocampus starts telling the body to pump out the stress hormone cortisol, which stops us from feeling pain so we can focus on survival, either fighting the threat or running away (fight or flight).It was observed that the hippocampus can be smaller and have decreased function in those with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), compared to those exposed to trauma who didn’t experience PTSD. The National Cancer Institute defines PTSD as “an anxiety disorder that develops in reaction to physical injury or severe mental or emotional distress, such as military combat, violent assault, natural disaster, or other life-threatening events.”
When you encounter a dangerous situation, your hippocampus signals the release of cortisol, which helps you focus on survival and not feel pain in case you are injured. It also diverts your body’s energy to functions it needs to survive, fight, or flee and suppresses any nonessential functions, such as digestion, so all your physiological resources can be optimized for immediate life-saving action.
When these systems are functioning the way they should, they go back to normal after the threat has passed. In cases of trauma, however, the brain continues to sense danger, and the continued release of cortisol can have detrimental effects on health. Elevated cortisol levels weaken the immune system and make a person more susceptible to a variety of illnesses and infections. Studies have also shown that victims of childhood trauma have a much higher risk of developing chronic health conditions in adulthood.
The Prefrontal Cortex
The prefrontal cortex is the part of the brain that’s responsible for higher-level thinking and reasoning and helps us think logically, analyze information, and solve problems. The prefrontal cortex is also needed for focus and attention.When this part of the brain is changed by trauma, we tend to make riskier decisions, have a stronger urge to make poor choices, and have less ability to resist them. A decrease in our executive function makes it harder for us to consider the long-term consequences of our actions. Damage to the prefrontal cortex also can lead to learning problems, difficulty understanding new concepts, and a much harder time focusing.
Healing From Trauma, Building Resilience
Even though traumatic events and the resulting changes to the brain can seem daunting, there is good news, and it can be summed up in one word: neuroplasticity. Neuroplasticity is defined as the brain’s constant physiological changes and reorganization in response to interactions with our environment. This means that our brains can heal from the traumas that we have experienced, and we can go on to have happy, meaningful lives.Healing from trauma is a highly individualized process, and many factors affect how quickly someone recovers after a traumatic event or events. Some of the things proven to help people recover after trauma are having a strong support system and a positive state of mind. Here’s a list of some other things that can help you to heal after experiencing trauma:
- Develop strong relationships with others.
- Cultivate a spiritual outlook and engage with your faith community.
- Stay positive and have a good sense of humor.
- Be able to express yourself freely.
- Be flexible to new situations.
- Know how to set boundaries and stick to them.
- Develop self-awareness, understand what you need, and be able to express it to others.
- Identify your talents and personal strengths.
- Have a creative outlet or hobby that you enjoy.
- Ask for help when you need it.
- Actively work on solving any problems in your life.
- Learn to take time for yourself and to relax and let go.
- Offer emotional support to people with whom you are close.
Short-Term Strategies
- Perform breathing exercises such as deep breathing into your belly and the box breathing technique.
- Start a gratitude journal or focus on positivity in your life.
- Take walks in nature, especially when you feel stressed or overwhelmed.
Medium-Term Strategies
- Get regular exercise.
- Eat a healthy diet.
- Seek out new social connections.
- Find a hobby that you enjoy.
Long-Term Strategies
- Deepen your faith.
- Meditate to help build equanimity.
- Actively work on improving your life, slowly, at your own pace.
- Become part of your community, e.g., volunteer to work with the elderly or at an animal shelter.
Final Thoughts
What experts like van der Kolk were surprised to discover when they began learning about trauma was that trauma was so common. Because we will all go through stressful events, challenging situations, and hardships throughout our lives, knowing ways to build resilience can only help us when they arrive. Difficulties in life are also opportunities for growth and change—from pain, we can learn wisdom, from fear we can learn courage, and from suffering can come strength, which makes us stronger as individuals and as a community.Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. Epoch Health welcomes professional discussion and friendly debate. To submit an opinion piece, please follow these guidelines and submit through our form here.
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