The Science of Mindfulness on Trauma

Mindfulness-based techniques surrounding trauma and support for mental health have grown exponentially over the last few years. As more empirical research has been conducted, mindfulness has gained a foothold as an effective option for managing trauma. The research is causing a paradigm shift: many used to think trauma is the event that happened to the person whereas it really is more about how the mind and body register what happened than the event itself. Trauma can manifest in many ways including anxiety, stress, depression, difficulty focusing, intrusive thoughts, and flashbacks of the traumatic event. It can also affect sleep patterns, the immune system, diet, and other physiological processes significantly – all things that mindfulness has been proven to impact. 

The Brain and Trauma

In order to understand the neurological implications of trauma, it is important to parse the concept of neuroplasticity for a moment, or the ability for the brain to change through growth or reorganization. For hundreds of years, scientists believed that once the brain reached maturity it ceased to grow and develop in any way. Modern science, however, now shows that the human brain is in a constant state of change. New experiences impact our neural circuitry and throughout our life, our brain map reflects these new and changing pathways.Neuroplasticity affords the brain an opportunity to stop the lingering effects of trauma. When a traumatic event occurs, the brain adapts to the situation entering into a “fight or flight” response. Once the traumatic event is over, our brains need to be able to exit this response and return to pre-event mindset.That does not mean we need to forget or ignore traumatic events but rather we need our brains and bodies to no longer function in a constant state of trauma or stress. The brain can get caught up in a highly alert and activated loop during which it looks for and perceives threats everywhere. Mindfulness may help people get back in touch with the present moment, as well as reduce the extent with which they feel controlled by unpleasant thoughts and memories. Research regarding mindfulness mediation’s impact upon the brain shows changes in brain structure and function that could account for the reduction of symptoms of trauma and PTSD. In fact, fMRI studies have shown that mindfulness meditation is correlated with an increase in gray matter in the hippocampus – which is associated with memory, learning and motor function- and a decrease of gray matter in the amygdala – which correlates with reductions in stressed states and anxiety disorders.If you are suffering from or interested to see how mindfulness can help alleviate any lingering symptoms as a result of trauma or PTSD, sign up for one of our Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction courses or contact our office today.