Trauma, the Brain, and Choosing Movement

Trauma changes the brain.

And the brain can change again.

Research shows that women who experience verbal abuse, physical abuse, sexual trauma, and chronic stress often show measurable changes in brain structure and connectivity — particularly in areas involved in memory, emotional regulation, and threat detection (Teicher & Samson, 2016; Cassiers et al., 2018; Bremner et al., 2003).

These changes can disrupt communication between the brain’s survival centers and its regulatory centers, meaning the body may react before conscious reasoning can explain why.

This is not weakness.

It is adaptation.

The nervous system learned how to survive.

When trauma and concussion overlap

When psychological trauma is layered with concussions or mild traumatic brain injuries, symptoms often intensify — including headaches, cognitive fatigue, emotional reactivity, sensory overload, and difficulty regulating stress (Valera, 2021; Raskin et al., 2024).

In these cases, healing rarely comes from insight alone.

It often requires working with the body as part of the recovery process.

Why movement supports neuroplasticity

Neuroplasticity refers to the brain’s ability to reorganize itself through experience. Research shows that movement-rich, skill-based, and emotionally regulated physical practices support neuroplastic change throughout adulthood (Kolb & Gibb, 2011; Cotman et al., 2007).

These practices are not random.

They are neurological inputs.

• Jiu-jitsu, boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai

  
  

  Support timing, boundaries, agency, and regulation under controlled stress.

  
  

• Traditional dance and free movement

  
  

  Integrate rhythm, emotion, and cognition while supporting nervous system regulation (Koch et al., 2019).

  
  

• Rock climbing

  
  

  Combines problem-solving, focus, fear regulation, and trust.

  
  

• Animal movement and strength training

  
  

  Improve proprioception, coordination, and grounded functional strength.

Together, these practices stimulate motor learning systems, coordination networks, and top-down regulation from the prefrontal cortex over limbic reactivity — the same systems often disrupted by trauma (Shors, 2016; van der Kolk, 2014).

Nutrition as neurological support

A consistent, nourishing diet supports neuroplasticity and recovery by reducing inflammation, supporting neurotransmitter synthesis, and stabilizing blood sugar — which in turn supports mood and cognition (Gómez-Pinilla, 2008).

Food is not a moral issue.

It is neurological support.

This is not “pushing through”

Choosing movement after trauma is not about overriding pain or ignoring signals.

It is about:

• Rebuilding trust with the body

• Teaching the nervous system that strength can coexist with safety

• Allowing intuition to become clearer rather than louder

Healing does not erase the past.

It integrates experience into capacity (Porges, 2011).

Final reflection

No one is broken.

The brain adapted brilliantly.

Movement, nourishment, and conscious practice do not “fix” a person —

they offer the nervous system new information.

And with new information, the brain changes.

That is neuroplasticity.

That is recovery.

That is choice.

Key references (short list)

Teicher & Samson (2016); Cassiers et al. (2018); Bremner et al. (2003); Valera (2021); Raskin et al. (2024); Kolb & Gibb (2011); Cotman et al. (2007); Koch et al. (2019); Gómez-Pinilla (2008); Porges (2011); van der Kolk (2014)

•This is educational reflection, not diagnosis or prescription.