Trauma, a term often used to describe the emotional scars left by distressing events, has long intrigued both mental health professionals and individuals seeking to understand the profound effects it can have on one’s life. Clinical counselor in Traumatology, Ronn Young, takes a deep dive into the complex world of trauma from a neuroscience perspective, offering invaluable insights into how these experiences shape our perceptions and behaviors.

As an experienced practitioner specializing in trauma, Ronn Young devotes his career to helping clients who have undergone traumatic events that are etched into the emotional centers of the brain. These experiences, he notes, fundamentally alter the way individuals perceive life and themselves. The past trauma events continue to inform emotional responses and behaviors, turning the individual into someone unrecognizable to themselves.

Ronn Young recognizes that even seemingly mundane aspects of life can become sources of trauma for many. Simple daily tasks, once effortless, can become emotionally overwhelming when living with a chronic illness or disability. For example, washing one’s hair while in chronic pain or the inability to drive a car due to a past motor vehicle accident can trigger panic and emotional distress. These traumatic moments are encoded in the brain to prevent future occurrences, as the brain’s Amygdale strives to keep us safe by remembering all sensory aspects of the trauma.

Ronn Young poses a pivotal question, “What is trauma?” He views trauma through a neuroscience lens, focusing on the role of the “Amygdale,” a key part of the Limbic system responsible for our survival and emotional safety. When the Amygdale cannot protect us from a threat, it encodes the experience as a trauma event, capturing all sensory details of the moment. These sensory associations can later become triggers, altering normal, healthy behavioral responses.

The impact of trauma extends far beyond the initial encoding. Our brains store these experiences as hyper-gamma waves in our electrochemical system, holding onto the sensory aspects of the traumatic event—what we felt, smelled, saw, heard, and even tasted during the moment of feeling unsafe. These associations can transform into triggers in the future, leading to lasting physical and emotional changes.

Every day, we encounter experiences our brain wasn’t designed to handle. We were designed to stay safe, to survive. Tripping and falling down a flight of stairs can lead to a heightened sensitivity around steps, as the Amygdale remembers the past event. It collects and stores data that becomes a hypersensitive trigger in our future lives.

Ronn Young emphasizes that reactions perceived as “crazy” are actually the Amygdale responding to safeguard us. It recalls the past, reacting to perceived threats when triggered by anything reminiscent of the original trauma. Trauma isn’t confined to the moment of encoding; it encompasses all the neural networks that evolve from that initial experience.

In the realm of neuroscience, the Amygdale is “potentiated” at the time of trauma, causing fear-driven responses such as panic, depression, or anxiety when triggered by sensory memories. It seeks to prevent a recurrence by remembering the past. The pivotal question Ronn poses is, “Can this reactive response be ‘depotentiated’?”

In summary, Ronn Young states, “Trauma is a moment when someone did not ‘feel safe,’ either consciously or unconsciously. That moment is stored in the Amygdale system and encoded for future reference.”

About Ronn Young

Ronn Young is a dedicated clinical counselor in Traumatology, specializing in the exploration of trauma’s impact on the human brain and emotional well-being. With years of experience in the field, Ronn Young brings a unique perspective to the understanding and treatment of trauma, offering hope and healing to those who have experienced traumatic events.

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