Why healing your nervous system matters
Trauma isn’t just something that happened in the past — it’s something the body remembers. The experiences that overwhelm us, shift our sense of safety, or put us into survival mode don’t disappear just because time passes. Instead, they leave deep imprints in the body: in patterns of tension, in breath that feels guarded, in muscles that never fully relax, and in a nervous system that stays on alert long after the danger has passed.
This is the central insight of Dr. Bessel van der Kolk’s work, The Body Keeps the Score — that traumatic stress literally rewires the brain and body, shaping how we move through the world, how we feel in our bodies, and how safe we feel in relationships and daily life.
Trauma and the Nervous System: Beyond the Thinking Brain
When we encounter a threat — whether a one-off event or chronic stress over time — the body’s nervous system goes into survival mode. Our physiology is designed for this: it quickly mobilises hormones like cortisol and adrenaline, strengthens our muscles, sharpens our senses and gets us ready to fight, flee, or freeze in order to survive.
These responses are adaptive in the moment, but the problem comes when the nervous system never gets the all clear. The threat response gets “stuck,” so the body continues to react as if danger is still present — even when you’re safe. That’s why people with unresolved trauma often experience:
heightened startle responses
difficulty relaxing
chronic tension
emotional dysregulation
disconnection from the body
and reactivity that feels mysterious, automatic, or beyond conscious control.
This isn’t a sign of weakness or failure — it’s simply the nervous system doing its job: protecting you based on past experience. But when the job never ends, it creates chronic stress instead of safety.
The Nervous System Remembers — Even When the Mind Forgets
You might think of trauma like a scar on the nervous system. Even when the conscious mind has “moved on,” the physiology — the body memory — can remain. This means that the body often holds what words can’t reach: the physical sensations, the tension, and the automatic survival responses that were once essential for safety.
That’s why healing trauma can’t just be about thinking or talking our way through it. The nervous system itself needs support and retraining.
Polyvagal Theory: The Science of Safety and States
Modern neuroscience helps us understand how this happens. Polyvagal Theory — developed by Dr. Stephen Porges — explains that the autonomic nervous system doesn’t just have a simple “on/off” switch for stress, but three interconnected states, each with a physiological purpose:
Social Engagement / Calm State — where we feel safe, connected, and regulated
Fight/Flight State — where we mobilise energy to respond to danger
Freeze / Shut-Down State — where the body protects itself by going numb or disconnected
When trauma reshapes these systems, we can get stuck in survival states — even in everyday life situations that aren’t actually threatening. The nervous system misreads context, scanning for danger where there is none, and that’s exhausting.
Why Healing the Nervous System Is Essential
Healing isn’t about erasing memory — it’s about restoring regulation and a sense of safety in the body. When the nervous system can shift out of survival mode and back into rest, repair, and connection, everything changes:
Stress hormones normalise — reducing anxiety, tension, and chronic pain
Breathing becomes easier and fuller
Sleep improves and digestion normalises
Emotions become manageable instead of overwhelming
Your capacity for connection and intimacy opens up
In practice, this shifts living from “survive” mode to “thrive” mode.
How You Support Nervous System Healing
Healing is not linear — and it doesn’t happen by force. It’s about creating safety for the nervous system so it can learn it’s not under threat anymore. Some of the most effective ways to do this include:
✨ Mind–Body Practices
Trauma-informed yoga and movement helps the body release held tension and reconnect with sensation.
Breathwork and meditation activate the parasympathetic nervous system — signalling calm rather than alertness.
✨ Grounding and Awareness
Slow, mindful awareness of your breath, your body, and the present moment interrupts habitual stress loops and brings the nervous system into the “window of tolerance” where healing can happen.
✨ Nature, Rhythm, and Connection
Rhythmic activity — like walking in nature — helps soothe nervous system activation and fosters a sense of groundedness and embodied presence.
✨ Nutrition and Self-Care
Simple things like nourishing foods, hydration, sleep and gentle movement feed the nervous system with safety and sustenance, rather than stress.
A New Relationship with the Body
Healing from trauma doesn’t mean forgetting what happened. It means building a new relationship with your nervous system — one in which safety, ease, and connection become the new baseline.
As Dr van der Kolk beautifully reminds us:
“Trauma is a fact of life. It does not have to be a life sentence.”
With compassion, consistency, and the right support, the body can let go of what it once held. And when it does, new possibilities open: greater peace of mind, freedom in your breath and body, deeper connection with others — and a nervous system that finally feels at home in its own skin.