D1 Athletes vs. Trauma Survivors: The Hidden Identity Crisis No One Talks About 🧠
D1 Athletes vs. Trauma Survivors: The Hidden Identity Crisis No One Talks About 🧠
How Trauma Survivors and Athletes Can Overcome Identity Crises with Neuroscience-Backed Tools (9min Read)
TL;DR Summary
Both trauma survivors and athletes experience profound identity crises when they lose the roles they've built their lives around.
This identity loss can trigger feelings of confusion, depression, and purposelessness.
Career Construction Theory, the Future Career Autobiography (FCA), and other tools help both groups rebuild their identity.
Neuroscience shows how trauma rewires the brain, making identity reconstruction essential for healing.
By leveraging these tools, you can start creating a new sense of self, one that aligns with one’s values and future goals.
Who Are You Becoming?
I recently read a research paper about the struggles that many college athletes face when transitioning away from sports and into the real world.
It mainly focused on career development, exploration, and practical interventions tailored to NCAA Division I athletes.
However, mental health and identity crises were also briefly talked about, and this is the part that intrigued me enough to write this blog about it!
The paper focused on D1 athletes, but as a D3 athlete who had to stop playing abruptly after 3 concussions, I for sure experienced an “identity crisis” of sorts myself.
Strangely enough, in my work in the trauma recovery space over the last 3 years working with survivors of abusive relationships & anxious achievers, this concept of an “identity crisis” has stuck around!
In fact, my program is called the “Me 2.0 Program” for this exact reason.
To get what you’ve never had, you’ve gotta do what you’ve never done. You’ve gotta become someone you’ve never been!
When we define ourselves solely by one aspect of life—whether as an athlete or a survivor of trauma—what happens when that identity is suddenly no longer relevant?
Today, I’d like to talk about identities, why they matter, how tools used for D1 athletes could help in the trauma recovery process, and, of course, the neuroscience behind it all!
Let’s dive in.
What Even is an “Identity”?!
At its core, identity is the answer to the question, “Who am I?”
Duh.
But where does it come from? How’d you, become you?
As usual, it all comes back to neuroscience.
If we were to boil it down, your brain does 5 things.
It senses things, perceives things, feels things, thinks things, and does things!
Oversimplified, yes, but a useful frame for understanding where your identity comes from.
We’ll save sensing & perceiving for another blog, let’s zone in on the feeling, thinking, and acting bits for today!
These 3 things happen in a cycle, which you intuitively know.
If you feel tired, you might think, “I need a nap.” So, you get up and go take a nap.
Feeling —> Thought —> Action.
Sometimes feelings come first, other times it’s thoughts, or it could be actions.
The loop is the same no matter which comes first!
I’ve written about how beliefs and the stories we tell ourselves affect these feelings, thoughts, and actions loops before, so I won’t go into it here.
The point is that every day, all day, we’re in these loops.
Here’s the mindblowing part…
95% of your thoughts today are the same as the ones from yesterday…
This means 95% of your feelings are the same daily too.
And if 95% of your feelings and thoughts are the same daily, guess what?
95% of your actions are the same too… Yikes.
As we think, feel, and act in 95% the same way every day, our brains are firing and wiring together neural networks that represent these patterns.
These neural networks help your brain predict your feelings, thoughts, and actions more effectively over time until it’s so good at predicting them that these patterns become, you guessed it, your identity.
By the time you’re 35, your brain has gotten really good at predicting “you” and your identity becomes nearly subconscious to you.
Until this time, your identity is a constantly evolving sense of self, shaped by your experiences, relationships, environment, culture, and more.
Let me be clear though, this doesn’t mean it can’t change after 35, come on, I wouldn’t write about this if you were stuck!
Why Our Brain Needs Identity
Our brain craves identity because it provides stability and predictability.
In a world that is constantly changing, having a strong sense of who we are helps us navigate uncertainty.
Identity provides a framework for decision-making, allowing us to choose actions that align with our values and long-term goals.
From a neuroscience perspective, identity helps the brain reduce cognitive load.
Imagine walking into a room full of strangers without knowing who you are—are you supposed to lead, follow, connect, or stay in the background?
Without a sense of identity, the brain is forced to constantly assess and make decisions from scratch.
Identity acts like a mental shortcut, allowing the brain to operate more efficiently by guiding actions and choices.
The Impact of Identity Loss
That being said, it shouldn’t surprise you that when our identity is threatened or lost, it can cause significant damage to our mental health, for both athletes and trauma survivors.
Research, including findings from Dr. Weinsz's dissertation, shows that identity crises can lead to:
Emotional numbness: With the loss of a defining role, individuals may feel detached from their emotions. One former athlete interviewed in the dissertation described it as "feeling like I was watching my life from the outside."
Disconnection from others: Losing a sense of self can make it difficult to relate to others, as both athletes and survivors often feel that no one else truly understands their experience.
Depression and anxiety: Without a clear direction or purpose, athletes and survivors can experience heightened levels of anxiety about the future. This uncertainty about who they are or what they should do next triggers the brain's fear response, making it difficult to move forward.
Loss of purpose: For athletes, sports provide structure and meaning, while for survivors, surviving abuse gives a twisted but clear focus, safety. Without these, both groups may feel like a ship without a rudder, unable to find direction in the vastness of possibility.
I can’t tell you the number of people who come to me and say, “I don’t know who I am anymore…”
Either after an abusive relationship or after an anxious achiever realizes they’ve thrown themselves into their work so heavily they forget who they are outside of it.
Athletes & Survivors… The Same, but Different
Both athletes and trauma survivors experience profound identity crises, but for different reasons.
Athletes, like finely tuned machines, dedicate their mental and physical energy toward one goal: peak performance.
When this identity is suddenly stripped away—due to injury, graduation, or lack of professional opportunities—their brain, particularly the prefrontal cortex, struggles to adjust, leaving them feeling lost and uncertain about the future.
I know I felt this way!
In her paper, Dr. Melissa also talks about how this hyper-focus on athletics leads to a psychological phenomenon called identity foreclosure—when people commit to one identity without exploring others.
I see this all the time in trauma survivors, they’ve adopted the identity of a survivor & victim without considering other options because they’re stuck in survival mode.
They just don’t have the time or safety to even consider it until after they’ve gotten away from the abuse!
This makes their identity crisis similar yet distinct.
When the trauma ends, their brain remains wired for survival, with the amygdala still on high alert.
Like athletes, trauma survivors’ prefrontal cortex struggles to shift toward future-oriented thinking, leaving them asking, "Who am I if I’m no longer just surviving?"
Both groups face the challenge of rebuilding identity when their defining role suddenly disappears.
So, what can you do about it?!
I’m glad you asked.
Tools for Rebuilding Identity
All hope is not lost, in fact, what we’re about to talk about is what intrigued me most about this research.
While it was applied to athletes in the paper I read, I couldn’t help but connect the dots in what I do in the trauma recovery space.
At the heart of these tools is something I’d never heard of before called, Career Construction Theory (CCT) which provides a structured way to navigate this process of identity rebuilding.
Career Construction Theory (CCT)
At its core, CCT is about seeing life as a story—one that you, as the author, have the power to rewrite.
Considering Mind, Brain, Body Lab LLC used to be called Rewrite & Rise LLC, you can see why this theory got my wheels spinning!
CCT emphasizes that people can actively shape their identity through three key concepts:
Self as Actor: Reconnecting with strengths and talents beyond the previous identity.
Self as Agent: Taking control of decisions and setting future goals.
Self as Author: Rewriting one’s personal narrative to reflect new experiences and future aspirations.
For both athletes and trauma survivors, this process can be immensely empowering.
The Future Career Autobiography (FCA)
One practical tool within CCT is something called the Future Career Autobiography (FCA).
A significant part of Dr. Melissa’s study was dedicated to validating the FCA as a narrative tool to capture how athletes construct their career identities through storytelling.
It does this by asking people to write a story about where they see themselves in the future.
This exercise helps athletes visualize life beyond the field, as it forces them to engage with the unknown, reshaping their identity in the process.
In my work, I created a tool that I call Narrative Goals, in fact, you might remember that at the start of 2024, I wrote an entire blog on this process for you to use for your New Year Resolutions!
I’ve found it to be one of the most impactful tools I use with my trauma recovery clients.
Similar to the FCA, Narrative Goals help trauma survivors by imagining themselves five or ten years in the future—where they are, what they are doing, and who they are surrounded by—they can start to mentally construct a new identity that is no longer dominated by trauma.
This is the first step in the “Me 2.0 Process”!
Career Identity Development Inventory (CIDI)
The Career Identity Development Inventory (CIDI), as explored in Weinsz's research, measures how deeply people are exploring new identities.
This tool helps former athletes assess whether they are taking active steps to build a new sense of self outside of sports.
What a beautiful progress measurement tool!
This is why I measure the biometrics of each of my clients and collect subjective reports from them as well so we can track if trying new hobbies, connecting with new social groups, and doing IFS Parts work is affecting the state of their nervous system!
The more they explore, the more their brain engages in neuroplasticity, creating new neural pathways that support a new identity.
Why These Tools Work
Rebuilding identity is crucial for the brain to function optimally.
Neuroplasticity, the brain's ability to reorganize itself by forming new neural connections, is the key to this process.
By actively engaging in identity exploration through tools like the FCA, Narrative Goals, or seeking new roles and experiences, the brain begins to build new patterns that support a healthier, more resilient self.
For athletes and trauma survivors, this might mean rediscovering forgotten interests, setting new goals, or telling a different story about who they are.
With each small step, the brain lays down new pathways that reinforce a stronger, more integrated identity.
Imagine your brain is a forest. Years of living as an athlete or survivor have carved out a well-worn path through the woods.
But now, it’s time to blaze a new trail.
With each new experience and thought, your brain creates a fresh route, and over time, that new path becomes easier to travel.
Eventually, it becomes the main road, and the old one, though still there, fades into the background.
Next Stop, New Identity!
Our identity is the foundation of how we navigate the world.
It’s a mental blueprint that provides consistency, purpose, and direction.
When we lose our identity, whether through trauma or life transitions like the end of a sports career, it can feel like losing the roadmap to our lives.
By understanding how your brain works and harnessing its ability to adapt, you can actively shape a new identity—one that reflects your true self, not just the roles that have defined you in the past.
Your identity is not fixed. It is something you can actively construct.
It’s never too late to rewrite your story.
You are the author of your life.
Good luck.
And until next time… Live Heroically 🧠
Supporting Research
Weinsz, M. M. (2020). Building a future career autobiography: A mixed methods study of the career construction and exploration processes of NCAA Division I student-athletes (Publication No. 2020-123456) [Doctoral dissertation, University of Florida]. UF Digital Collections.
Savickas, M. L. (2005). The Theory and Practice of Career Construction. In S. D. Brown & R. W. Lent (Eds.), Career development and counseling: Putting theory and research to work (pp. 42–70). John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Herman, J. L. (1992). Trauma and recovery: The aftermath of violence—from domestic abuse to political terror. Basic Books.
McAdams, D. P. (1995). The stories we live by: Personal myths and the making of the self. The Guilford Press.