Most people think trauma means a single extreme event that leaves someone broken. In reality, trauma is what happens when an overwhelming experience cannot be fully processed or released.
Animals show us how it works. After a fight or a near-death chase, they shake, cry, or release energy in their natural way – and then return to calm. The event passes, and nothing remains. No trauma.
Humans, on the other hand, are often taught to shut down these natural responses. As children we’re told: Stop crying. Be quiet. Don’t be angry. Be strong. Behave yourself.
Over time we learn to suppress every natural way the body tries to release overwhelming experiences. The result is stored trauma.
This “trauma body” shows up in countless ways: constant stress, racing thoughts, an inability to relax, hyper-vigilance, physical illness, or addictive behaviors used to numb the pain. The more unresolved trauma we carry, the more easily triggered we become, and the more extreme our reactions feel.
Trauma isn’t a mental condition. It lives in the body. Talking or thinking your way out of it doesn’t work, just like a broken leg cannot be healed by talking it through. If it is not treated properly, it heals badly, leaving lasting pain.
Healing trauma means creating safety, stepping out of the mind, and allowing the body to finally release what has been stuck for years. This is how we return to presence, peace, and living fully in the moment.
