How trauma affects the nervous system & how to recover
Learning about how trauma affects us is important. When you are feeling emotionally threatened, what are the thoughts that run through your mind? Are you able to differentiate when you FEEL unsafe versus when you ARE unsafe? When your central nervous system kicks into survival mode do you instinctively shut down, become immobile, or disassociate (freeze)? Do you get into physical or verbal altercations (fight) as a way to preserve yourself? Or do you run away, panic, or shut people out/ isolate (flight)?
Trauma is often stored in the body, which means that even during times we know we are safe, we still might not feel safe. Our somatic experience may not align with our cognitive understanding. Therefore, trauma may cause us to react, out of protection, in ways that may not always serve us.
Below is a video that describes what happens to the autonomic nervous system when a person has experienced trauma and how a dysregulated nervous system can affect well-being. It also explores what can contribute to recovery:
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