The Experience of Psychological Trauma in Scam Victims

Principal Category: Trauma

Authors:
•  Vianey Gonzalez B.Sc(Psych) – Licensed Psychologist Specialty in Crime Victim Trauma Therapy, Neuropsychologist, Certified Deception Professional, Psychology Advisory Panel & Director of the Society of Citizens Against Relationship Scams Inc.
•  Tim McGuinness, Ph.D. – Anthropologist, Scientist, Director of the Society of Citizens Against Relationship Scams Inc.

When a scam victim experiences psychological trauma, several critical areas of the brain are affected, leading to profound and multifaceted impacts on their mental health. The amygdala, often referred to as the brain’s “alarm system,” becomes hyperactive, triggering heightened fear and anxiety responses whenever the victim recalls the scam, resulting in a state of constant hypervigilance. Meanwhile, the hippocampus, responsible for memory and context, is impaired, leading to difficulties in distinguishing between past and present threats, causing victims to relive the trauma as if it is still occurring. Additionally, the prefrontal cortex, which manages decision-making and emotional regulation, is disrupted, making it harder for victims to manage their emotions and think logically, often resulting in impulsive behavior and increased feelings of guilt and self-blame. These neurological changes not only lead to immediate psychological distress but can also cause long-term effects, such as chronic stress and the development of conditions like PTSD, deeply affecting the victim’s ability to recover from the traumatic event. Understanding these neurological effects is crucial for providing effective support and treatment for scam victims.

When a Scam Victim Experiences Psychological Trauma What Does That Actually Mean?

When someone experiences psychological trauma, several areas of the brain are significantly affected. Trauma can result from events such as abuse, accidents, or relationship scams, and the impact on the brain is profound and multifaceted. Here’s a detailed look at the neurology of psychological trauma, particularly in the context of scam victims:

Amygdala: The Brain’s Alarm System

Function: The amygdala is crucial for processing emotions, particularly fear and anxiety. It’s often referred to as the brain’s “alarm system” because it helps detect threats and triggers the body’s fight-or-flight response.

Impact of Trauma: In trauma, the amygdala becomes hyperactive. For scam victims, this means that even thinking about the scam can trigger a fear response, leading to heightened anxiety, panic attacks, or emotional outbursts. The overactive amygdala keeps the individual in a state of hypervigilance, constantly on the lookout for danger, even when none exists.

Hippocampus: Memory and Context

Function: The hippocampus is essential for memory formation and helps contextualize events, linking them to time and place.

Impact of Trauma: Trauma can impair the hippocampus, leading to difficulties in distinguishing between past and present threats. This explains why scam victims might repeatedly relive the trauma as if it’s still happening, leading to flashbacks or intrusive memories. The hippocampus also shrinks in volume in cases of prolonged trauma, which can affect the ability to form new memories and can contribute to dissociation or memory gaps.

Prefrontal Cortex: Decision-Making and Rational Thought

Function: The prefrontal cortex is responsible for higher-order functions, including decision-making, impulse control, and rational thinking.

Impact of Trauma: Trauma can impair the functioning of the prefrontal cortex, leading to difficulties in regulating emotions, making decisions, and maintaining focus. For scam victims, this might manifest as impulsive decisions, difficulty concentrating on tasks, or struggles to manage emotional responses. The impaired prefrontal cortex might also make it challenging for victims to think logically about the scam, which can lead to increased feelings of guilt and self-blame.

Hypothalamus-Pituitary-Adrenal (HPA) Axis: The Stress Response

Function: The HPA axis regulates the body’s stress response by controlling the release of cortisol, the stress hormone.

Impact of Trauma: In response to trauma, the HPA axis can become dysregulated, leading to chronic stress and an overproduction of cortisol. This chronic stress can contribute to physical health problems, such as cardiovascular issues and immune system suppression, in addition to mental health problems like anxiety and depression. For scam victims, the dysregulated HPA axis means they might remain in a prolonged state of stress, even after the scam has been resolved.

Default Mode Network (DMN): Self-Referential Thinking

Function: The DMN is a network of brain regions involved in self-referential thinking and is active when the brain is at rest.

Impact of Trauma: Trauma can lead to overactivity in the DMN, which might cause the individual to become stuck in cycles of rumination and negative self-talk. For scam victims, this might manifest as constant self-blame, where the individual keeps revisiting the trauma, thinking about what they could have done differently, and feeling intense shame and guilt.

Cortisol and the Brain

Function: Cortisol is a hormone released during stress and has various effects on the body and brain.

Impact of Trauma: Prolonged exposure to high cortisol levels, common in trauma, can damage the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex, exacerbating memory problems and emotional dysregulation. In scam victims, this may lead to an inability to recover fully from the emotional impact of the scam, as their brain continues to respond as though the threat is still present.

What Actually is Trauma?

Trauma is a complex response to a distressing or disturbing event that overwhelms an individual’s ability to cope. It is both a psychological and physiological reaction that can have lasting effects on the brain and body.

When someone experiences trauma, the brain’s response begins with the amygdala, the brain’s fear center. The amygdala detects the threat and triggers the “fight or flight” response, releasing stress hormones like adrenaline and cortisol. This response prepares the body to react to the danger by increasing heart rate, blood pressure, and alertness.

Next, the hippocampus, which is responsible for processing memories, is affected. During a traumatic event, high levels of stress hormones can impair the hippocampus’s ability to properly encode and store memories, leading to fragmented or distorted recollections of the event. This can result in intrusive memories or flashbacks that are common in conditions like Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

The prefrontal cortex, which is involved in decision-making, emotional regulation, and rational thinking, is also impacted by trauma. The heightened state of arousal caused by trauma can diminish the functioning of the prefrontal cortex, making it harder for individuals to regulate their emotions, think clearly, or assess situations logically.

In scam victims, this trauma can manifest in a variety of ways, including hypervigilance, avoidance behaviors, and intense feelings of shame or guilt. The brain’s altered functioning after trauma makes it challenging for victims to process their experiences, trust others, or regain a sense of safety and control. The impact of trauma on the brain can persist long after the event, leading to chronic psychological conditions if not properly addressed.

When a Person Experiences Trauma

When a person experiences trauma, their cognitive processes are significantly affected as the brain shifts its focus from regular functioning to survival mode. This shift impacts various cognitive domains, including memory, attention, perception, and reasoning.

Memory Encoding and Retrieval

Hippocampus Dysfunction: The hippocampus, which is crucial for memory formation and retrieval, is highly sensitive to stress hormones like cortisol. During trauma, the hippocampus’s ability to encode memories coherently is impaired. As a result, memories of the traumatic event might be fragmented or disjointed, leading to flashbacks or intrusive memories. This can cause victims to relive the trauma vividly, as the brain struggles to differentiate between past and present.

Attention and Focus

Hypervigilance: Trauma triggers the brain to become hypervigilant, meaning the individual is constantly on alert for potential threats. The amygdala, the brain’s fear center, remains highly active, scanning the environment for danger. This heightened state of arousal can make it difficult for the individual to focus on tasks that are unrelated to the perceived threat, leading to problems with concentration and attention.

Attention Bias: Cognitive processes are also skewed by an attention bias toward threat-related information. The brain may disproportionately focus on any cues that resemble the traumatic event, making it difficult to engage in normal daily activities without being triggered by reminders of the trauma.

Perception of Time

Temporal Distortion: During trauma, the perception of time can become distorted. The intense emotional arousal caused by trauma can make moments seem to last longer or shorter than they actually do. This distortion affects how the traumatic event is processed and stored in memory, further complicating the individual’s ability to recall the event accurately.

Cognitive Appraisal and Reasoning

Impaired Decision-Making: The prefrontal cortex, responsible for higher-order thinking and reasoning, is compromised during traumatic events. This can lead to difficulties in making decisions, planning, or evaluating situations logically. The individual may become more impulsive, act on emotional responses, or struggle to see alternatives to their current situation.

Negative Cognitive Biases: Trauma often results in the development of negative cognitive biases, where the individual begins to interpret neutral or ambiguous situations as threatening. This skewed appraisal can reinforce feelings of helplessness, fear, and anxiety, further entrenching the traumatic response.

Emotional Regulation

Dysregulation: The prefrontal cortex also plays a role in regulating emotions. Trauma disrupts this process, leading to difficulties in managing emotions. Victims might experience intense mood swings, irritability, or emotional numbness. The inability to regulate emotions effectively can contribute to the development of conditions like PTSD, depression, or anxiety.

Dissociation

Detachment from Reality: In some cases, the brain may employ dissociation as a coping mechanism during extreme trauma. Dissociation involves a sense of detachment from one’s thoughts, emotions, or surroundings. This cognitive response can protect the individual from fully experiencing the traumatic event in the moment but can lead to long-term difficulties in processing the trauma.

Overall, trauma profoundly disrupts cognitive processes, affecting how individuals perceive, remember, and respond to their experiences. These cognitive disruptions are central to the psychological aftermath of trauma, influencing the development of trauma-related disorders and the overall mental health of the individual. Understanding these effects is crucial for developing effective therapeutic interventions that address the cognitive impact of trauma.

Why Does Trauma Happen?

The fight-or-flight response is a physiological reaction that occurs in response to a perceived threat, preparing the body to either confront or flee from danger. This response is deeply rooted in our biology and is critical for survival. However, when the fight-or-flight response is repeatedly triggered or when the trauma is overwhelming, it can lead to lasting psychological effects rather than simply helping us react in a moment of crisis.

The Fight-or-Flight Response: How It Happens

The fight-or-flight response is triggered by the amygdala, a part of the brain responsible for detecting threats. When the amygdala perceives danger, it sends distress signals to the hypothalamus, which acts as the command center, coordinating the body’s response.

Sympathetic Nervous System Activation:

• • • The hypothalamus activates the sympathetic nervous system by sending signals through the autonomic nerves to the adrenal glands.
    • The adrenal glands release adrenaline (epinephrine) into the bloodstream.
    • Adrenaline prepares the body for immediate physical action by increasing heart rate, raising blood pressure, and boosting energy supplies.
    • Breathing becomes faster and shallower to supply more oxygen to the muscles.
    • Blood flow is diverted away from non-essential functions like digestion and directed toward the muscles to prepare for physical exertion.
    • Pupils dilate to improve vision, and the body’s pain sensitivity decreases to allow for intense physical activity without distraction.

HPA Axis Activation:

• • • Simultaneously, the hypothalamus releases corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH), which signals the pituitary gland to release adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH).
    • ACTH prompts the adrenal glands to release cortisol, the primary stress hormone.
    • Cortisol helps maintain the fight-or-flight response by increasing glucose in the bloodstream, enhancing the brain’s use of glucose, and curbing non-essential functions that hinder a rapid response.

Turning into Trauma: When the Response Doesn’t Resolve

The fight-or-flight response is meant to be temporary, allowing the individual to survive an immediate threat. However, trauma occurs when this response becomes overwhelming, prolonged, or repeatedly triggered, and the body and mind are unable to return to a state of calm. Here’s how it can lead to trauma:

Prolonged Activation of the Stress Response:

• • If the threat is prolonged or inescapable, the continuous release of stress hormones like cortisol can overwhelm the body’s systems. Chronic high levels of cortisol can damage the hippocampus, which is responsible for forming new memories and regulating emotions. This damage can impair the ability to process the traumatic event, leading to issues with memory and emotional regulation.

Failure to Return to Baseline:

• • After the threat has passed, the parasympathetic nervous system is supposed to take over, calming the body and reducing stress hormone levels. However, in some cases, the body fails to return to a normal state, leading to a condition of hyperarousal, where the individual remains on high alert and anxious even when there is no immediate danger. This state of constant vigilance can contribute to the development of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Re-triggering the Response:

• • Trauma can cause the brain to become hypersensitive to triggers that resemble the original threat, even if they are not dangerous. This reactivation of the fight-or-flight response can cause flashbacks, intrusive thoughts, and intense anxiety, reinforcing the traumatic experience.

Impact on Cognition and Behavior:

• • The ongoing activation of the fight-or-flight response affects cognitive functions such as decision-making, concentration, and memory. The prefrontal cortex, which is involved in reasoning and impulse control, may become less active, making it difficult for the individual to think clearly or make rational decisions.
  • Over time, the individual may develop maladaptive coping mechanisms, such as avoidance, substance abuse, or dissociation, which can further entrench the trauma.

Trauma and the Brain: Lasting Changes

• • Amygdala: In trauma, the amygdala becomes overactive, perceiving threats even in safe environments. This overactivation contributes to hypervigilance and heightened emotional responses.
  • Hippocampus: Trauma can reduce the size and function of the hippocampus, impairing memory and the ability to distinguish between past trauma and present situations.
  • Prefrontal Cortex: Chronic trauma can lead to a decrease in prefrontal cortex activity, reducing the brain’s ability to regulate emotional responses and leading to impulsivity and difficulty in decision-making.

The fight-or-flight response is essential for immediate survival, but when it becomes prolonged or dysregulated, it can lead to trauma. This trauma manifests through lasting changes in the brain’s structure and function, particularly in the amygdala, hippocampus, and prefrontal cortex, leading to difficulties in emotional regulation, memory, and cognitive processing. Understanding these mechanisms is crucial for recognizing and addressing the impact of trauma, particularly in individuals who have experienced repeated or severe threats, such as victims of scams or other forms of psychological manipulation.

Conclusion: The Lasting Impact on Scam Victims

For scam victims, these neurological changes can lead to long-lasting psychological effects. The constant state of hyperarousal, emotional dysregulation, and cognitive impairments can make it difficult for them to recover from the trauma. The interplay between the different brain regions means that trauma is not just a psychological phenomenon but a deeply rooted neurological condition that affects every aspect of a person’s life. Addressing these neurological impacts through therapy, stress management techniques, and possibly medication is crucial for recovery. Understanding the brain’s response to trauma helps in developing targeted interventions that can help scam victims regain their sense of control and well-being.

References:

• Bremner, J. D. (2006). Traumatic stress: effects on the brain. Dialogues in Clinical Neuroscience.
• Van der Kolk, B. A. (2014). The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma. Viking.
• Yehuda, R. (2002). Post-traumatic stress disorder. The New England Journal of Medicine.
• Shalev, A., Liberzon, I., & Marmar, C. (2017). Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. The New England Journal of Medicine.

Statement About Victim Blaming

Some of our articles discuss various aspects of victims. This is both about better understanding victims (the science of victimology) and their behaviors and psychology. This helps us to educate victims/survivors about why these crimes happened and to not blame themselves, better develop recovery programs, and to help victims avoid scams in the future. At times this may sound like blaming the victim, but it does not blame scam victims, we are simply explaining the hows and whys of the experience victims have.

These articles, about the Psychology of Scams or Victim Psychology – meaning that all humans have psychological or cognitive characteristics in common that can either be exploited or work against us – help us all to understand the unique challenges victims face before, during, and after scams, fraud, or cybercrimes. These sometimes talk about some of the vulnerabilities the scammers exploit. Victims rarely have control of them or are even aware of them, until something like a scam happens and then they can learn how their mind works and how to overcome these mechanisms.

Articles like these help victims and others understand these processes and how to help prevent them from being exploited again or to help them recover more easily by understanding their post-scam behaviors. Learn more about the Psychology of Scams at www.ScamPsychology.org

Psychology Disclaimer:

All articles about psychology, neurology, and the human brain on this website are for information & education only

The information provided in these articles is intended for educational and self-help purposes only and should not be construed as a substitute for professional therapy or counseling.

While any self-help techniques outlined herein may be beneficial for scam victims seeking to recover from their experience and move towards recovery, it is important to consult with a qualified mental health professional before initiating any course of action. Each individual’s experience and needs are unique, and what works for one person may not be suitable for another.

Additionally, any approach may not be appropriate for individuals with certain pre-existing mental health conditions or trauma histories. It is advisable to seek guidance from a licensed therapist or counselor who can provide personalized support, guidance, and treatment tailored to your specific needs.

If you are experiencing significant distress or emotional difficulties related to a scam or other traumatic event, please consult your doctor or mental health provider for appropriate care and support.

Also, please read our SCARS Institute Statement About Professional Care for Scam Victims – here

If you are in crisis, feeling desperate, or in despair please call 988 or your local crisis hotline.

SCARS Resources:

• For New Victims of Relationship Scams www.ScamVictimsSupport.org
• Enroll in SCARS Scam Survivor’s School for FREE – visit www.SCARSeducation.org to register – FREE for scam victims/survivors
• Sign up for SCARS professional Support & Recovery Groups, visit support.AgainstScams.org
• Find competent Trauma Counselors or Therapists, visit counseling.AgainstScams.org
• Become a SCARS Member and get free counseling benefits, visit membership.AgainstScams.org
• Report each and every crime, learn how to at reporting.AgainstScams.org
• Learn More about Scams & Scammers at RomanceScamsNOW.com and ScamsNOW.com
• Scammer Photos on ScammerPhotos.com [Not Recommended for Recent Scam Victims]
• SCARS Videos youtube.AgainstScams.org
• Self-Help Books for Scam Victims are at shop.AgainstScams.org
• Donate/Give to SCARS and help us help others at donate.AgainstScams.org

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