Healing The Nervous System after Trauma
By: Janice Méi
Tags: Healing, Trauma, Spiritual Growth, Recovery, Healing From Trauma

Healing The Nervous System after Trauma

“When you heal trauma, you heal the nervous system. When you heal the nervous system, you heal the emotional body. When you heal the emotional body, you heal the psychic (empathic) body. When you heal the psychic body, you heal vibration. Once the vibration is healed, realities change.” — blksoltheory

When we replay the memory of a traumatic experience, we experience a distinct emotional connection with the event. When we recall these memories in our minds, we either feel our bodies expand or contract. These memories have the ability to either make us smile or cry. We either revel in the joy of a nostalgic moment or the memory makes us feel like we want to crawl out of our skin.

Emotional and psychological trauma can be caused by difficult-to-forget memories. Bad experiences, negative feelings, and painful moments that replay in our minds can sometimes have an irrevocable effect on us. This is how we hold onto trauma.

A very uncomfortable or upsetting encounter is classified as a traumatic event. Those terrible events in our life cannot be changed, and yet if left unhealed, they have the potential to continue causing harm well into the future.

People who have experienced trauma may develop coping methods that they may not even be aware of. Coping methods can look like poor diet, drug and alcohol abuse, self-sabotaging behaviors, toxic relationships, etc. These coping mechanisms essentially mask the wound and provide temporary relief, but they end up causing more fragmentation between your mind, body, and spirit long-term.

Although we cannot change the past, we can learn to create safety in our bodies again. We can learn to regulate our nervous systems so that we do not constantly have to live in a fight-or-flight response.

The Role The Nervous System Plays in Trauma

During periods of stress, the body’s fight or flight response activates. A normally regulated nervous system experiences stress but is able to return to equilibrium after the perceived threat has passed. The period during which you have the ability to self-regulate is called the window of tolerance, and most people move through several of these cycles daily.

One example of a window of tolerance is rushing to get somewhere because you’re running late, but then relaxing once you reach your destination on time. However, the system works very differently when the body experiences higher levels of trauma.

Stress response memory lives in your nervous system. In recent years, trauma researchers and therapists have gained deeper insight into the nervous system’s role in regulating these high amounts of stress. When you go through a traumatic experience, your autonomic nervous system (ANS) is activated.

The sympathetic branch (flight-or-flight) of the Autonomic Nervous System is the component of the nervous system that is responsible for controlling unconscious bodily functions, like breathing. Stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline are generated by your adrenal glands to initiate the fight or flight response. These hormones enable our bodies to quickly mobilize to flee danger.

Trauma arises when this biological mechanism is overloaded, and a person is unable to release and process the stressful experience. By having an outlet to release the build-up of energy, it is possible to avoid a traumatic response. Shaking, crying, and yelling, for example, can help an individual physically process and release the stress response. This is why dogs are always “shaking it off,” this is an example of their ability to move energy.

Contrarily, if a stress reaction is not processed and is suppressed, the energy will stay stored in the tissues of the body. Subsequently, if another stressful event occurs that may not actually pose a serious threat, the original traumatic memory is recalled, as if it is happening again in real-time.

For the individual, his or her stress hormones are then released in high quantities. Blood begins to rush to the extremities, pupils dilate, muscles tense, breath shortens, heartbeat increases, and he or she begins to sweat. As a result, the nervous system reacts as though this actually minor occurrence is life-threatening.

In today’s world, the problem is that many people are facing irregular amounts of stress consistently in their life. Our nervous systems are designed to process a certain threshold of stress, and then it is given the relief it needs within the window of tolerance.

However, when one experiences a hugely traumatic experience or is consistently exposed to minor traumas, it pushes the nervous system outside its normal ability to regulate itself. Some people’s systems become stuck in the “on” position, causing them to become overstimulated and unable to relax. When you stay in this ready-to-react phase, you can experience anxiety, rage, restlessness, panic, and hyperactivity.

Every system in the body is then stressed by this physical condition of hyperarousal. On the other hand, the nervous system can also get locked in the “off” state in some people — resulting in depression, disconnection, exhaustion, and lethargy. People can oscillate between these highs and lows.

PTSD can develop in situations when there is significant and persistent stress, such as ongoing trauma. A soldier returning from war is an example of this. His or her nervous system has been trained to exist in the fight-or-flight response. Because he or she is in a continual state of fear, the soldier may respond to the backfiring of a car as if it were gunshots.

“Trauma is personal. It does not disappear if it is not validated. When it is ignored or invalidated the silent screams continue internally heard only by the one held captive. When someone enters the pain and hears the screams healing can begin.” — Danielle Bernock

How to Heal the Nervous System after Trauma

Unprocessed stress develops as a latent traumatic memory in the body. The stored memory may emerge when triggered by a present-day event. We can hold greater compassion for ourselves when we understand what is going on inside our bodies and minds.

Understanding why our bodies react the way they do leads to self-awareness and empowerment. It frees us from feeling alone, afraid, and helpless. We may let go of the shame we carry by taking care of our bodies and recognizing our self-protective instincts. We may replace inner judgment with kindness when we understand that these physiologic mechanisms are only here to keep us safe. Essentially, our bodies are always trying to protect us from experiencing the same traumas or pain again.

This is a beautiful thing, and we can offer gratitude to our bodies for always wanting the best for us. However, this can become an issue when our systems are constantly perceiving threat, which can cause us to live in fear, worry, and guardedness.

How to Work with the Parasympathetic Nervous System to Heal

Within the umbrella of the Autonomic Nervous System (ANS,) we can heal trauma by deactivating the Sympathetic Nervous System response (fight-or-flight) and begin to introduce and activate the opposing Parasympathetic Nervous System response, known as the rest and digest mechanism.

The Parasympathetic Nervous System conserves energy as it slows the heart rate, increases intestinal and gland activity, and relaxes sphincter muscles in the gastrointestinal tract. Through activating the Parasympathetic Nervous System, you can develop ways to process feelings of stress and anxiety, improve your mood, boost your immune system, and reduce blood pressure.

There are many different techniques that can help you create a regulated, calm, and safe state of being within your body. The goal is to regulate breathing, slow the heartbeat, and circulate blood back to the vital organs.

Methods for Activating the Parasympathetic Nervous System:

Meditation Practice

Listening to calming music / binaural sound therapy

Writing in a journal

Identifying and focusing on a mantra that brings you peace

Yoga, Qi Gong, Tai Chi, and other body meditation practices

Dancing / Shaking the body

Walking and Hiking

Spending time in nature

Breathwork / Deep Breathing

Playing with children and pets

Receiving hugs from a loved one

Lifestyle Changes to Implement For Consistent Nervous System Regulation

For those healing from trauma, prioritizing self-care is the most important practice to help ease tension and start living your life fully. These are some lifestyle tips that can help you do this:

Choose safe connections and relationships in your life. Choose to share your time and energy with those with who you feel safe in their presence. We are social creatures that thrive in connection with others. Both isolation and superficial relationships can actually trigger trauma responses.

Choose to share your time and energy with those with who you feel safe in their presence. We are social creatures that thrive in connection with others. Both isolation and superficial relationships can actually trigger trauma responses. Get comfortable with implementing healthy boundaries. Give yourself the permission to take space and say “No” to the people, places, and things that cause you stress or make you feel unsafe and misunderstood.

Give yourself the permission to take space and say “No” to the people, places, and things that cause you stress or make you feel unsafe and misunderstood. When you feel a trigger response emerging, take time to pause . Become aware of the response that is being activated, ground into the present moment, and focus on mindful breathing. Connecting to your breathing allows you to be in better control of your consciousness, rather than getting lost in automatic panic responses.

. Become aware of the response that is being activated, ground into the present moment, and focus on mindful breathing. Connecting to your breathing allows you to be in better control of your consciousness, rather than getting lost in automatic panic responses. Be open to receiving support. Connect with a trauma-focused therapist or healer who is trauma-informed and can help you recognize the signs of a dysregulated nervous system. A trained professional can guide you to identify what’s calming for you. Remember, it’s perfectly normal to work with different people at different seasons of your life and phases of your journey.

Connect with a trauma-focused therapist or healer who is trauma-informed and can help you recognize the signs of a dysregulated nervous system. A trained professional can guide you to identify what’s calming for you. Remember, it’s perfectly normal to work with different people at different seasons of your life and phases of your journey. Hold compassion for yourself. It takes great courage to face our painful pasts and our deepest fears. Recognize how tremendous it is that you are on a healing journey. Be gentle with yourself as you move through the work. Give yourself many hugs along the way. Recognize how worthy you are of actualizing your highest potential. Catch yourself when you are judging yourself for where you’re at or when you’re comparing your journey to another person. Become aware of the thoughts and feelings you have moment by moment. Make sure that you are creating a sanctuary within your own mind and your body. We are not meant to exist in a battleground.

It takes great courage to face our painful pasts and our deepest fears. Recognize how tremendous it is that you are on a healing journey. Be gentle with yourself as you move through the work. Give yourself many hugs along the way. Recognize how worthy you are of actualizing your highest potential. Catch yourself when you are judging yourself for where you’re at or when you’re comparing your journey to another person. Become aware of the thoughts and feelings you have moment by moment. Make sure that you are creating a sanctuary within your own mind and your body. We are not meant to exist in a battleground. Find your “WHY.” Are you doing this work so that you can attract and sustain more meaningful relationships in your life? Are you doing this work so you can move more fluidly throughout your life without so much worry? Are you doing this work so you can heal and eventually help others to do the same? When we know WHY we are doing something, it gives us the inspiration and the conviction we need to move forward, no matter how difficult it gets. When we have a strong reason for why we do the things we do, we are able to live in the highest alignment of our souls.

“We cannot have a world where everyone is a victim. “I’m this way because my father made me this way. I’m this way because my husband made me this way.” Yes, we are indeed formed by traumas that happen to us. But then you must take charge, you must take over, you are responsible.” ― Camille Paglia

By acknowledging the power trauma plays in your life and identifying which methods bring you healing, you can create a more embodied, joyful life.

A wonderful starting point for activating your Parasympathetic Nervous System is to set aside time and space to meditate and receive the healing transmissions from the “Rest and Relax” meditation available on the Retreat Sounds app.

Start a free 30-day trial of the Retreat Sounds App.

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