A plain-language explainer on why trauma reactions happen, why they are normal responses to abnormal events, and what keeps them going.
Trauma and the Brain
PreviewWhat you went through was not normal, but the way your mind and body have reacted is. After a frightening or overwhelming event, the brain does exactly what it is built to do under threat. The reactions you may be having are not a sign of weakness, and they do not mean you are going mad.
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, flee, or freeze. In that moment there is no time to think things through calmly, so the slower thinking part of the brain steps back. This is helpful in a real emergency, even though it can feel frightening or out of control.
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 it can stay raw and disorganised, almost as if part of you does not know it is over. That is why a trauma memory can feel less like a past event and more like something that could happen again right now.
Because the memory is not filed properly, it can push its way back in without warning. This can come as flashbacks, vivid images, or nightmares, where it feels like you are back there again. Your body may stay on high alert (hyperarousal) - jumpy, tense, watchful, or easily startled. It is very natural to want to push the memory away and avoid anything that reminds you of it.
There is no right or wrong answer here. Tick any that you have noticed since the event. Many people experience several of these.
Common reactions after trauma
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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 stuck memory can be gently processed and filed away properly, so it loses its grip and starts to feel like a part of the past. Take your time with this. If reading it brings up strong feelings, that is okay - pause, ground yourself, and let your therapist know.
If anything here stood out to you, jot it down to share with your therapist
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This is a read-only preview. Sign up to assign it and let clients complete it on any device.
‘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.
Most people work through it in around 10 minutes. It moves through six short steps:
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.
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.
This worksheet is grounded in established cognitive behavioural therapy theory and practice. Key sources include:
Formulate provides educational CBT resources for use with a qualified therapist. They are not a substitute for professional assessment, diagnosis, or crisis care.
If you need urgent help now:
Sign up free and send your client a link. They complete it on any device — you review their responses before the next session.
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A formulation based on Ehlers and Clark's cognitive model of PTSD — mapping the nature of the trauma memory, negative appraisals, sense of current threat, and the maintaining strategies.