{"id":1287,"date":"2025-08-12T05:53:00","date_gmt":"2025-08-12T05:53:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mopip.org\/blog\/?p=1287"},"modified":"2025-08-04T18:08:00","modified_gmt":"2025-08-04T18:08:00","slug":"the-impact-of-trauma-on-mind-body-and-behavior-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mopip.org\/blog\/2025\/08\/12\/the-impact-of-trauma-on-mind-body-and-behavior-3\/","title":{"rendered":"The Impact of Trauma on Mind, Body, and Behavior"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Welcome to part three of a 5-part series about trauma and it\u2019s impact on mind, body, and behavior. Prior parts in the series can be found here: <\/strong><\/em>https:\/\/www.mopip.org\/blog\/category\/impact-of-trauma\/<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Body: Physical Effects of Trauma<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Trauma does not only live in the mind, it can also leave deep imprints on the body. The physiological effects of trauma can manifest immediately or years after the event, impacting everything from the nervous system to immune function.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How Does Trauma Affect the Nervous System?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Traumatic experiences activate the body\u2019s innate survival mechanisms, commonly referred to as the fight, flight, or freeze response. While this response is crucial in moments of danger, repeated or prolonged activation due to trauma can dysregulate the autonomic nervous system, the division of the nervous system responsible for controlling involuntary bodily functions, such as heart rate, blood pressure, and sweating\u2078. This leaves individuals in a persistent state of hyperarousal or shutdown, even in safe environments\u2078. Brain regions such as the amygdala, involved in fear response, the hippocampus, involved in memory, and the prefrontal cortex, involved in reasoning and impulse control, are all impacted by trauma, contributing to issues such as heightened startle responses, emotional reactivity, and difficulties with focus and memory\u2078.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Happens to the Body’s Stress Hormones After Trauma?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Trauma alters the functioning of what is called the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, one of the bodily systems responsible for managing stress\u2078. When dysregulated, the body may produce excessive, or insufficient, amounts of cortisol, which is the body\u2019s primary stress hormone\u2078. Over time, this can lead to fatigue, sleep disturbances, digestive problems, weight gain or loss, and musculoskeletal conditions\u2079.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Can Trauma Weaken the Immune System?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yes. Chronic stress caused by unresolved trauma or other psychological difficulties can suppress immune function, making individuals more vulnerable to illnesses and infections\u00b9\u2070. Studies show that trauma survivors often have increased markers of inflammation and are more likely to suffer from autoimmune diseases and chronic conditions, such as rheumatoid arthritis, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), and cardiovascular problems\u00b9\u00b9.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"top<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Stay tuned for the next post in this series about the impact of trauma!<\/em><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Published August 12, 2025. By Gavin C. Newberry, MPH, Data Analyst for Missouri Partners in Prevention.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

References<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

8. Sherin, J. E., & Nemeroff, C. B. (2011). Post-traumatic stress disorder: The neurobiological impact of psychological trauma. Dialogues in Clinical Neuroscience, 13<\/em>(3), 263\u2013278. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.31887\/DCNS.2011.13.2\/jsherin <\/p>\n\n\n\n

9. American Psychological Association. (2024). Stress e<\/em>ffects on the body<\/em>. https:\/\/www.apa.org\/topics\/stress\/body <\/p>\n\n\n\n

10. Dhabhar F. S. (2014). Effects of stress on immune function: the good, the bad, and the beautiful. Immunologic Research, 58<\/em>(2-3), 193\u2013210. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1007\/s12026-014-8517-0 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

11. Sun, Y., Qu, Y., & Zhu, J. (2021). The relationship between inflammation and post-traumatic stress disorder. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 12<\/em>, 707543. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/fpsyt.2021.707543 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Welcome to part three of a 5-part series about trauma and it\u2019s impact on mind, body, and behavior. Prior parts in the series can be found here: https:\/\/www.mopip.org\/blog\/category\/impact-of-trauma\/ The Body: Physical Effects of Trauma Trauma does not only live in the mind, it can also leave deep imprints on the body. The physiological effects of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1288,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[99],"tags":[96,8,95,97],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mopip.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1287"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mopip.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mopip.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mopip.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mopip.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1287"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.mopip.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1287\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1289,"href":"https:\/\/www.mopip.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1287\/revisions\/1289"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mopip.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1288"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mopip.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1287"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mopip.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1287"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mopip.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1287"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}