Is it really better to forget? Three trauma experts on the Severance effect
Imagine a world where you could compartmentalise your personal life and your professional life – where you could block out any trauma or distractions during the day, and leave the office with no niggling to-do list or workload hangover after hours.
Well, that’s the exact premise of Apple TV’s critically-acclaimed series, Severance, which is back for a much-anticipated second series, after a three-year wait.
Predominantly set within the minimalist office building of Lumon Industries, Severance follows Mark (played by Adam Scott) and his colleagues, and their work in the company’s microdata refinement department. Although not clear what it is they are actually doing, their day-to-day setup involves sorting through data on 80s-like computers.
The question mark over their work isn’t the only sinister element of the series, though. As touched on, in order to work for the company, employees must undergo a surgical procedure referred to as “severance”, which places a chip in their brains and blocks out everything from their personal lives whilst at work – and wipes any memory of their work when they’re on the outside world.
When we see Mark’s interactions on the outside, we can infer that not only do his loved ones regard Lumon Industries in a negative light, he also opted for severance to forget the grief of losing his wife, and the depression he experienced as a result.
For the others, their motives are currently less clear – though we see how destabilising it is for them when they are at work and have no recollection of who they really are. Their attempts to get messages to their external selves or others are immediately thwarted by the company’s security team, and the employees are all but imprisoned at work.
Sci-fi and dystopian elements aside, though, there is something to be said about the desire to compartmentalise and block out painful memories – and our brain’s automatic responses to trauma.
How our brain processes trauma
As Susie Masterson, BACP-registered trauma informed therapist, tells Yahoo UK: "Compartmentalisation, suppression and repression are all common responses to trauma. As with all defence mechanisms, they can be incredibly useful.
"If we were confronted with the full impact of our trauma, we would likely be overwhelmed. At best, our ability to function would be severely compromised. This is an adaptive response to our experiencing of adverse life events."
Psychotherapist Sumeet Grover also notes the long-term impact of this, stating: "During this process, the long-term memory store of the brain, the hippocampus, can fail to encode a cohesive and sequential memory of the event, and the primary goal of brain function becomes to preserve life and help the person keep breathing.
"This is a protective function of the brain because when faced with threat to one’s physical or psychological self, the biological imperative is to act to protect oneself rather than to slowly process everything and make meaning of it in those circumstances."
There is a danger that an over-reliance on defence mechanisms can result in them becoming maladaptive, though.
As Masterson explains: "This usually manifests in an increase of the symptoms we were originally trying to control including: an increase in anxiety and depression, reality distortion, self-destructive behaviours, reduced self-awareness and identity issues."
This is echoed by Rochelle Armstrong, trauma-informed counsellor, who says that unprocessed trauma can manifest through anxiety, depression, emotional disconnection, and even physical health issues.
"Healing usually involves safely and gradually processing those experiences, allowing individuals to reclaim their story without being overwhelmed by it."
So, is ignorance really bliss?
"The idea of completely severing distressing memories may seem appealing, but it neglects how our full emotional spectrum contributes to our personal growth and resilience," Armstrong says. "Our painful experiences, when processed in a healthy way, can foster deeper self-awareness, empathy, and strength."
She continues: "Suppressing emotions indefinitely can create a fractured sense of self and limit authentic connections with others. True healing lies in acknowledging and integrating our past in a way that feels safe and empowering. This integration allows us to move forward without being controlled by our pain.
"I support my clients in honouring their coping mechanisms, while helping them build new, more sustainable ways of managing their emotions. Healing is not about erasing the past but learning how to carry it in a way that fosters strength, resilience, and self-acceptance."
Grover agrees, outlining that "whilst trauma is originally compartmentalised in the brain, if the appropriate biological and emotional responses are not given an expression and outlet within a certain amount of time post-trauma, what is originally experienced by an individual as 'acute traumatic stress' can turn itself into PTSD or CPTSD.
"Because trauma is such a disturbing experience, one can have a natural tendency to never go anywhere near remembering or talking about it. However, to keep it in a compartmentalised state does not help because traumatic memories and experiences are stored as fragments in the brain, all of which can automatically become activated when there are the slightest hints of smells, sounds, sights, touch or situations that remind one of the traumatic event – causing the person to experience ongoing distressing symptoms, such as flashbacks, emotional dysregulation, anxiety, dissociation or hypervigilance.
"The trauma that is not processed keeps replaying itself over and over in a person’s brain, body and nervous system, and each time this happens, it further etches the experiences of fear, fright and powerlessness in the mind of an individual."
She adds: "People may find it difficult to 'face' trauma, therefore, my advice would be to ‘process’ trauma in the comforting presence of a skilled psychotherapist who can guide you through this process."
Masterson also says that the concept of severance is "fundamentally flawed." She explains: "Whilst the show explores questions about the dehumanising effects of cutting workers off from their identities, free will, and life outside the office, I would add that because of the way trauma manifests physiologically and psychologically, it’s simply not feasible that their approach optimises for performance."
Read more about psychology and mental health
The most common mental health conditions – and where to get help (Yahoo Life UK, 4-min read)
Seven signs your child might be struggling with their mental health (Yahoo Life UK, 7-min read)
Why Waitrose’s free coffee scheme isn’t all it seems (Yahoo Life UK, 5-min read)
