How to rewire your brain after trauma | Bessel van der Kolk | Explain It Like I’m Smart

How to rewire your brain after trauma | Explain It Like I’m Smart, with Bessel van der Kolk

Have you ever wondered what happens to the traumatized brain when a soldier comes back from war? Often what's seen is that with each deployment, the frontal lobe becomes slower. This means that veterans cannot pay attention to what is in front of them, making it hard to engage in day-to-day life. Yet when a soldier has exposure to frightening events, such as a loud and sudden sound, their frontal lobe comes online. At the end of the day, when someone is traumatized and not experiencing danger, the brain doesn't function. But when the same person senses danger, the brain has been wired to act as a specialist in dealing with danger.

This is where modern technology, such as quantitative EEGs, comes into play. An EEG is essentially a brain mapping system that can show you the active wiring of the brain. When someone is getting an EEG, this technology will measure the brainwaves at the back of their brain - the section of the brain that is set to expect danger.

If the EEG picks up fast brain waves that resemble trauma, what we can do is rewire the brain. Whenever a traumatized person makes quiet, relaxed, and calm waves in their brain, they’ll get a reward. With this technology, we now can shape the brain to have a different configuration and different wiring, so it's no longer set to expect danger, but it's set to be open to new experiences. This is called Neural feedback.

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About Bessel van der Kolk:
Bessel van der Kolk is a psychiatrist noted for his research in the area of post-traumatic stress since the 1970s. His work focuses on the interaction of attachment, neurobiology, and developmental aspects of trauma’s effects on people. His major publication, Traumatic Stress: The Effects of Overwhelming Experience on Mind, Body, and Society, talks about how the role of trauma in psychiatric illness has changed over the past 20 years.

Dr. van der Kolk is past President of the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies, Professor of Psychiatry at Boston University Medical School, and Medical Director of the Trauma Center at JRI in Brookline, Massachusetts. He has taught at universities and hospitals across the United States and around the world, including Europe, Africa, Russia, Australia, Israel, and China.

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Read more of our stories on neural feedback and healing trauma:

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Want more Big Think?

[bigthink]

What do you think about using neural feedback to help traumatized people rewire their brains?

[candicejohnson]

The worst thing trauma brain steals from you is the ability to learn new things.

[DemetriPanici]

*"We must free ourselves of the hope that the sea will ever rest. We must learn to sail in high winds." - Aristotle Onassis*

[camillarozario]

I realized, after having my trauma experience, that my brain had stopped. I couldn't explain it. I felt like before the traumatic experience I was always doing small calculations, I was a very fast thinker and smart teen but suddenly it all stopped. I wouldn't think at all, it was like my brain calmed itself down. I remember looking around at all my surroundings and not being present at the moment or even being able to process information: I would look at a random object in the room and "blank", I was neither in the present nor in my head, it was just blank. After another traumatic experience later in life, my brain woke up again. It is the weirdest thing ever. Thanks for putting this into perspective

[PierceArner]

Man… the first minute of this video hit me like a truck. I've been dealing with a lot of trauma recovery and it is _SO_ hard to explain why I can do things under stress, but feel next to useless at everything else when things are calm. Moreso than that, because trauma eventually gets to a point where you have a massively REDUCED threshold to dealing with stress, even the things you used to excel at become suddenly out of reach, and you just want your brain to start working again.

These videos are IMMENSELY helpful in communicating about difficult concepts to people who haven't experienced them before, so thanks for this whole series. It's been something that I always come to check out as soon as a new one gets posted.

[Nejer]

i love Bessel van der Kolk, his work saved my life. i recommend his book "The Body Keeps the Score" as a starting point for trauma recovery.

[elinope]

Too much of my life has passed by. I hope this helps a young soldier.

[curtisgrindahl]

Bessel van der Kolk taught me how the trauma I experienced as a boy affected my development and it wasn't a pretty story. I'm doing my healing work but there is a great deal of fragmentation. This is not easy work but it is much better than living with the belief there is something wrong with me. There's not... I'm simply living with the residue of trauma.

[christydotson]

I read "The Body Keeps the Score" by Bessel van der Kolk and have completed all recommended neurofeedback sessions. I've experienced profound improvements in every area of my life. NO MORE soul-crushing insomnia, anxiety, depression, impulsivity, learning problems, fight, flight, freeze, fawn, no waking up in a cold sweat, inability to keep a job, self-loathing / shame and WAY more. And the best part? After 30 years of self-medicating I'm 3 years sober, all credit going to NF.
I am now reveling in my sanity.

[DemetriPanici]

*"Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail again. Fail better.” - Samuel Beckett*

[victoriaisabelkirkeland]

This should be available on a large scale, either that or psychedelic therapy. Hopefully the medical community will develop ways of administering and developing these treatments in cheaper and more accessible ways.

[rooster]

I spent 24 years in the army. 4 tours, missing 1/2 my left lung. Had to retire. Now I just sit and wait for it all to end. I tried to talk with the VA. The listen to my for about 3 minutes. Looked at me and said “what do you want me to do “. It was like getting kicked in the balls. I just walked out. Now I just keep my mouth shut and wait for the pain to end.
I hope it’s soon

[oneworldonehome]

"Your crew are your thoughts and emotions, what the mind produces to direct the body. Here you have a functional crew or a dysfunctional crew, a faithful crew or an unfaithful crew, a competent crew or an incompetent crew. And their competence or incompetence will determine how far this vessel can go, what it can withstand in the winds and waves of the world and how well it can adapt to the presence of other ships and the hazards therein. Then there is the captain. The captain is you. It is even greater than your mind, for you are greater than your mind, for the mind is the crew. You are the captain."

*The New Message from God* - The Ship

[HominidPetro]

Please do not show war scenes for a video about trauma. This could be extremely triggering for people who have war trauma.

[eigentheory]

Once again, Bessel, great work! Thank you. I wish I had access to you to help with some trauma. The so-called professionals here are just out for the easy $200 per hour. It's puzzling how someone can spend nearly a decade in school and still be incompetent in their field.

I expect my experts to be knowledgeable, concise, powerful, and helpful, just like you!

[somethingyousaid]

How the hell do you rewire your brain if you're always in the middle of being traumatized?
It's a physical deformity that can be psychologically traumatizing, that if the physical deformity can't be corrected, the psychological trauma can't be terminated, and thus it's a psychological traumatization that's always in progress.
There was no "after trauma" for the Elephant Man.

[fevermotivation]

Remember my dear friend: no matter who you were, whoever made you down, still you're unique, beautiful, and talented🌸 how dare someone can rule on you? You're the the king\queen of your own life& happiness. You matter! Get up, go forward, and start doing what you like. You're the best, if you believe ✨


I believe in you, love from a small Youtuber 🖤

[LukeWatts]

This is one of videos I watched on YouTube on my TV, and then immediately navigated to the menu to like the video, and then kept going into the menu again to make sure I had liked it. And now I'm on my phone saying how much I like this.

3.5 minute video...I reached went for the like button at least 8 times. At leat 8 times!

[hunterGk]

Fantastic video; I love this concept, it's basically classical conditioning targeted at brain function! So simple but absolutely ingenious. And when he talked about his dream of helping foster kids it restored a little bit of my faith in humans 🙏❤

[Mehranpathanoo]

All dreamers out there keep going this is temporary situation it will pass your success will come be patient never give up just keep moving forward no matter what ✊ ✊