When you’re trapped in a toxic work space, it’s as if your front brain—the part responsible for rational thinking, planning, and strategizing—switches off. In its place, the back brain, designed to respond to danger, takes over, pushing you into survival mode. This shift is a natural response to the trauma of enduring a toxic space, but it also complicates the healing process.
At Toxic Work Spaces, we recognize that healing from a toxic work space is not a straightforward journey. The trauma inflicted by such spaces is meant to be difficult to overcome because it rewires your brain to adapt to life-threatening powerlessness. It’s not because you’re weak, lazy, or mentally ill that healing is slow; it’s because trauma, by its very nature, is designed to protect you in the short term but can hold you back in the long run.
When your brain is exposed to toxicity, in this case at work, our back brain—focused on survival—dominates. It reverts us to habits that prioritize safety and prepares us for the worst. This response is essential for immediate survival, but when it comes to recovery, it becomes a hindrance. To heal, we must re-engage our front brain, the part that’s been switched off by the overwhelming stress and danger.
This is crucial because the front brain is the key to strategizing our way out of the external and internal barriers to recovery. Whether it’s figuring out how to afford therapy, if we can’t, or finding ways to elicit support from others, we need our front brain fully engaged. It’s the part of us that can see both visible and invisible options, learn from trial and error, and persistently stick to a plan despite setbacks.
Healing from trauma, especially the kind inflicted by toxic work spaces, is not easy. It requires a complex brain—a brain that can think critically, assess risks, and remain resilient in the face of adversity. Our back brain, conditioned by the toxicity, may want to retreat into the familiar patterns of freezing and giving up. But to truly heal, we must push through this inertia, reawaken our front brain, and take back control.
At Toxic Work Spaces, we are dedicated to helping professionals understand this process. Through our communities, like ‘Professionals Like Us’ and ‘Girls Like Us,’ we create spaces where individuals can share, heal, and grow. We build awareness and guide them in reconnecting with their front brain, empowering them to strategize their way out of toxicity and towards a healthier, more fulfilling career.
Remember, healing is a journey that requires patience, support, and a re-engagement of the very part of your brain that’s been switched off. But with the right tools and community, it’s a journey you can get on successfully with support.