The Anatomy of Trauma in the Brain and Body
Most people understand that trauma - especially betrayal trauma - has a significant impact on our emotions and mental health. But what’s often overlooked is how very intimately the brain is connected with the body. It doesn’t just process trauma; it communicates that trauma directly to your physical systems. Betrayal trauma isn’t just a mental health issue. Chronic stress from trauma can have a damaging effect on your entire being, including the body you live in all day every day.
Betrayal trauma has been shown to have impacts on sleep, memory, weight, gut health, cardiovascular health, joint health, auto immune health, blood sugar dysregulation (thanks to excess cortisol release), and to contribute to cancer, depression, heart disease….the list goes on.
If you’ve walked this path, you already know this is true. But it’s not talked about nearly enough, and I want to help change that. Specifically, I want to talk about what happens before trauma wreaks long-term havoc on the body, and what we can do to interrupt that cycle.
Let’s start with what happens in the brain when you're in the thick of betrayal or relational trauma. (For the record, this looks a bit different than single-event trauma, though there is some overlap.)
The Brain-Body Chain Reaction
When you experience crisis - or when your sense of safety is shattered (as it often is with betrayal) - certain areas of the brain kick into overdrive, directing the body’s responses:
Brainstem (aka reptilian brain): This is the part of the brain responsible for basic survival. It’s not there to analyze or strategize—it’s there simply to keep you alive.
Amygdala: Located in the lower temporal lobe, the amygdala plays a key role in emotional control and memory, especially memories around fear. It’s part of the limbic system and is responsible for initiating the stress response - releasing cortisol and other stress hormones.
Prefrontal Cortex: This area (in the frontal lobe) handles rational thought, decision-making, and emotional regulation. It can help calm the amygdala... but only when it’s online. In high-stress or danger situations, the prefrontal cortex shuts down, and the survival brain takes over.
Basically, the amygdala triggers the alarm, the limbic system processes emotions, and the prefrontal cortex regulates it all – IF it stays engaged. They’re supposed to work together. You’re supposed to be able to return to balance once the threat is over.
But what if you can’t?
When the Loop Doesn’t End
When the threat is ongoing - or your body loses its sense of safety - your nervous system (and all the organs it communicates with) gets stuck in high alert.
This is VERY common in betrayal trauma. Something you believed was safe no longer is. That shock keeps the amygdala firing, flooding your system with stress hormones and keeping your body braced for danger.
Over time, this actually rewires the brain. Studies show that a chronically overactive amygdala can enlarge and reduce activity in the prefrontal cortex. In short: the survival brain takes over, and the thinking brain goes offline.
This is one reason many people (myself included) report struggling to learn, retain, or recall information after betrayal. Trauma affects memory. Brain fog and forgetfulness are common - and very real.
Scary, isn’t it? But it’s not all gloom and doom.
Why Tools Matter Early
This is why I’m such a believer in nervous system support during trauma - not just after.
Because the brain learns in patterns, even the smallest body-based tools can help interrupt damaging loops from being fully formed. The sooner you use them, the better.
Simple grounding practices – even as simple as a mindful breath in the midst of chaos - can strengthen the prefrontal cortex. Anything that reconnects you with your body in a way that feels safe can help rewire the brain toward regulation instead of dysregulation.
A few examples include: breathing, exercises to calm the nervous system, standing in the grass, massage therapy, yoga, acupuncture, meditation, joyful movement and dance, even writing and art and time with friends.
These aren’t luxuries. They’re tools for balance, and for helping the brain and body remember how to feel safe again. Use as many of them as possible – I’m walking this path with you.