What is Trauma?
What is trauma?
How does trauma SHOW UP?
A few years ago, no one was talking about trauma… it was almost a dirty word.
But now… trauma healing is becoming a recognized need for many of us around the world.
With the world in the state that it is, we need all the healing we can get right now!
“Trauma is when a past experience of threat (that is over), is living and breathing in us now. It may affect us physically, emotionally, and relationally. Trauma is not a past event or relationship… It’s how we are affected by it.”
Unresolved trauma decontextualizes in ways that can be hard to spot and make sense of.
This can leave us feeling like something is wrong, unable to heal, and with a sense of shame.
‘Why am I like this?’
‘What’s wrong with me?’
These are the questions we often ask ourselves when there is trauma at play.
How Does Trauma Show Up?
Healing trauma is a complex process. It starts with acknowledging trauma as an origin.
What Are the Signs of Unresolved Trauma?
Emotional: anxiety, depression, emotional outbursts, numbness, or difficulty regulating feelings.
Physical: chronic pain, headaches, fatigue, digestive issues, or unexplained medical symptoms.
Relational: conflict, avoidance, attachment difficulties, hypervigilance, or codependency.
Behavioral: dissociation, perfectionism, overworking, substance use, or self-sabotage.
Recognizing these signs of unresolved trauma is the first step toward recovery. Many people ask, Do we ever really recover from trauma? — a question that reveals how deeply trauma can shape our lives.
How to Begin Healing Trauma?
Some of the areas we can explore on our healing journey include:
Repairing The Nervous System
Am I experiencing safety or danger? Is my experience a product of the present or the past?
We need to learn what our survival responses are, how to switch them off, and cultivate the capacity for our more difficult experiences
Developing nervous system regulation is essential for trauma healing. By learning how to shift from survival states (fight, flight, freeze) into safety and calm, we can restore balance, reduce chronic stress, and build greater emotional resilience. Practices like grounding techniques, breathwork, and somatic therapy help us feel safe in our own bodies again.
Identifying core emotions and beliefs
Every manifestation of self comes from a driving emotion and belief about ourselves. When we understand what is at play in our dysfunction, we can start to reparent ourselves and create a new internal foundation.
Many people living with unresolved trauma carry limiting beliefs such as “I’m not enough” or “I’m unsafe.” By uncovering these hidden narratives, we can replace them with healthier, empowering beliefs. This inner work creates a strong foundation for long-term trauma recovery and emotional healing.
Reintegrating the fragmented self
When it comes to trauma, parts of ourselves that did not have a safe place to express, become triggered in the present. Learning about these parts of us and inviting them to tell their stories and be cared for, is an essential part of integration.
This process of inner child healing and reintegration helps us reclaim the parts of ourselves that were silenced or suppressed. By welcoming these fragmented parts back with compassion, we restore wholeness, self-acceptance, and emotional balance.
Somatic Exploration
Often the mind and the body have lost touch with each other. The body is hiding and protecting the stories and emotions that we couldn’t bear to process. Creating safety in the body to explore and allow these stories to emerge and repair the mind-body split brings us wholly to the present.
Through somatic trauma therapy, we reconnect with the body’s wisdom. Movements, breath, and gentle awareness practices allow hidden trauma to surface safely. This body-based healing complements traditional talk therapy, making it one of the most effective trauma recovery approaches.
Relational Restructuring
Our trauma shows up in relationships when we engage in our trauma. We will never be truly connected, responsive, and harmonious with others until we learn how to respond to our trauma… and hold space for each other. Learning to identify and restructure our relating patterns is key to recovering and creating a more joyful dynamic with ourselves, with others, and the world at large.
One area where this is especially important is intimacy. Many people struggle with trust, boundaries, and vulnerability in love and dating after trauma.
Healing trauma in relationships requires building secure attachment patterns and learning healthy boundaries. By practicing conscious communication and nonviolent conflict resolution, we create safer, more supportive relationships that foster trust, intimacy, and belonging.
Are you ready to explore how trauma?
Are you ready to explore how trauma may be showing up inside you and around you?
Take one of our online courses, or book to see one of our trauma-informed practitioners.
Ready to be Trauma-informed?
Investing in your trauma healing journey can lead to greater self-awareness, improved mental health, and more fulfilling relationships. Whether you begin with a trauma-informed course or one-on-one support, the path to healing starts with the first step.
FAQs
Q: What is the definition of trauma?
A: Trauma is a response to an experience that was overwhelming, threatening, or unsafe, which continues to affect your body and mind long after the event has passed.
Q: How can I tell if I have unresolved trauma?
A: Common signs include emotional outbursts, anxiety, dissociation, difficulty in relationships, and chronic physical symptoms.
Q: How does trauma affect the nervous system?
A: Trauma can cause the nervous system to stay in a state of hyperarousal or shutdown, leading to chronic stress, fatigue, and disconnection.
Q: Why do traumatic memories show up physically?
A: Trauma is stored in the body, and unresolved stress often manifests as chronic pain, muscle tension, or digestive issues.
Q: What daily habits help somatic healing from trauma?
A: Gentle movement, breathwork, mindfulness, and grounding practices support nervous system regulation and emotional release.
Q: How to reparent yourself after trauma?
A: Reparenting involves identifying unmet childhood needs and learning to meet them as an adult with compassion and consistency.
Q: Can trauma cause hypervigilance in relationships?
A: Yes, unresolved trauma can make us overly alert to perceived threats, leading to mistrust, conflict, and difficulty feeling safe with others.