Why You Can’t Just “Get Over” Trauma

Time does not, in fact, heal all wounds. Sometimes they even compound themselves over time. Dr. Tracey Marks explains the damage that trauma does—the physiological presentation of “the axe forgets but the tree remembers”—and how to heal from that actual damage.

The science of healing

Trauma affects the mind and body (largely because the brain is, of course, both—and affects pretty much everything else), which can ripple out into all areas of life.

On the physical level, brain areas affected by trauma include:

• Amygdalae: becomes hyperactive, keeping a person in a heightened state of vigilance.
• Hippocampi: can shrink, causing fragmented or missing memories.
• Prefrontal cortex: reduces in activity, impairing decision-making and emotional regulation.

Trauma also activates the body’s fight or flight response, releasing stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline. These are great things to have a pinch, but having them elevated all the time is equivalent to only ever driving your car at top speed—the only question becomes whether you’ll crash and burn before you break down.

However, there is hope! Neuroplasticity (the brain’s ability to rewire itself) can make trauma recovery possible through various interventions.

Evidence-based therapies for trauma include:

• Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR): this can help reprocess traumatic memories and reduce emotional intensity.
• Trauma-focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): this can help change unhelpful thought patterns and includes exposure therapy.
• Somatic therapies: these focus on the body and nervous system to release stored tension.

In this latter category, embodiment is key to trauma recovery—this may sound “wishy-washy”, but the evidence shows that reconnecting with the body does help manage emotional stress responses. Mind-body practices like mindfulness, yoga, and breathwork help cultivate embodiment and reduce trauma-related stress.

In short: you can’t just “get over” it, but with the right support and interventions, it’s possible to rewire the brain and body toward resilience and healing.

For more on all of this from Dr. Marks, enjoy:

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Want to learn more?

You might also like to read:

• PTSD, But, Well…. Complex.
• Undoing The Damage Of Life’s Hard Knocks
• A Surprisingly Powerful Tool: Eye Movement Desensitization & Reprocessing

Take care!