Summary: The Influence Of Trauma On The Brain

Perry (1999) states that it was originally thought that higher brain functions in the cortex were able to control the lower primitive brain regions and it was this pervasive thought that influenced many therapeutic approaches. In recent years researchers have come to understand that under normal developmental conditions the prefrontal cortex is able to inhibit, organize and modulate the lower brain; however, in children who have experienced trauma the organization is altered. Perry (2012) goes on to explain that when a child experiences trauma the amygdala, which mediates fear responses, is triggered thus circumventing the cortex. The alarm response leads to brainstem and midbrain activity while cortical regions (rational thought) shut down. According to Perry, trauma activates regions of the brain responsible for intense emotions and arousal. Stein and Kendall (2014) explain that operating within each of these brain systems are neurons and, as the brain develops, the neurons from the various parts of the brain join together to form circuits. These circuits eventually organize into elaborate …show more content…
If a child does not have access to specific experiences and activities that stimulate the brain then those neural connections are lost. “Simply stated, traumatic and neglectful experiences during childhood cause abnormal organization and function of important neural systems in the brain, compromising the functional capacities mediated by these systems” (Perry, 2006, p28). Children’s brains are malleable and develop to survive the environment in which they live. As most of the brain is organized during the first three years of life, a child who has been raised in an abusive, chaotic environment will have a brain that is structured to survive in that