Trauma and the Brain – NHS Lanarkshire

This animated video was designed to help professionals working with victims of gender-based violence to understand the impacts of trauma on the brain.

This animation illustrates:

  • How someone who has experienced rape or sexual assault might react in a police interview
  • How a professional might respond to a service user if they do not know the effects of trauma
  • How this can affect information and evidence gathering, and attitudes to victims
  • How ‘secondary’ trauma can affect workers
  • The three main parts of the brain and what each part does
  • How the brain responds to danger – the survival instinct
  • How instinctive ‘fight’, ‘flight’ and ‘freeze’ responses protect us
  • Indicators of trauma
  • Trauma-informed techniques for professionals to use, including a demonstration.
Skip to content