PERSONAL TRAUMAS: The Invisible Wounds That Shape Our Journey
- Marcela Emilia Silva do Valle Pereira Ma Emilia
- 3 days ago
- 6 min read
🧠 The Invisible Wounds That Shape Our Journey
Personal trauma is not just a “life drama” or an excuse for excessive self-compassion. And it is definitely not weakness – it is biology hidden between synapses, shaping our thoughts, feelings and reactions to the world.
They are the brain’s responses to overwhelming experiences, shaping thoughts, emotions and behaviours in ways we don’t always see — because not all scars are visible. Data and real research reveal more about how the brain and nervous system respond to what “breaks” us. Neuroscience helps us understand the layers involved in this wound, revealing that trauma is definitely not a sign of weakness, but a nervous system trying to survive.
🔬 What Are Personal Traumas?
On the road of life, unlike the expected curves and the stones that occasionally trip us, there are those not so visible — like an accident or a sudden loss. Some curves are subtler, or stones buried in the ground, but that unintentionally alter the course of an entire journey.Personal trauma is somewhat like that: an invisible wound that doesn’t bleed on the surface, echoing for years, left by events (or series of events) that trigger the brain’s “survival mode”, making us feel powerless, shaping our choices, relationships and even how we see ourselves in the mirror.
At its core, trauma is not just “a bad thing that happened”. According to the American Psychological Association (APA), trauma is an intense emotional response to an event or series of events that overwhelm us, leaving us powerless or out of control.In other words, unique experiences that mark an individual’s life, different from those that affect entire groups (war, disaster). Trauma surpasses the brain and body’s ability to self-regulate — it does not depend on the severity of the event itself, but on how the nervous system processes it, being the record of a danger that never ended.
Unlike temporary stress, trauma persists, altering neural circuits. The hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis is activated, releasing cortisol and adrenaline. The amygdala (fear alarm) detects threats and goes on high alert; the hippocampus (memory) is inhibited by stress; and the prefrontal cortex (PFC) (centre of reasoning and control) momentarily loses its command function.
This imbalance keeps the body in a defensive state even after the threat has passed. That’s why people with trauma can react to sounds, smells or neutral expressions as if danger were still present.
And that’s also why the traumatised person oscillates between hyperarousal (anxiety, irritability, impulsivity) and emotional numbness (apathy, detachment) — the nervous system alternating between fight, flight and freeze in the search for safety.
There are two main types of trauma:
Acute Traumas: isolated and intense events, such as an assault or the death of a loved one. They strike like lightning ⚡, leaving an immediate shock.
Chronic Traumas: prolonged exposures, such as years of emotional abuse or family neglect. Silent thieves 🕰️ that gradually steal trust.
📌 STAY AWARE 📌
What differentiates ordinary stress from trauma?
👉 Persistence!
If the event continues to invade the mind through flashbacks, anxiety or repetitive behaviour patterns, it’s a sign that this wound may have become invisible.
🧩 Roots in the Brain and in Life
Personal traumas don’t arise from nowhere; they are seeds planted in fertile soil throughout our life stories — sprouting from unique events such as accidents, losses, assaults, or from chronic experiences such as neglect, rejection, bullying or unpredictable family environments.
From childhood, the brain learns to deal with threats — real or symbolic — building responses. Over time, those responses can become deep marks.Not all of them came from what happened, but from what failed to happen — the care, the affection, the gaze that would have signalled safety to the brain.
Invisible wounds are not only events but painful memories that cause neurobiological reactions influencing behaviour, perception, attachment and even how we interpret the present.
And neuroscience shows that the brain, especially during childhood and adolescence, is like a sponge 🧽 — absorbing experiences and encoding them into neural patterns that last for decades.
Unfortunately common origins:
Childhood and Attachment: many traumas start early, with unstable relationships with caregivers – absent or unpredictable parents – creating anxious attachment, where the child learns the world is unsafe. It triggers chronic cortisol, reprogramming the HPA (stress) axis.
Toxic Relationships: here lie the “wounds of the heart”. 💔 Betrayals, a traumatic breakup or gaslighting inflame the amygdala, activating the brain’s “survival mode”, releasing excessive cortisol and reprogramming the amygdala — resulting in neural mistrust, emotional isolation or, ironically, extreme codependency.
Disruptive Events: accidents, illnesses or sudden losses activate sympathetic “freeze” (the mind stuck in trauma), leaving the brain hypervigilant – common in survivors of acute trauma.
Social and Cultural Contexts: even when personal, traumas are shaped by context. Cultural pressures (e.g., discrimination), performance pressure at work or even the culture of “positivity” that invalidates emotions accumulate like drops of water 💧 in the hippocampus until the glass overflows, altering memory and emotion.
Neuroimaging studies reveal that trauma alters the hippocampus, making the past feel ever-present. Yet, the same studies show that chronic trauma — even shrinking the hippocampus by up to 10% — finds recovery through neural plasticity and evidence-based practices.
💡 Paths to Understanding and Regulation
These wounds whisper, rewriting the narrative.
The brain on “guard”, prioritising survival over growth (as longitudinal studies confirm), is like a cracked ceramic vase 🏺.
It’s not necessarily a “Hollywood drama” – of course, it’s not a light journey – but it’s essential to understand these scars to navigate towards healing with more clarity.
In the mind: chronic anxiety, depression or PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder) can create self-sabotage patterns, procrastination and fear of failure.
In the body: autoimmune diseases, insomnia and chronic illnesses without a physical cause can be somatised traumas — a “body screaming while the mind stays silent.”
In relationships and life paths: the daily masks – being the funny friend but avoiding vulnerability; staying in the safe job but feeling suffocated.
The brain is not static, and neuroplasticity can be the path toward new connections, reorganising circuits and restoring lost balance.
The solution to personal trauma is not to erase the past, but to retrain the nervous system for the present.
Moreover, attachment neuroscience shows that secure bonds formed throughout life — especially during childhood — strengthen the ventromedial prefrontal cortex and empathy networks, making the nervous system more flexible in the face of stress.
Neuroscience-based interventions help restore dialogue between body and mind:
Somatic Psychotherapy: works with body awareness to release energy stored in the nervous system.
Mindfulness and Conscious Breathing: reduce amygdala activity and strengthen the prefrontal cortex.
EMDR Therapy: Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing – stimulates the processing of traumatic memories.
Social Connection: creating and strengthening secure bonds releases oxytocin, lowering cortisol and restoring a sense of safety. 🤝
Creative Expression: practising or engaging with art, writing and music activates the right hemisphere, fostering emotional integration. 🎨
Yes, personal traumas shape our path, but neuroscience gives us the map.It’s not a magical cure (for that, seek professional support), but a deep understanding that helps us navigate more wisely.
Unresolved traumas steal presence, keeping us on autopilot and away from authenticity.Thus, understanding these wounds is like lighting a lantern on a dark road. 🔦
✨ Conclusion
Personal traumas are the invisible wounds that shape life — the biological history of being. They do not define who we are, but they explain why we react as we do.
Neuroscience reveals that trauma is an adaptive response – an attempt by the brain to protect us from the unbearable.
But the same brain that records pain is capable of rewriting the story. Healing is reconfiguring the synapses of survival into those of trust.
Because, in the end, what shapes a person is not what they live through, but how the brain learned to survive it. 💭
If this resonates, pause ✋
What “invisible wound” does your brain carry?
It’s not about digging deep right now, but about naming — and seeking a professional who can help you.
Thank you for walking through this journey with me. 💛
And if you need guidance or suggestions, feel free to share here or reach out!🫂
📚 Want to go further?Read The Body Keeps the Score (van der Kolk) or explore articles on NewScience about trauma and plasticity.
Sources: APA.org, van der Kolk (2014), Harvard neuroimaging studies.Based on my expertise in behavioural neuroscience.