Trauma isn’t what happened, but how our body learned to survive

Childhood trauma is often thought of as the events themselves — the moments when care, safety, or connection were missing. But the truth is, trauma is less about the memory of what happened and more about how your body had to respond

to survive.

From an early age, children rely on caregivers for safety. When safety is inconsistent or when overwhelming experiences occur, the nervous system adapts. These adaptations may appear as bracing, freezing, dissociating, or overcompensating. They are survival strategies — intelligent, protective, and necessary at the time.

As adults, these survival strategies can linger in subtle or profound ways:

Our posture reflects our nervous system's habitual patterns

• Tight shoulders, jaw clenching, or chronic tension

• Shallow breathing or difficulty relaxing

• Emotional numbness or sudden emotional flooding

• Hyper-vigilance, perfectionism, or people-pleasing

• Physical symptoms such as headaches, digestive issues, or fatigue

These patterns are not a reflection of weakness or failure. They are the body’s way of keeping you safe, and they carry the wisdom of how your younger self survived challenging circumstances.

Why these patterns persist

Even when the original danger is long gone, the nervous system can remain on high alert. The body remembers what it had to do to protect you. Without conscious support, these patterns can unconsciously shape your relationships, work, and day-to-day experience — often leaving you feeling “stuck” in old survival modes.

How somatic work supports healing

Healing childhood trauma does not require revisiting painful memories in a harmful way. Instead, it involves creating new experiences of safety in the present. Somatic work helps the nervous system learn it no longer needs to brace, freeze, or shut down.

This can include:

• Gentle awareness: noticing how tension or emotional patterns show up in the body

• Nervous system regulation: techniques that help the body release long-held stress

• Guided movement and embodiment: reconnecting with the body in ways that feel safe and empowering

• Emotional integration: allowing feelings that were once suppressed to be felt and processed in a contained, safe way

Over time, this work can help you reclaim a sense of ease, aliveness, and presence that may have felt out of reach for years.

Reflection exercise

Even now, you can begin to listen to your body. Try this simple reflection:

1. Sit quietly and notice any areas of tension or holding.

2. Breathe gently into these areas without forcing change.

3. Imagine your nervous system receiving a message that it is safe to soften and release.

4. Notice any sensations, thoughts, or emotions that arise with curiosity and compassion.

This small practice begins the process of telling your body: it is safe to let go, it is safe to feel, and it is safe to exist fully in the present.

If you’re ready to begin your healing process, I invite you to reach out. Together, we can listen to your body’s messages, gently release old patterns, and open space for more freedom, connection, and ease in your life.