#35 Why does trauma make our memory worse

#35 Why does trauma make our memory worse

The Trauma Recovery School

Bonita Ackerman du Preez explains how trauma impacts memory and offers steps to improve mental health.

InformativeSupportiveEducationalCompassionateEncouraging

7:246 Feb 2025

RSS Feed

How Trauma Impacts Your Memory and What You Can Do About It

Episode Overview

  • Trauma affects the brain's ability to encode, store, and retrieve memories.
  • Cortisol levels spike during traumatic events, impairing memory formation.
  • Fragmented memories are common after trauma, making recall difficult.
  • Children with fragmented memories may create their own versions of events.
  • Addressing unresolved trauma can improve memory and overall mental health.
Trauma causes neurobiological changes in our body, affecting how our brain processes and stores memories

Ever wondered why your memory seems to falter after a traumatic experience? In this episode of The Trauma Recovery School, Bonita Ackerman du Preez breaks down the intricate relationship between trauma and memory. Bonita, an award-winning master trauma recovery therapist, dives into the brain's encoding, storing, and retrieval processes, explaining how trauma can throw a wrench into these mechanisms.

With her extensive knowledge in anxiety, stress, PTSD, and resilience, Bonita explains how the prefrontal cortex, amygdala, and hippocampus are impacted by trauma. She highlights the role of cortisol in creating fragmented memories that are difficult to recall and often incomplete. Bonita also stresses the importance of addressing these issues in children, who may fill in memory gaps with their own versions of events, leading to further complications.

Throughout the episode, Bonita offers practical advice on how to tackle these memory issues and improve overall mental health. If you're struggling with memory problems linked to past trauma, this episode provides valuable insights and steps to help you on your recovery journey. Don't miss out on Bonita's expert guidance on managing trauma-related memory issues.

Podcast buttons

Do you want to link to this podcast?
Get the buttons here!

Related Episodes

Similar episodes from other shows in the catalogue.