Part 1 of the serie: Trauma in the body

Sometimes the body reacts before the mind can understand.
A sound, a scent, a gesture — and suddenly something tightens inside us.
Our heart races, breath shortens, stomach clenches.

We know we are safe — and yet, we don’t feel safe.

This is not weakness.
It is memory.

Trauma isn’t only stored in thoughts or emotions.
It lives in the body — in the muscles, in the breath, in the nervous system.

How Trauma Takes Root

When something overwhelming happens, the body shifts instantly into survival.
Adrenaline rises, muscles tense, the heart speeds up — preparing to fight, flee, or freeze.

If the danger ends, the body should relax again.
But when the experience was too intense — or we couldn’t protect or express ourselves — the survival energy gets stuck.

The nervous system remembers what once felt too much
and reacts later as if it’s happening again.

The Body Doesn’t Forget

These stored reactions may appear as:

• tension that never fully releases
• exhaustion or insomnia
• panic that “comes from nowhere”
• numbness or disconnection

Many survivors say, “My body knows something I can’t recall.”
That’s how deeply the body remembers.

Trauma is not a failure of the mind —
it’s a protection of the body.
A way of keeping you safe until you can feel safe again.

Understanding the Nervous System

The body moves between two main states:

• Activation (sympathetic): energy, action, fight or flight.
• Rest (parasympathetic): safety, regulation, calm.

After trauma, this balance often gets disrupted —
we swing between overactivation and shutdown.

Healing isn’t about erasing.
It’s about learning to move between these states again, gently.

A Gentle Practice – Feeling Safe Now

Sit comfortably.
Take a deep breath in — and slowly out.
Let your eyes rest on your surroundings.
Notice five things you can see.
Four things you can touch.
Three sounds you can hear.

You’re not escaping the past.
You’re returning to the present.
You’re telling your body, softly:
“You are safe now.”

Healing Takes Time

The body heals at its own pace.
It opens when it feels safe — not when it’s forced.

Every soft breath, every mindful moment is a beginning.
Healing doesn’t happen through striving.
It happens through safety, presence, and trust.

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Read next in Part 2:
Inside the Nervous System – What Really Happens in the Body.

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