Our brains can change. While experts used to think that brain damage is permanent, we now know that is not necessarily the case. The damage done to our brains from childhood trauma is not permanent. Pause for a moment and let that sink in.
Change your brain, change your life
If you want to heal from childhood trauma, there are a few important concepts you need to grasp, and the first is neuroplasticity. Caroline Leaf defines it in her book, Switch On Your Brain as the brain being “malleable and adaptable.” She further states that “our brain is neuroplastic--it can change and grow.”
There is another key concept called neurogenesis, which is the process by which new neurons are formed in our brains. Epigenetics is the third concept, and it refers to “external modifications to DNA that turn genes on or off,” according to Live Science. What the three concepts mean for those of us who survived childhood trauma is that we can change our brains and by doing so we change our lives.
Leaf believes there is scientific proof that our brains can change, which is proof of what the Bible says about the power of changing our thinking. “As we consciously direct our thinking, we can wire out toxic patterns of thinking and replace them with healthy thoughts,” she proclaims. That is good news for those of us suffering from the effects of childhood trauma.
Neuroplasticity and taking control of our thinking
Thoughts impact our brain and body. Verses such as Deuteronomy 30:19, Psalm 34:11-16, Proverbs 3:7-8 long ago said what scientists are now saying. We have predispositions and not destinies, and we can choose to let God free us from our predispositions. We can choose to bring our traumatic experiences to Holy Spirit where He changes how they affect our brains.
We can’t control events and circumstances, but we can control our reactions to them. Doing so requires flexibility in our thinking and God created our brains with “multiple, different networks.” Resting is part of controlling our reactions to what happens around us and to us. God created us to have times of rest and that is not easy for a survivor of trauma. Meditating is key to entering into rest. You are made in God’s image with the mind of Christ and Jesus told His disciples that all power had been given to Him. (Matthew 28:18)
What you think about changes your brain. Our thinking and reactions determine our brain architecture. There’s a strong link between toxic thinking and our health. What we put in our minds over time affects our decisions. God wired our brains to be able to be changed by how we think.
Easy ways to rewire our brains
As I read Leaf’s book, I began to hope that my brain could change, that the adverse effects that childhood trauma caused can be reversed. My brain responded to the abuse I endured at the hands of my uncle. As I child, I was afraid and I had good reason to be afraid. That fear continued into my adult life. As Leaf points out, we are wired for love, and fear is learned. Fear is not a natural response. “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” (2 Timothy 1:7, NKJV)
The good news is that God has wired my brain and your brain in such a way that we can rewire it. We can choose to use apps to do so, such as The Tapping Solution, Breathe2Relax, and Insight Timer. The apps take away the excuse that we are too busy to put in the work of recovery. They provide convenient ways to practice tapping (emotional freedom technique), meditation, and deep breathing. All three are proven to rewire the brain.
If you are desperate to begin your healing journey, or are farther along on the healing journey but need strength, pray this prayer:
Oh Lord, I cry out to You to help me begin to heal from childhood trauma. I ask You to give me wisdom to implement all that I am learning about my brain and the impact trauma had on it. Guide me as I seek to rewire my brain.