How Mindfulness Helps Teens Heal from Trauma

Mindfulness is a helpful approach to treating trauma. Mindfulness can help reduce trauma symptoms. When we experience childhood trauma, it can have a negative impact on our brain. Trauma effects several parts of the brain such as the hippocampus, amygdala and prefrontal cortex. The hippocampus is in charge of our learning and memory. The amygdala assists us with processing stimuli and emotional responses. Trauma can influence the amygdala to perceive things, people, environments etc. as threatening even if they are not. Another important part of our brain that can be influenced by trauma is our prefrontal cortex helps us with cognitive functioning and decision making. 

If we experience trauma when our brains are still developing it can cause negative side effects. Children’s brains are like sponges. Our brains are not fully developed until adulthood. Due to this our brains in our childhood and adolescence are also sensitive. If trauma occurs during a stage of critical brain development when we are young, it could have long term side effects. Trauma effects the brain causing it to go in hyper drive and being on constant alert which can cause stress on the body. Stress and trauma do not only affect the brain but the body as well. Stress can increase cortisol levels which can have a negative effect on the body. By reducing stress that intensifies when having a flash back, it can help our bodies to heal and not go into fight or flight mode. 

Mindfulness can help those who have trauma learn how to cope with their intrusive thoughts and memories. It can help us to change the way we think. Mediation can be difficult for some because flashbacks may arise, so taking it step by step, getting the foundations of mindfulness and learning other mindfulness skills first, prior to diving into mediation alone is helpful. Practicing mediation first in a safe office environment with a supportive clinician gives the client an opportunity to learn how to cope with flashbacks if they arise. Eventually clients are able to practice meditation outside of office. Mindfulness helps us to increase self-compassion, increase present moment awareness, and helps us to regulate our emotions/responses. Mindfulness only works if its practiced. Mindfulness should be incorporated into one’s daily life in order to gain long term benefits of mindfulness.