When you hear the word “trauma,” your mind might jump to vivid, painful memories. And while that’s part of the story, it’s not the whole picture. Trauma isn’t just an event that happens to you; it’s the way your mind and body respond to that event. It’s the lingering echo of a moment that was too overwhelming to process, an echo that can show up in unexpected ways, in your muscles, your stomach, your sleep patterns, and your energy levels. If you’ve ever felt like your body is at war with itself but couldn’t figure out why, you’re not alone. Understanding how trauma shows up in the body is the first, most compassionate step toward healing the invisible wounds it leaves behind.
How trauma shows up in the body
Trauma doesn’t just live in the body; it profoundly affects your emotional and psychological well-being. It’s crucial to remember that these responses are normal reactions to abnormal events. They are your mind’s attempt to make sense of and survive an overwhelming experience. For many, coping with these intense feelings can lead to other challenges.
To numb the pain or quiet the noise, some people turn to substances. In fact, research shows a strong link between trauma and substance use, as people try to manage their symptoms. Understanding these common reactions is a key part of the healing process, reminding you that you are not broken and that you are not alone in this.
Emotional dysregulation
Emotional dysregulation is a term for experiencing intense emotional swings that feel overwhelming and difficult to manage. After a traumatic event, your internal “thermostat” for emotions may feel out of balance. You might experience sudden bursts of anger that seem to come from nowhere, waves of profound sadness, or constant, humming anxiety. At other times, you might feel completely numb, disconnected from your feelings altogether. This isn’t a character flaw; it’s a sign that your nervous system is struggling to regain its balance.
Triggers and flashbacks
A trigger is any sensory reminder that pulls you back to the traumatic event. It could be a specific sight, sound, smell, or even a feeling in your body that is connected to the trauma. When a trigger is activated, it can lead to a flashback, which is an intensely vivid re-experiencing of the trauma. During a flashback, it can feel like the event is happening all over again, right now. These re-experiencing symptoms are one of the hallmark signs of PTSD and can be incredibly disorienting and frightening.
Dissociation, depersonalization, and derealization
Dissociation is a mental process of disconnecting from your thoughts, feelings, memories, or sense of identity. It’s a defense mechanism your brain uses to protect you from overwhelming psychological pain. The DSM-5 notes that “dissociative disorders are characterized by a disruption of…normal integration of consciousness, memory, identity…” This can manifest in a few ways. Depersonalization is the feeling of being detached from yourself, like you’re watching your life from outside your own body. Derealization is the feeling that the world or people around you aren’t real, as if you’re living in a fog or a dream.
Hyperarousal and sleep disturbances
Hyperarousal means your nervous system is stuck in the “on” position, constantly braced for danger. It’s the root of many of the physical and emotional symptoms of trauma. Symptoms of hyperarousal include:
- Being easily startled or jumpy.
- Feeling constantly on edge, tense, or irritable.
- Having angry outbursts.
- Difficulty concentrating or focusing.
This state of constant alert is also why, as mentioned earlier, sleep becomes so difficult. Your body simply can’t relax enough to get the rest it needs, continuing the cycle of anxiety and fear.
What is trauma?
At its core, trauma is the response to a deeply distressing or disturbing event that overwhelms your ability to cope. It’s not about the event itself but about how your nervous system processes it. What one person experiences as stressful, another might experience as a traumatic event, and that’s okay. There’s no scorecard for pain. Trauma is a deeply personal experience, and your reaction to it is valid, never a sign of weakness. It’s simply your body’s way of trying to protect you from something that felt like too much to handle.
What are the three types of trauma?
Understanding the different types of trauma can help you make sense of your experiences. The duration and nature of traumatic experiences often shape how they influence your mind and body. Generally, trauma is categorized into three main types:
- Acute trauma. This results from a single, distressing event, such as a car accident, a natural disaster, or a physical assault. The impact is sudden and intense.
- Chronic trauma. This occurs when you’re exposed to repeated and prolonged traumatic events, like ongoing domestic violence, long-term illness, or bullying. The stress is sustained over time, keeping your nervous system in a constant state of high alert.
- Complex trauma. This type of trauma often stems from exposure to multiple, varied traumatic events, usually within an interpersonal relationship. It frequently has its roots in childhood, such as experiencing neglect or abuse. The effects of childhood trauma in adults can be layered and deeply impact one’s sense of self and ability to form healthy relationships.
How does trauma manifest in the body?
Have you ever heard the phrase “the body keeps the score”? It means that when you go through something traumatic, the experience doesn’t just disappear if you don’t talk about it. Instead, that unresolved energy can get “stuck” in your body. Your nervous system, designed to protect you, can get locked into a state of high alert, the classic “fight, flight, or freeze” response. When this state becomes your default, it can lead to very real physical symptoms. Your body is still living out the stress of the past, even when the danger is long gone. Recognizing these physical signs is a critical step. If they resonate with you, exploring personalized support can help connect the dots between your mind and body.
Chronic pain
When your body is in a constant state of stress, your muscles remain tense and ready for a threat that never comes. Over time, this sustained muscle tension can lead to chronic pain. You might experience persistent back pain, neck stiffness, or frequent headaches and migraines. Trauma can also heighten your body’s sensitivity to pain, making everything hurt a little more. This isn’t just in your head; the chronic stress response floods your body with inflammatory hormones, which can affect your entire system and how you perceive physical pain.
Chronic fatigue
Living in a state of hypervigilance is exhausting. When your brain and body are constantly scanning for danger, you’re burning through massive amounts of energy. This can lead to a profound sense of chronic fatigue that no amount of sleep seems to fix. It’s more than just feeling tired; it’s a deep, cellular exhaustion. The overproduction of stress hormones like cortisol, meant for short bursts of emergency, disrupts your body’s natural rhythm and depletes your energy reserves, leaving you feeling drained day after day.
Digestive problems
The gut-brain connection is powerful. When your nervous system is stressed, it diverts resources away from functions it deems “non-essential” for immediate survival, and digestion is one of them. This can wreak havoc on your digestive system, leading to issues like Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), chronic stomach cramps, acid reflux, and food sensitivities. Many trauma survivors struggle with digestive problems for years without realizing the root cause is linked to unresolved stress and anxiety held in the body.
Sleep issues
When you’ve experienced trauma, your brain can struggle to feel safe enough to power down. This is why sleep issues are so common. You might find it hard to fall asleep, wake up frequently throughout the night, or experience distressing nightmares and night terrors that pull you right back into the traumatic event. This state of hyperarousal prevents you from getting the deep, restorative sleep your body and brain need to heal, creating a difficult cycle of exhaustion and anxiety.
Biology of trauma
It’s important to understand that trauma isn’t just a psychological wound; it physically changes your brain’s chemistry and structure. When you experience a threat, your brain’s survival system kicks into high gear. The main players in this system are the amygdala (your brain’s smoke detector or fear center), the hippocampus (which helps process and store memories), and the prefrontal cortex (the center for rational thought and decision-making). In a healthy response, these parts work together. But trauma can throw this system out of balance, making the amygdala overactive and weakening the prefrontal cortex’s ability to calm it down. This leaves you in a state of constant reaction rather than a thoughtful response.
Trauma and the brain
When the amygdala becomes overactive, it keeps your body flooded with stress hormones, keeping you in that state of high alert we’ve been talking about. It’s like the smoke detector is always going off, even when there’s no fire. At the same time, trauma can impact the hippocampus, which can make it difficult to properly store memories of the event. This is why traumatic memories can feel fragmented, intrusive, and stuck in the present moment. Meanwhile, the prefrontal cortex, which should step in and say, “Hey, the danger is over, you’re safe now,” has reduced function. This makes it much harder to regulate your emotions, calm yourself down, and make clear, rational decisions.
How to heal trauma in the body
The most important thing to know is that healing is absolutely possible. Your body and brain are capable of rewiring and finding balance again. Healing trauma involves gently reconnecting the mind and body, teaching your nervous system that it is safe in the present moment. People often ask, “What is the best type of therapy for trauma?” The truth is, there isn’t just one.
Effective, evidence-based options are available, and the right path depends on you and your unique experiences. The most effective healing often involves both “top-down” approaches (addressing thoughts and beliefs) and “bottom-up” approaches (addressing the body’s sensations and stored stress). At Red Ribbon Mental Health, we integrate therapies like EMDR and somatic approaches within our telehealth programs to provide this kind of holistic, trauma-informed care.
Cognitive processing therapy
Cognitive processing therapy (CPT) is a specific type of cognitive behavioral therapy designed to help people recover from trauma. CPT focuses on helping you challenge and change the unhelpful beliefs and thoughts that have grown out of the traumatic event. For example, you might hold beliefs like “I am to blame” or “The world is completely unsafe.” This therapy provides a structured way to confront these painful thoughts, evaluate them, and develop a more balanced and healthy perspective. By changing how you think about the trauma, you can reduce its ongoing negative effects on your life.
Somatic experiencing
Somatic experiencing is a body-focused approach to healing trauma. It operates on the principle that trauma gets trapped in the body when the fight, flight, or freeze response is unable to complete. The goal of somatic experiencing is not to relive the traumatic event but to help you become more aware of your bodily sensations safely and gradually. A trained therapist guides you in gently releasing that trapped survival energy from your nervous system. This process, called titration, helps your body move out of that stuck state, restoring its natural ability to self-regulate and find calm.
Frequently asked questions
Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) can have long-lasting effects because they happen while a person’s brain and body are still developing. Constant stress during childhood can disrupt the normal development of the nervous system, leaving a person in a prolonged state of high alert.
This chronic stress response can lead to higher levels of inflammation and an increased risk for health issues later in life, such as heart disease, autoimmune disorders, and depression. Healing often involves learning to regulate this overactive stress response and restore a sense of safety in the body.
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) involves a range of symptoms that persist long after a traumatic event has ended. These symptoms can make you feel like you’re constantly reliving the danger, even when you are safe. They generally fall into four main groups:
• Intrusive memories, such as flashbacks or nightmares.
• Avoiding reminders of the event, including certain people or places.
• Negative changes in thoughts and mood, like feeling numb, guilty, or detached.
• Changes in physical and emotional reactions, such as being easily startled or having difficulty with sleep.
There’s no single reason why one person develops PTSD after a traumatic event, and another doesn’t. It’s a complex mix of factors, including the severity and duration of the trauma, a person’s history of prior stress, and any past childhood trauma.
A person’s individual brain chemistry and the strength of their support system are also key. Having supportive friends and family can be a powerful protective factor. It’s never a sign of weakness if someone develops PTSD; it simply means their system is overwhelmed and struggling to process the experience.
Trauma shows up in the body when the nervous system stays in survival mode after a traumatic event. The body responds by releasing stress hormones, which can lead to physical symptoms like muscle tension, digestive issues, sleep problems, panic attacks, and chronic stress. People who have experienced trauma may also notice physical sensations such as tightness, fatigue, or feeling unsafe in daily life. These reactions are natural responses and reflect how trauma affects physical health, not personal weakness.
Yes, trauma can have lasting effects on both physical health and mental health outcomes. Past trauma, childhood trauma, or adverse childhood experiences can increase the risk of post traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, depression, substance use, and other mental health problems. Chronic stress linked to traumatic stress can also contribute to long-term physical ailments and reduced well-being. Trauma recovery often involves trauma-informed care that helps people regulate emotions, develop coping strategies, and heal both mind and body over time.
Understanding how trauma shows up in the body and why it matters
Living with the aftermath of trauma can feel isolating, but your journey does not have to be a solitary one. The physical and emotional symptoms you experience are real, they are valid, and most importantly, they are treatable. Healing is not about erasing the past but about building a life where the past no longer controls your present. The first steps are often the hardest, but they are powerful. Consider talking to a trusted person, seeking a professional assessment from a trauma-informed therapist, and above all, being patient and compassionate with yourself. For those struggling with both trauma and substance use, dedicated mental health and substance abuse programs can provide the integrated support you deserve.
You don’t have to navigate this alone. Healing is a journey of reclaiming your life, one step at a time. If you’re ready to take that next step, our team at Red Ribbon Mental Health is here to help you find your path forward. Give us a call at (317) 707-9706 or contact us to learn more about our trauma-informed telehealth programs. You are worthy of healing and peace.
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- (August 28, 2025). Mental health links. Florida Department of Health.
