Over the years—both through my own journey as a survivor and through sitting with countless others who’ve carried the invisible weight of abuse—I’ve come to realize something science continues to confirm: trauma doesn’t just live in our memories; it lives in our brains, our bodies, and our nervous systems. It changes how we think, react, feel, and connect with others.
When I first began learning about trauma’s effect on the brain, I was struck by how perfectly the research explained what I had lived through. The hypervigilance made me jump at the sound of a door closing. The brain fog would roll in like a storm cloud when I tried to focus. The sleepless nights, the exhaustion that never seemed to lift, the sense that I was always on guard even in moments that should have felt safe. It wasn’t weakness or lack of faith—it was a brain that had been rewired to survive.
Studies show that chronic abuse—whether emotional, physical, psychological, or sexual—literally changes the shape and function of the brain. The amygdala, that tiny almond-shaped structure responsible for detecting danger, becomes overactive, firing off alarms even when there’s no real threat. The hippocampus, which helps us store and recall memories, can shrink in response to prolonged stress, making it harder to remember clearly or to distinguish between past and present danger. And the prefrontal cortex, which is supposed to help calm those alarms and keep emotions in check, often goes offline during moments of fear or stress. When you’ve lived through trauma, this imbalance can make it feel like you’re living with one foot in the past and one in the present—ready to run, even when you’re safe.
As a practitioner, I’ve seen these patterns repeatedly play out. Clients often say, “I feel broken,” or “I can’t seem to calm down,” or “I don’t know why I can’t just move on.” But looking deeper, we see that their brains aren’t broken—they’re protective. They learned to adapt in an unsafe environment. The same overactive amygdala that once kept them alive now keeps them anxious. The same dissociation that shielded them from pain now makes them feel numb or detached. The same survival mode that helped them endure is the very thing that prevents rest and healing.
Even those who “only” witnessed abuse—children who heard yelling through the walls, who watched a parent being hurt, or who grew up walking on eggshells—show similar patterns in the brain. Their stress response systems stay on high alert. Their cortisol levels fluctuate wildly. Their developing brains, surrounded by fear, begin to equate safety with unpredictability. I’ve worked with adults who still flinch at raised voices or freeze when someone slams a cupboard door. Their bodies remember what their minds have tried to forget.
The symptoms that follow are not just emotional—they’re physical. Chronic migraines, digestive issues, autoimmune flare-ups, and fatigue often trace back to that same overworked stress system. The body stores what the mind cannot process. When cortisol surges repeatedly, it wears down the immune system and interferes with sleep, memory, and mood. That’s why trauma healing isn’t just about talking—it’s about calming the nervous system, restoring balance, and helping the brain relearn what safety feels like.
But there’s hope. I’ve witnessed it—in my own life and the lives of the people I’ve had the privilege to walk beside. The brain is resilient. It can change through safety, love, faith, and consistency. Every time we practice grounding, breathe deeply instead of reacting, and let ourselves be vulnerable with someone safe, we teach the brain a new pattern. Neuroplasticity—the brain’s ability to rewire—means that healing isn’t just possible; it’s biological.
Faith has been a cornerstone of that process for me. When I finally began to understand that my hypervigilance wasn’t a lack of trust in God but the natural result of a traumatized nervous system, I was able to approach healing differently. Instead of condemning my reactions, I learned to extend grace to myself. I began to see that God designed the human brain to protect us—even if that protection became a prison for a time. Healing became an act of partnership: God renewed my mind while I practiced patience and self-compassion.
What I’ve come to understand is that trauma really can leave its imprint on the brain—sometimes it shows up on scans—but the most powerful changes are the ones we can’t see. You can’t capture courage or faith on an MRI. You can’t measure the strength it takes to get up every morning and keep fighting to heal. Trauma shows itself in so many hidden ways—through anxiety that never seems to rest, nightmares that replay what we wish we could forget, a body that startles too easily, or the profound exhaustion that lingers even after a full night’s sleep. It can look like memory lapses, mood swings, or the constant urge to withdraw because the connection feels unsafe. But the brain that once learned to survive through chaos can also learn peace through safety, truth, and love. That’s the beauty of how God designed us—we’re not stuck the way trauma left us. Healing takes time, but it’s possible. I’ve seen it in others, and I’ve lived it myself. The scans can show what trauma did, but only a healed life can show what grace can do.
Survivor Speaks Truth 