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What Is Trauma? How It Lives in the Body and How Therapy Can Help Heal
What Is Trauma? How It Lives in the Body and How Therapy Can Help Heal
Trauma doesn’t just affect the mind — it lives in the body and nervous system. This article explores how trauma changes the brain, why triggers happen, and how therapies like EMDR, somatic experiencing, and IFS support deep, lasting healing.
What Is Trauma and How Does It Affect the Body?
What Is Trauma and How Does It Affect the Body?
When we think of trauma, we often think of the body — a broken bone, a deep cut, something that needs time and care to heal.
Psychological trauma works in a similar way, but it often hides beneath the surface. It can come from sudden shocks — accidents, witnessing violence, being harmed — or from ongoing stress like neglect or conflict, especially in childhood when the brain is still learning what is safe and what is not.
When this happens, the body, brain and mind carry an invisible wound — one that lingers in thoughts, emotions, and physical reactions. Understanding trauma means seeing how these hidden injuries form, how they stay alive in the body, and how, with the right support, they can be gently healed.
How Trauma Changes the Brain and Nervous System ?
How Trauma Changes the Brain and Nervous System ?
Our brain works on different levels. The lower emotional brain — the amygdala and hypothalamus — handles instinct and survival. The higher brain — the prefrontal cortex, our watchtower — helps us plan, think, and make sense of what we feel.
When Trauma Happens, Two Types of Memory Are Involved
When Trauma Happens, Two Types of Memory Are Involved
• Explicit memory refers to conscious, verbal memories — the who, what, where of an event. These are handled by brain areas like the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex, and are usually easier to describe or retell. Sometimes also called 'narrative' memory.
• Implicit memory is different. It’s nonverbal and unconscious — stored through body sensations, emotional responses, reflexes, and learned patterns. These are shaped by older brain regions like the amygdala and brainstem, and they often persist even when we can’t consciously recall the event.
After trauma, the brain may store vivid emotional or physical reactions (like fear, muscle tension, or avoidance) without an accompanying narrative. That’s why someone may feel anxious, shut down, or triggered — even when they don’t remember or understand why.
Understanding this distinction helps explain why trauma work often focuses on both talking and body-based approaches — because healing isn’t just about the story; it’s also about shifting the body’s felt memory.
This is why triggers matter. A sound, smell, or even a passing thought can spark an implicit memory. The body can react as if the threat is happening now — the heart races, the chest tightens — even when we know we’re safe. From the outside, someone might look frozen, distant, or overwhelmed. In severe moments, the brain can even block parts of memory to protect itself.
This can happen with acute trauma — a sudden event like an accident or assault — or chronic trauma, which builds up over time through repeated stress, neglect, or unsafe relationships. Acute trauma can feel like a shock to the system — intense, clear, often easier to name. Chronic trauma can feel more like a constant undercurrent — harder to spot, but deeply woven into how the body and mind stay on guard.
Why does this happen?
Why does this happen?
Because the lower brain reacts first — it’s fast and wired for survival. The amygdala works like a smoke detector, sensing threat. The hypothalamus organizes the stress response — a swirl of hormones preparing the body to fight, flee, or freeze. The watchtower usually helps us make sense of what’s happening — but when the alarm is too loud, it can get hijacked. This is why trauma reactions can feel so primal and out of our control.
Is there hope?
Is there hope?
Yes. Trauma can feel like a wound that never closes — but decades of research show the brain and body can heal. Many gentle, proven therapies help people process the past, calm survival responses, and reshape how memories live inside us. With the right support, you or your loved one can recover, heal and become resilient.
Body-Based Trauma Therapies (EMDR, Somatic, Yoga)
Body-Based Trauma Therapies (EMDR, Somatic, Yoga)
These approaches work through the nervous system — supporting regulation, safety, and connection from the bottom up.
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing)
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing)
Targets distressing memories using eye movements or bilateral stimulation, helping the brain reprocess trauma and reduce emotional intensity.
Somatic Experiencing
Somatic Experiencing
Focuses on internal body sensations to gently release survival energy held in the nervous system, restoring a sense of safety and control.
Yoga for Trauma
Yoga for Trauma
Uses mindful movement and breathwork to ground the body, calm the mind, and rebuild trust in the body’s signals.
Psychodrama
Psychodrama
Blends movement and role play to express unspoken emotions and reframe old narratives, allowing insight to emerge through action.
IFS, CBT & Parts-Based Trauma Therapy
IFS, CBT & Parts-Based Trauma Therapy
These approaches work with thoughts, beliefs, and internal systems — supporting healing from the top down.
IFS (Internal Family Systems)
IFS (Internal Family Systems)
Explores the “parts” of the self — including protective or wounded inner voices — helping people develop compassion and harmony within.
Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT)
Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT)
Targets stuck thought patterns by exploring how trauma shaped beliefs, making room for new, healthier meaning.
Trauma-Focused CBT (TF-CBT)
Trauma-Focused CBT (TF-CBT)
Combines cognitive behavioural tools with trauma-sensitive approaches — especially effective for children, adolescents, and families.
Narrative Therapy
Narrative Therapy
Helps individuals externalise problems and re-author their life story, drawing out values, strengths, and hope
What Can We Do at Home?
What Can We Do at Home?
Professional help is safest for deep trauma work — but you can support your body and mind with small, steady steps:
Try gentle movement and breathwork — stretches, mindful walking.
A mindful nature walk
Book a calming massage to ease tension.
Join a beginner’s yoga class to reconnect with your body.
When Healing Happens
When Healing Happens
When trauma is worked through, the mind, body, and brain don’t just recover — they can become more resilient and wise. Many people find that what once felt unbearable can, in time, grow into strength, insight, and courage.
Healing doesn’t erase the past — but it changes how we carry it. Often, what we learn through this work helps us face life’s storms with more care — for ourselves and others.
It’s never too late to begin — one gentle step at a time.
Pro Tip:
It might feel helpful to ask someone to “open up” — but unless you’re trained to support that safely, it can do more harm than good. This kind of unpacking is known as debriefing, and it can sometimes trigger distress rather than offer relief.
Even when someone is willing to talk, trauma work should be slow, supported, and carefully paced. The safest healing happens with the right guidance, not just good intentions.
Take Away
Take Away
Trauma changes how the brain and body respond to the world — but with the right support, these patterns can be reshaped.
Not all wounds bleed. Some live in the nervous system, in habits of hypervigilance, shutdown, or self-protection that once helped us survive. Over time, these patterns can shape memory, emotion, and even identity.
But the science is clear: the brain is plastic, the body is wise, and healing is possible.
Whether through body-based therapies like EMDR or somatic work, or through parts-based approaches like IFS or trauma-focused CBT, real change begins with safety, pace, and attunement.
And outside the therapy room, even small daily actions — slow breath, warm connection, mindful rest — help signal to the nervous system: you are safe now.
Healing isn’t about erasing what happened — it’s about helping the brain and body learn a new way to be.
Inspired by the work of
Bessel van der Kolk, Stephen Porges, Peter Levine, Gabor Maté, Janina Fisher, Pat Ogden, and many others who have deepened our understanding of trauma, healing, and the wisdom of the body.
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