Neuroplasticity and growth
Trauma is not destiny. The same neuroplasticity that allowed trauma patterns to form also allows them to be rewired. Humans are remarkably resilient, with an innate capacity not just to recover but sometimes to grow through adversity.
Neuroplasticity
Neuroplasticity is the brain’s ability to change structurally and functionally in response to experience. Importantly, neuroplasticity exists not only in the cortex (thinking brain) but also in subcortical regions involved in stress and trauma responses.
The brain operates on a ‘use it or lose it’ principle:
- Synaptic pruning — Neural connections that are inefficient or infrequently used fade away
- Strengthening — Connections that are frequently used are preserved, strengthened, and made more efficient
Through repeated experiences of safe activation followed by successful return to calm, the nervous system learns it doesn’t need to stay braced. Old stress patterns weaken from disuse while new pathways for healthy regulation strengthen. Over time, this retrains even the subcortical regions where trauma responses originate.
This is why consistency matters more than intensity. Each gentle session that ends in regulation reinforces the new pattern. Over time, the nervous system’s baseline shifts.
Resilience
Resilience is the capacity to recover from difficulties. Some people seem naturally more resilient than others, but resilience can be developed.
Factors that support resilience include:
- Social support and connection
- Meaning-making capacity
- Somatic resources and regulation skills
- Spirituality or connection to something larger
- Prior experiences of overcoming difficulty
Even if you didn’t have these resources initially, they can be developed. Building regulatory capacity through somatic work directly strengthens resilience.
Post-traumatic growth
Psychologists call post-traumatic growth the ‘lesser-known sibling’ of post-traumatic stress disorder. Research on the positive side of trauma and grief has found that most people bounce back to their baseline after traumatic events, and some emerge with new strengths or capacities.
The struggle can catalyse profound personal change. This growth can manifest as greater appreciation for life, deeper relationships, a sense of personal strength, openness to new possibilities, or spiritual deepening.
This doesn’t mean that trauma is desirable. No one would choose trauma. Nonetheless, humans have remarkable capacity to find meaning and grow through even terrible experiences.
As the nervous system heals and regulates, capacity for growth increases. When we are no longer stuck in survival mode, energy becomes available for creativity, connection, and meaning-making.