Why Trauma Doesn't Live in the Talking Hemisphere of the Brain

Discover why trauma can make it difficult to access language and how healing can reconnect the brain's hemispheres, enabling recovery through somatic and trauma-informed approaches.

Cassidy Causey

9/10/20243 min read

Why Trauma Doesn’t Live in the Talking Hemisphere of the Brain

Have you ever been in a situation where something triggered a flood of emotions, and suddenly, it felt like the words were stuck in your throat? You wanted to explain what was happening, but your mind went blank, and no matter how hard you tried, the words just wouldn’t come. This is a common experience for trauma survivors and a frustrating one at that. But there’s a reason behind this silence—it’s all about how trauma affects the brain.

In this article, we’ll explore why trauma makes it difficult to access language and talk about what we’re going through. We’ll dive into the way our brain processes trauma, how the right and left hemispheres play different roles in that process, and why traditional talk therapy might not always be enough. By the end, you’ll have a better understanding of how trauma impacts the brain and what you can do to help the healing process.

The Brain’s Hemispheres: Emotional and Logical Processing

Our brains are incredibly complex, but when it comes to trauma, there are two main players that we need to understand: the right hemisphere and the left hemisphere.

Right Hemisphere: This is the creative, emotional side of the brain. It’s where we process our feelings and sensory experiences. When something triggers an emotional response, it’s the right hemisphere that lights up, interpreting those nonverbal cues like a racing heart, sweaty palms, or a knot in the stomach. It’s all about the body’s sensory experience.
Left Hemisphere: On the flip side, the left hemisphere is the logical, analytical side. It’s responsible for language, reasoning, and making sense of what’s happening in our lives. When we talk about our feelings or experiences, it’s the left hemisphere that helps us find the words and structure our thoughts.

Normally, the corpus callosum—the bridge between the two hemispheres—allows these two sides of the brain to communicate and work together. However, trauma can disrupt this communication, making it difficult for the two hemispheres to connect and share information effectively. This is especially true when trauma occurs in early childhood, during the critical years when the corpus callosum is still developing.

The Impact of Trauma: Losing Access to Language

When we’re experiencing trauma or recalling a traumatic memory, the brain’s natural response is to prioritize survival. This means that the emotional processing of the right hemisphere takes over, while the logical, language-based functions of the left hemisphere can go offline. The result? It can feel impossible to put our experiences into words.

This isn’t just about feeling overwhelmed; it’s a neurological response to trauma. When the brain is in survival mode, the focus is on protecting us, not on making sense of things through language. This is why, in the midst of a trigger or during a flashback, it can be so difficult to talk about what’s happening or to describe what we’re feeling.

For trauma survivors, this disruption can continue long after the traumatic event has passed. The brain has learned to rely more on the right hemisphere’s emotional responses, making it harder to access the left hemisphere’s logical and verbal abilities when stress or trauma is involved.

Healing the Brain: Hope for Recovery

The good news is that the brain is resilient and capable of healing. Through neuroplasticity—the brain’s ability to form new connections—trauma survivors can regain the ability to integrate emotional experiences with logical thinking and language. This is where trauma-informed therapies, particularly those that don’t rely solely on talking, come into play.

Somatic therapy, for example, helps individuals tune into their bodily sensations and emotions, bypassing the need for words and allowing healing to begin from the ground up.
Mindfulness practices can also help strengthen the connection between the right and left hemispheres, encouraging better communication and balance between emotional and logical processing.

These approaches give trauma survivors the tools they need to process their experiences in a way that feels safe and manageable, without forcing them to relive their trauma through words alone.

Conclusion: Taking the Next Step

Trauma affects the brain in profound ways, often making it difficult to access language and talk about what we’ve been through. But understanding how trauma impacts the brain is the first step toward healing. By exploring therapeutic approaches that go beyond words, you can regain a sense of control and begin to heal on a deeper level.