Healing Trauma: Your Secret Weapon for Resilience and Strength
Let’s get real—trauma doesn’t just mess with your head; it sets up camp in your entire body, affecting your health in ways you might not even realize. It can quietly undermine your resilience and set you up for chronic stress, burnout, and even serious health conditions like autoimmune diseases and cancer.
Trauma and Your Health: The Connection
If life has hit you with more than your fair share of hard knocks, you’re not alone. Research into Adverse Childhood Events (ACEs) shows that the more challenges you faced growing up, the greater the toll on your long-term health. Chronic stress flips your system into “high alert” mode, flooding your body with stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline. Over time, this can wear down your immune system, increase inflammation, and lower your body’s natural ability to repair and heal.
Experts like Dr. Gabor Maté, Dr. Bessel van der Kolk, and Steven Levine have shown that trauma leaves an imprint not just in your memories, but in your muscles, your breathing, and even your gut. If you’ve ever thought, “Why does my neck always ache when I’m stressed?”—this is why.
Signs Your Body Is Holding Trauma
Constant tightness in your shoulders, back, or jaw
Unexplained digestive issues or flare-ups
Trouble sleeping or waking up in a sweat
Waves of anxiety that seem to come out of nowhere
Feeling emotionally drained even when things are going well
Your body isn’t broken—it’s sending you messages.
What Healing Really Involves
Healing trauma isn’t about “pushing through” or forcing yourself to stay positive. It’s about reconnecting with the parts of you that have been locked away for survival’s sake.
This is where somatic-based psychotherapy comes in. Instead of just talking about your feelings, we tune into the physical sensations that arise in your body—because that’s where trauma often hides. It’s about gently working with what your body is holding onto so you can release it without reliving it.
How I Work: Compassionate Inquiry
I’m trained in Compassionate Inquiry, a unique approach developed by Dr. Gabor Maté. When we work together, we pay attention not just to your thoughts but to how your body responds in real-time. Here’s what you can expect:
We’ll explore what your body feels when you recall stress or pain.
We’ll identify and work through the patterns that keep you stuck in survival mode.
You’ll gain tools to notice your triggers and bring yourself back to calm.
Sessions are grounded, not overwhelming. We start with simple grounding exercises and stay present with what’s happening in your body in the moment—not the past you’ve been reliving.
The Psychedelic Conversation
Psychedelics—like psilocybin and MDMA—are showing promising results in helping people access and process deep-seated trauma. These substances can quiet the “inner critic” and create a safe space for reflection and healing. But psychedelics aren’t a quick fix. The real change happens during the integration phase—where you work through insights and bring them into your daily life.
You don’t need psychedelics to begin healing, though. True healing starts with learning to listen to your body and developing trust in the process.
Starting Small: Tools You Can Try Today
Body Scans – Spend a few minutes noticing sensations in your body—tightness, warmth, tension—without judgment.
Grounding Exercises – Feel your feet against the floor and take slow, deep breaths to anchor yourself.
Breathwork – Practice extending your exhale to signal to your nervous system that you’re safe.
Journaling – Write down physical sensations you notice during the day to build awareness of how your body reacts to stress.
These simple practices can help you reconnect with your body and build resilience.
A New Perspective on Your Body’s Messages
“What if your body isn’t betraying you but asking for your attention?”
Your suffering isn’t a weakness—it’s a survival mechanism that kept you going. But you don’t have to stay stuck in survival mode.
Let’s Take This Journey Together
If you’re tired of just managing symptoms and are ready to address what’s underneath, I’m here to help. My work is informed not only by research but by my own journey and lived experience. Let’s connect for a free 30-minute discovery call to see if we’re the right fit and map out a path toward healing and resilience