Trauma: a disordered psychic or behavioral state resulting from severe mental or emotional stress or physical injury.
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/trauma
Vaccines don’t inoculate us from the neurological impacts of trauma.
Before returning to a “new normal,” be that going to work in an office, sending our children into school buildings, or safely attending social events, we must first address the elephant in the room.
Brain damage.
Let me explain.
In experiences of trauma, the brain rewires itself to cope. We adjust our thinking so we can take on the uncertainty that comes with events like terrorist attacks, mass shootings, or global pandemics.
Our thinking goes from rationalizing our experiences to reacting to our experiences, all in the name of safety. Due to the longevity and intensity of this pandemic, we are effectively suffering brain damage.
But there’s hope.
Just because we’ve suffered trauma, doesn’t mean we’re incapable of recovery. Just because we’re still struggling, despite receiving our vaccines, doesn’t mean there’s permanent damage.
At the same time, we’re doing ourselves a great disservice thinking we can simply get back on the horse and resume our regularly scheduled program.
Going through trauma is not the same as making a mistake, or getting some scrapes or bruises while we’re learning a new skill. Trauma seeps into our understanding of the self. It contorts our perceptions of reality and safety.
A vaccine will not undo the neurological adjustments we’ve had to make to endure this trauma. Instead we must turn to the experts on the brain for hope and guidance.
Bryan Robinson, Ph.D. writes, “Neuroplasticity guarantees that the architecture of your mind is never set in stone. You don’t have to stay trapped by the pandemic storms of your body (frustration, anxiety, worry). It’s possible for you to re-engineer your brain and self-calm the knee-jerk worries and fears because your brain has the ability to change its own structure.”
Neuroplasticity guarantees that the architecture of your mind is never set in stone. You don’t have to stay trapped by the pandemic storms of your body (frustration, anxiety, worry). It’s possible for you to re-engineer your brain and self-calm the knee-jerk worries and fears because your brain has the ability to change its own structure.
Bryan Robinson, Ph.D.
We’re all eager to gain some relief from one of the most stressful years in our history. Yet our knee-jerk reaction to return to what we were doing prior to this year isn’t in our best interest.
After enduring an event like this, t’s worth pausing deliberately to evaluate and assess how our experience has impacted us, the level of trauma we need to address, and how we plan to step back into the world.
We must create opportunities to work through our trauma. Feelings of anger, loss, disappointment, exhaustion, frustration, sadness, and worry have to be acknowledged.
The phrase, “If you ignore it it will go away,” is less than useless when it comes to trauma. We must be willing to dig into our brains with both hands, mold that grey matter like play dough, and come back into the world intentionally.
No amount of vaccinations will do the work we must each do to heal our trauma. As the world begins opening up, the demands that have been held at bay will begin to flood in.
Until then, do yourself a favor. Take time to honor how far you’ve come, all that you’ve endured, and where you’re headed. That way, when you look back at this past year, it will be with an appreciation for the growth and learning you’ve accomplished.
Bryan Robinson, Ph.D outlines seven tips for starting your recovery. Read them all here. Interested in learning more about neuroplasticity? Check out this article, or this video, or simply Google “neuroplasticity.”
Hi there! I’m Anon, writer, educator, wife, mom, expat, adoptee, and so much more. I write about creativity, family life, mental health, and the love between a woman and food, among other things.
My hope is to shed some light on the opportunities we have to awaken a deep sense of peace from within and to then use that inner peace to make the world more whole.
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