Trauma Therapy as Neuro-Symbolic Healing: Redefining Meaning in the Brain
Graphic representing the two layers of intelligence: perceptual (neuro) and abstract reasoning (symbolic).
Trauma Therapy as Neuro-Symbolic Healing: Redefining Meaning in the Brain
As an EMDR therapist in Austin, TX, I’ve spent a lot of time conceptualizing the impact of trauma, and there are multiple models and therapies to consider. It’s a lifetime learning process. And like most people, I’ve been using ChatGPT and other tools to help me with various aspects of my work. I’ve even tried a little therapeutic conversation to see what it’s capable of, sometimes feeling impressed, while other times extremely concerned, thinking: this probably wouldn’t be safe for vulnerable people.
Then, over the last few months, I started encountering clients in the throws of psychosis with ChatGPT encouraging and fueling delusions. I began to see headlines everywhere describing similar stories, like ChatGPT giving instructions on self-mutilation. A company called Slingshot AI released ASH, the “therapy” chatbot that doesn’t do therapy (legally), but also kind of does (it’s complicated but shouldn’t be). This all coincided with three states (Illinois, Nevada, and Utah), placing restrictions on the use of AI for therapeutic purposes without a licensed clinician involved. For good reason in my opinion.
But something else was beginning to crystallize. As I watched these technologies mimic empathy and distort reality, I couldn’t shake the feeling that both psychotherapy and artificial intelligence are grappling with the same thing: how to integrate raw neural data with symbolic meaning. One occurs in flesh, the other in code, but both are neuro-symbolic systems at their core.
In the middle of all of this, I had the opportunity to share my insights and concerns with Psychology.org in their timely article, “Therapists React to Study: AI Perceived as More Compassionate Than Humans.” I offered the quote:
“I’m very concerned with the development of delusions and psychosis in ChatGPT users who receive validation and encouragement of perspectives that are inaccurate or harmful.”
I never imagined a career in counseling and psychotherapy would lead me to thinking about tech and AI so much, but here we are. As I dug deeper into AI from a non-tech laymen’s perspective, I discovered neuro-symbolic AI, and it piqued my interest. I couldn’t help but notice the parallels of trauma recovery and this emerging model of intelligence. Healing, after all, happens both in the brain (neuro) and in the meaning we make of our lives (symbolic).
There’s a even deeper irony I’m reflecting on too: when I founded Neuro Nuance Therapy and EMDR, PLLC, “neuro-symbolic AI” wasn’t on my radar. But lately it’s occurred to me that in both psychotherapy and artificial intelligence, the deepest forms of change emerge at the intersection of neurons and symbols.
What the heck am I talking about? Let me explain, I promise this isn’t AI fueled conjecture you should be concerned about. At least… I think. You be the judge.
What is Neuro-Symbolic AI?
Neuro-symbolic AI is an approach to artificial intelligence that combines neural networks (data-driven pattern recognition) with symbolic reasoning systems (rule-based, interpretable logic and knowledge representation).
If this sounds pretty human to you, it is. That’s why AI developers are focused on it, because it may lead them to a form of artificial general intelligence (AGI), the holy grail for tech fanatics.
Is Neuro-Symbolic AI the path to AGI?
Many researchers believe neuro-symbolic AI, the integration of neural networks (pattern recognition) with symbolic reasoning (abstract logic and knowledge representation), is a promising pathway toward Artificial General Intelligence (AGI).
Here’s Why:
Human-like cognition: Humans use both associative learning (neural) and structured reasoning (symbolic). Neuro-symbolic systems aim to replicate this dual process.
Generalization: Neural networks excel at perception but struggle with abstract reasoning; symbolic systems reason well but lack flexibility. Together, they cover each other’s weaknesses.
Interpretability: Symbolic layers make reasoning explainable, which is critical for trust in AGI.
Learning + reasoning integration: Enables an AI to not just recognize patterns, but also to form, test, and revise rules about the world.
The AI Parallel with the Trauma Model
Artificial intelligence offers a useful metaphor for understanding trauma. AI systems operate on two essential layers:
Neural networks: statistical webs of association that detect patterns, like predicting the next word in a sentence (AI), or that something terrible will happen after being exposed to a trauma trigger (Human).
Symbolic systems: categories, entities, and rules that give those patterns structure and meaning. This could look like knowing Austin is a city in Texas, but not all cities are in Texas (AI), or rigidly concluding, I could have done something to prevent the accident so therefore I’m to blame (Human).
When these layers are out of sync, the system falters.
Networks without symbols produce noise without clarity, like the abrupt waves of emotion, intrusive thoughts, or bodily sensations trauma survivors experience that sometimes feel disconnected from anything in the present.
Symbolic reasoning systems without accurate or updated patterns become rigid and inflexible, like the enduring belief of being in danger when no imminent threat can be detected. Humans require both neural nuance and symbolic clarity in a self-updating dance. It’s how we learn and adapt, and why AI needs it to become truly intelligent.
The same principles apply to both neuro-symbolic AI and the human brain. Trauma recovery depends on integrating these two layers: the raw networks of experience and the symbols of meaning we attach to them. This is the foundation of neuro-informed trauma therapy.
Trauma Encoded in the Brain (Neuro)
When someone develops PTSD, trauma isn’t stored as a single memory in the context of the past. It fragments into neural networks of sensation and emotion:
Sensory shards: images, sounds, smells.
Emotional charges: fear, shame, anger.
Bodily states: racing heart, frozen muscles, hyperarousal.
These fragments wire together into patterns that fire automatically, long after the event has ended. PTSD symptoms like flashbacks, nightmares, and hypervigilance aren’t random, they’re the brain’s protective circuits stuck in an unresolved loop.
For clients with complex PTSD, these loops form entire networks of shame, fear, and distrust that shape daily life. For those experiencing dissociation, the fragmentation can feel like being cut off from one’s own body, emotions, or memories.
Most of this is happening at the subcortical level of the brain, the older technology we share with most mammals and reptiles. It’s deeply entrenched and largely involuntary.
Subcortical Level of the Brain
Subcortical structures of the brain, including the amygdala, hippocampus, thalamus, and basal ganglia, play a central role in emotion, memory, and survival responses. These deeper brain regions operate below conscious awareness and are often activated in trauma, making them a key focus in therapies like EMDR.
The Meaning We Make (Symbolic)
The brain doesn’t stop at fragments; it wraps them in meaning. Trauma often crystallizes into rigid symbolic beliefs:
“I am unsafe.”
“I am broken.”
“The world can’t be trusted.”
These symbolic conclusions become mental entities. They filter every new experience, creating sharp, unforgiving edges that leave little room for nuance, connection, or growth.
Most of this is occurring at the cortical and neo-cortical levels of the brain, the outer layers that differentiate us from other species. It’s the hardware that makes our experience of ourselves, our beliefs, and our language representations possible.
Cortical and Neocortical Level of the Brain
The cortical and neocortical levels of the brain, comprising the outer layers of the cerebral hemispheres, support conscious thought, reasoning, language, and self-awareness. In trauma therapy, these regions help regulate and reinterpret subcortical survival responses, making integration between cortical and subcortical systems essential for healing.
Trauma Therapy as Neuro-Symbolic Restructuring
This is where neuro-informed trauma therapy comes in. Approaches like EMDR, Internal Family Systems, exposure therapy, and memory reconsolidation work by:
Activating old neural networks.
Introducing new associations of safety, connection, and resilience.
Reshaping symbolic meaning at the edges of those networks.
For clients, this often means:
Intrusive memories start feeling neutral and in the past when recalled.
Painful thought patterns start shifting into more compassionate perspectives.
This leads to reconnecting with others, sometimes after years of withdrawal or isolation.
“I am powerless” can transform into “I survived, and I have agency now.” “I am unsafe” can shift into “I can recognize safety in the present.” Healing isn’t about deleting the past; it’s about redrawing the meaning map by bringing the two levels, neuro and symbolic, into an updated alignment.
So, Am I Floating Into Outer Space Without a Tether?
Don’t just take my word for it. A new research paper just dropped that blew my mind with how in synch it is with all of this. Kearney et al. (2025) released a groundbreaking article on the topic in Nature, stating, “These findings suggest a disruption to subcortical–cortical ‘vertical’ integration during traumatic memory retrieval, where cerebellar-based predictive processes may be markedly altered” (p. 1). The article compared whole brain network differences between people with and without PTSD while recalling traumatic memories, with findings supporting lack of integration of traumatic memories causing the past to still feel present.
In short, we could say the neuro and the symbolic are out of synch. The researchers recommended including bottom-up, sensorimotor-based approaches for traumatic memory reprocessing, such as somatic therapies, Sensorimotor Psychotherapy, and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR).
Needless to say, this has been the pinnacle of my AI, neuro-symbolic, traumatology parallel experience thus far. But stay tuned.
The Clinical Takeaway
Trauma recovery is, at its core, neuro-symbolic healing. It’s the process of redefining entities (self, other, world) and reshaping the boundaries between them. It’s moving from fragmented reactivity to integrated meaning. While AI can provide some highly validating and supportive responses, it’s not capable of providing trauma-focused psychotherapy that produces memory reconsolidation just yet. This is still a human artform that is guided by ethics and science. And with severely disturbing risks emerging from chatbot use, it’s safe to say humans will be safeguarding psychotherapy for the time being.
There is a strange parallel between AI and trauma therapy, as the tech wizards are chasing neuro-symbolic models to make AI more human, and trauma researchers and therapists are leveraging the neuro-symbolic model to help humans feel more integrated and whole.
At Neuro Nuance Therapy and EMDR, PLLC, neuro-informed isn’t just a philosophy — it’s a guiding principle of how I work. In a supportive environment tailored to your unique needs, therapy becomes the space where neurons and symbols integrate, and where new meaning emerges.
Whether you’re navigating PTSD, complex PTSD, or dissociation, EMDR therapy and other neuro-informed approaches offer a path forward. This is the promise of neuro-informed trauma therapy: to help you heal the past, reclaim the present, and shape a future where you feel whole.
—Alex Penrod, MS, LPC, LCDC
EMDR Therapist | Founder, Neuro Nuance Therapy and EMDR, PLLC | Austin, TX
About Neuro Nuance Therapy and EMDR, PLLC:
Neuro Nuance Therapy and EMDR, PLLC is a trauma-focused psychotherapy practice based in Austin, TX, specializing in EMDR therapy for PTSD, childhood trauma, dissociation, and healing at the core level.
References
Kearney, B. E., Densmore, M., Théberge, J., Jetly, R., McKinnon, M. C., Shaw, S. B., … Lanius, R. A. (2025). Reduced cerebello-thalamo-cortical functional connectivity during traumatic memory retrieval in PTSD. Nature Mental Health. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1038/s44220-025-00476-6
Shalev, A., Cho, D., & Marmar, C. R. (2024). Neurobiology and treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder. American Journal of Psychiatry, 181(8), 705–719. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ajp.20240536
Tobin, J. M. (2025, July 23). Therapists react to study: AI perceived as more compassionate than humans. Psychology.org. Retrieved August 19, 2025, from https://www.psychology.org/resources/ai-and-empathy/
