I have been acutely aware recently of how trauma not only effects the way that you think but has a direct effect on how your body feels and can behave. It can limit your ability to think clearly, can create negative physical symptoms which together make day to day activity extremely difficult.  In this blog I explore how it manifests and what I personally find useful to help re-establish normality and daily function.

Trauma refers to the psychological, emotional, or physical response to an event or series of events that are deeply distressing or disturbing. Trauma isn’t just about the event itself—it’s about how a person experiences and processes that event.

How Trauma Manifests in the Human Body

The human body and brain are deeply interconnected, and trauma can manifest physically, psychologically, and neurologically. Here’s how:

1. Nervous System Dysregulation

• Fight, Flight, Freeze, Fawn responses: Trauma activates the autonomic nervous system, especially the sympathetic (arousal) and parasympathetic (shutdown) systems.
• Individuals may become stuck in these states—hypervigilance (fight/flight) or dissociation/numbness (freeze).

2. Physical Symptoms

• Chronic pain (especially back pain, headaches, stomach issues)
• Fatigue and sleep disturbances
• Muscle tension
• Gastrointestinal problems (linked to the gut-brain axis)
• Autoimmune responses (chronic stress may affect immune regulation)

3. Neurobiological Changes

• The amygdala (fear centre) becomes overactive.
• The hippocampus (memory processing) can shrink, affecting memory and learning.
• The prefrontal cortex (rational thinking) can become less active, reducing emotional regulation and decision-making capacity.

4. Psychological Symptoms

• Anxiety and panic attacks
• Depression
• Flashbacks and intrusive memories
• Emotional numbness or detachment
• Hyperarousal or exaggerated startle response

5. Behavioural Manifestations

• Avoidance of reminders of the trauma
• Substance use as a coping mechanism
• Difficulty forming or maintaining relationships
• Risky or self-destructive behaviours

Trauma and the Body-Mind Connection

The concept of “the body keeps the score”, popularized by Dr. Bessel van der Kolk, emphasizes that trauma is stored not just in memory but in the body itself. This means healing often requires more than talk therapy—it may include somatic (body-based) therapies, mindfulness practices, and trauma-informed physical care.

Healing from trauma is a deeply personal journey, but there are many well-supported approaches that help people process and integrate their experiences. These approaches generally aim to restore a sense of safety, regulation, and connection. Here are a few that I personally find useful for trauma healing:

Somatic Experiencing (SE)

• Focuses on the body’s physical response to trauma rather than the narrative.
• Helps individuals release stored tension and complete the “fight or flight” responses that were interrupted during the traumatic event.

Yoga 

• Uses gentle movement and breath work to increase body awareness and promote nervous system regulation.
• Trauma-sensitive yoga focuses on choice, empowerment, and mindfulness.

Mindfulness and Meditation

• Supports emotional regulation and present-moment awareness.
• Helps break cycles of reactivity and ruminative thinking linked to trauma.

Breathwork

• Conscious breathing techniques can calm the nervous system, reduce anxiety, and bring awareness to bodily sensations.

Solution Focused Hypnotherapy

I find that combining the above I am able to better regulate my stress response and I am able to cope better and function as I would want to. I am also aware that time and rest are equally important to allow the body to re set and process it’s responses to the event. This is something that I personally struggle with ( confession of the therapist)  but realising that I need to be ok to support others is the catalyst for me stopping.

What Healing Often Involves:

Healing from trauma is not about forgetting or erasing the past—it’s about integrating the experience so it no longer controls your present.

Solution Focused Hypnotherapy (SFH) is a gentle, future-oriented therapeutic approach that combines principles of solution-focused brief therapy (SFBT) with clinical hypnosis. It’s especially helpful for people recovering from trauma because it avoids deep re-examination of traumatic events and instead focuses on building resilience, confidence, and emotional regulation.

How SFH Helps with Trauma

1. Reduces Anxiety and Hyperarousal

• Trauma often leaves the nervous system in a state of chronic fight-or-flight.
• Hypnosis induces a deep relaxation response, allowing the parasympathetic nervous system (rest-and-digest) to take over and calm the body and mind.

2. Creates a Safe Inner Space

• Unlike exposure therapies, SFH doesn’t require you to re-live trauma.
• Instead, it focuses on what life could feel like without the burden of past events, which helps the brain begin to create new neural pathways (neuroplasticity).

3. Builds a Positive Future Mindset

• SFH guides clients to imagine and mentally rehearse positive future scenarios (e.g., feeling safe in relationships, sleeping peacefully).
• This visualization reinforces the idea that change is possible and encourages hope and agency.

4. Accesses the Subconscious Mind

• Much of trauma is stored in the subconscious.
• Hypnosis can gently bypass the critical, conscious mind and help the subconscious release limiting beliefs (like “I’m not safe” or “I’m broken”) and adopt more empowering narratives.

5. Improves Sleep and Physical Symptoms

• Trauma disrupts sleep and can cause somatic symptoms.
• Hypnotherapy improves sleep quality and reduces physical tension through deep relaxation techniques.

Ideal For:

• People with developmental or complex trauma who may be overwhelmed by revisiting past events.
• Individuals struggling with anxiety, low mood, PTSD symptoms, insomnia, or chronic stress.
• Those who are motivated to move forward but feel stuck in negative cycles.

Final Thought:

Solution Focused Hypnotherapy doesn’t “erase” trauma, but it helps you regain control, access internal resources, and create a mental and emotional environment where healing can flourish—without needing to relive pain. I personally find that when used in conjunction with somatic and breathwork the disabling symptoms can gently start to diminish. Above all else you must allow time for your system to rest and re calibrate after a traumatic event. Be kind to yourself.

If you are struggling then please do get in touch for a chat to see if I can support you.