Understanding Trauma: Why Your Body Keeps the Score

When we experience overwhelming events that our nervous system cannot process in real time, the experience becomes lodged in the body as trauma. This is not metaphor — it is neurobiology. The pioneering work of Dr. Bessel van der Kolk showed that trauma survivors carry their experiences in patterns of muscle tension, altered breathing, disrupted sleep, and hypervigilance that persist long after the dangerous event has passed. The body's stress response — fight, flight, or freeze — is designed for survival. When we encounter a threat, cortisol and adrenaline flood our system, preparing us to respond. In a healthy scenario, once the threat passes, the nervous system resets and returns to baseline. But with trauma, this reset does not happen. The alarm stays on. **Signs your body may be holding trauma:** - Difficulty relaxing, always feeling on edge - Physical tension, especially in the jaw, shoulders, or belly - Sleep disruptions and hypervigilance - Emotional numbness or disconnection from the body - Intense physical reactions to triggers that seem disproportionate **The path forward** Healing from trauma requires more than talking about it — though that is part of the journey. Body-based approaches like EMDR, somatic experiencing, yoga, and even gentle movement have been shown to help the nervous system complete the stress response cycle that was interrupted. At My Haven, our professionals are trained in trauma-informed approaches that honour both the mind and the body. If any of this resonates with you, we encourage you to reach out.