Finding Effective Therapies in Healing Trauma

Healing after trauma and self love

By Maria Perroots 

Healing after trauma can be hard-fought, tiresome, and triggering – to say the least. It can be challenging to find a therapist you feel safe being vulnerable with, and to add to it, it can be even more difficult to find a therapeutic approach that effectively supports trauma healing.  One of the most important steps toward healing is understanding how trauma impacts the brain. When we experience trauma, our brains do not record the memory in the usual, logical way. Instead, the rational part of the brain shuts down, and the right hemisphere—the part responsible for emotion and imagery—takes over. This neurological shift can help explain why people with PTSD often experience vivid flashbacks, emotional triggers, and difficulty recalling events in a coherent narrative.

The Brain’s Response to Trauma: From Logic to Emotion

When we endure a traumatic experience, our brain switches into survival mode, activating the “fight, flight, or freeze” response. This is an evolutionary defense mechanism designed to keep us safe from harm. In this state, the prefrontal cortex, which governs rational thinking, decision-making, and problem-solving, essentially goes offline. The brain’s logical center, which normally helps us analyze and make sense of events, is temporarily disabled.

Meanwhile, the right hemisphere of the brain, which is responsible for emotional processing, creativity, and the ability to interpret non-verbal cues (like body language), becomes more active. The right hemisphere also plays a key role in storing information in a more sensory-driven way. Instead of processing events through words and logical understanding, it processes them through images, sounds, and sensations.

This shift to a more sensory-focused memory system can help explain why traumatic memories often come in the form of flashbacks or vivid, fragmented images. Rather than recalling a clear narrative of the event, individuals may find themselves reliving the experience through sudden, disjointed visual and sensory memories. Flashbacks can happen when a sensory trigger, like a smell, sound, or even a feeling, activates the brain’s trauma-related memory pathways.

Why Flashbacks Happen: The Role of Pictures in Trauma

Flashbacks are not simply the brain trying to relive a painful experience; they are often the result of the brain's inability to properly integrate and store trauma-related memories in a coherent, verbal way. Since the right hemisphere focuses on storing traumatic memories through pictures, individuals may experience visual fragments of the trauma rather than a clear, organized memory.

When something in the present moment—whether it is a specific image, sound, or situation—triggers these stored pictures, the brain can react as if the trauma is happening again in real time. This is why people experiencing flashbacks often feel as though they are re-living the traumatic event. The sense of time gets distorted, and the rational brain, which would normally be able to distinguish between past and present, is still shut down. This experience can be frightening—and often deeply isolating. 

Healing Trauma: Pathways to Process and Integrate

Although trauma can cause a profound disruption in the way we process memories, there are several therapeutic techniques that can help us process these memories and re-establish a sense of control and safety. These therapies can support the integration of traumatic memories in a more coherent and manageable way, allowing the brain to heal and restore balance.

1. Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)

EMDR is a therapeutic technique specifically designed to help individuals process traumatic memories. It works by using bilateral stimulation of the brain. This can involve moving the eyes back and forth or tapping on alternating sides of the body, which helps to activate both hemispheres of the brain. This bilateral activation helps process traumatic memories so they can be reintegrated without overwhelming emotional distress.  Over time, EMDR helps individuals reframe and make sense of traumatic events, reducing their emotional intensity and the frequency of flashbacks.

2. Somatic Therapy

Somatic therapy focuses on the connection between the body and the mind, recognizing that trauma is not only stored in the brain but also in the body. The physical sensations that arise during a flashback—like tension, rapid heartbeat, or difficulty breathing—are a direct result of the body’s memory of trauma. Somatic therapy uses techniques like breathwork, body awareness, and grounding exercises to help individuals reconnect with their bodies, release stored trauma, and regain a sense of safety. By bringing awareness to the body’s responses, individuals can begin to process trauma in a way that feels more contained and less overwhelming.

3. Art Therapy

Art therapy taps into the brain's ability to process emotions through creativity. Since the right hemisphere is more attuned to visual and sensory input, using art as a medium can be an effective way to express and process traumatic experiences. Whether through painting, drawing, sculpture, or other forms of creative expression, individuals can externalize their trauma in a way that does not rely on words. This allows for a more flexible and open approach to healing, where individuals can explore and express the complexity of their feelings and memories at their own pace.

Moving Forward: Restoring Balance to the Brain

Trauma may temporarily disrupt how we process memories, but with the right tools and support, healing is not only possible—it is probable. By understanding the way trauma affects the brain and how it reshapes memory, we can begin to see how therapies like EMDR, somatic therapy, and art therapy can help re-establish the balance between our logical and emotional brain functions.

At Think Happy Live Healthy, several of our clinicians are trained in trauma-informed therapeutic styles. If healing from your trauma is a priority, review our team bios and find a clinician that meets your needs. Together, you and your therapist can work together to reclaim your life and restore the balance in your brain and body. We invite you to reach out when you’re ready to begin your healing journey.