Brianna Wiest - The Mountain Is You_ Transforming Self-Sabotage Into Self-Mastery (2020)

THE MOUNTAIN IS YOU
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it—the brain is able to return to a neutral state because a
feeling of control and security is being reestablished.
This is also why people who have stronger social ties and
mental resilience prior to a traumatic event are more likely
to use the event as a catalyst for self-reflection, growth,
compassion, and healing as opposed to self-destruction.
They had multiple ties to that essential feeling of “safety,”
so even if one was eroded or severed, others still were
there to support them.
What happens to your brain after a traumatic event?
Neurologically, we process stress in three parts of the brain. 13
The first is the amygdala, the second is the hippocampus,
and the third is the prefrontal cortex. Individuals suffering
from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) have a smaller
hippocampus (the center of emotion and memory),
increased amygdala function (the center of rumination
and creativity), and decreased medial prefrontal/anterior
cingulate function (the center that governs complex behaviors
like planning and self-development).
It becomes clear, then, why trauma tends to have the following
impact on us:
• Our brains stop processing memory fully, leaving us
with fragments of what happened, sometimes contributing
to the feeling of disassociation.