Trauma and the Brain

When to use ‘Trauma and the Brain’

‘Trauma and the Brain’ is an interactive cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) worksheet, most often used in CBT for trauma and PTSD.

It is designed to be used within therapy rather than as a standalone self-help tool: a therapist introduces it, works through it collaboratively, and helps make sense of what it surfaces. You can preview the full worksheet above, then assign it digitally for clients to complete between sessions on any device — or download it as a print-ready PDF.

How it works

Most people work through it in around 10 minutes. It moves through six short steps:

1. A Normal Response to an Abnormal Event — What you went through was not normal, but the way your mind and body have reacted is. After a frightening or overwhelming event, the brain…
2. The Survival Brain Takes Over — When we sense danger, a fast alarm part of the brain takes charge to keep us alive. It floods the body with adrenaline so we can fight,…
3. Why the Memory Gets Stuck — Because the survival brain was in charge, the memory of the event often does not get stored and filed away in the usual, tidy way. Instead…
4. How a Stuck Memory Shows Up — Because the memory is not filed properly, it can push its way back in without warning. This can come as flashbacks, vivid images, or…
5. Which of These Do You Notice? — There is no right or wrong answer here. Tick any that you have noticed since the event. Many people experience several of these.
6. Why This Matters and What Helps — Understanding that these reactions are the survival brain doing its job can take some of the fear out of them. With the right support, the…

Completed on the Formulate platform, your client's answers are saved automatically and shared straight back to you, so you can review them before the next session rather than waiting for a paper copy to come back.

The CBT approach behind it

In common with other CBT methods, ‘Trauma and the Brain’ works by noticing the links between situations, thoughts, feelings, physical sensations and behaviour — and finding practical ways to change unhelpful patterns. The aim is not positive thinking but a clearer, shared understanding of what keeps a difficulty going — and practical, testable ways to change it.

Because it is a CBT tool it stays focused on the here-and-now links between thoughts, feelings, the body and behaviour, and it works best as one part of a wider course of therapy rather than as advice or a diagnosis.

Evidence & sources

This worksheet is grounded in established cognitive behavioural therapy theory and practice. Key sources include:

• Ehlers, A. & Clark, D.M. (2000). A cognitive model of posttraumatic stress disorder. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 38(4), 319-345. doi:10.1016/S0005-7967(99)00123-0
• Brewin, C.R., Dalgleish, T., & Joseph, S. (1996). A dual representation theory of posttraumatic stress disorder. Psychological Review, 103(4), 670-686.