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When we think about trauma, we often focus on the mind — intrusive thoughts, flashbacks, anxiety, or mood swings. But beneath these experiences lies a physiological foundation: the nervous system. The nervous system is our body’s communication network, constantly scanning the environment for cues of safety or danger. When something traumatic happens, it’s the nervous system that orchestrates our survival — not by logic, but by instinct.
Understanding trauma means understanding how the nervous system responds to threat, how it gets stuck, and what it needs to regulate again. This is the heart of trauma-informed, body-based care.
Polyvagal Theory: A Window Into the Body's Safety System
Developed by Dr. Stephen Porges, Polyvagal Theory helps us understand how the autonomic nervous system is not just a binary of “fight or flight,” but a nuanced ladder of states that respond to safety and danger.
There are three main branches:
Ventral Vagal (Safe & Social)This is the “rest and connect” state. When we're in this state, we feel calm, grounded, connected, and able to engage with others.
Sympathetic (Fight or Flight)This state activates in response to perceived danger. It gives us the energy to run or defend ourselves. We may feel anxious, angry, hyperalert, or panicky here.
Dorsal Vagal (Freeze or Shut Down)This is the “collapse” state. When fight or flight doesn’t work, the body may conserve energy and “numb out.” This can feel like dissociation, depression, or physical heaviness.
These shifts aren’t conscious — they’re automatic, rooted in our survival wiring. Trauma happens when our nervous system gets stuck in one of the danger responses, even after the threat is gone.
Trauma and the Stuck Survival Response
For someone with unresolved trauma, their nervous system might:
Default to hypervigilance, always scanning for danger
Overreact to minor stressors as if they were life-threatening
Struggle to calm down, even in safe environments
Collapse or shut down emotionally and physically in stressful situations
Feel numb or disconnected, as if watching life from the outside
These aren’t character flaws — they’re nervous system patterns. The brain and body are simply trying to protect the person, even when protection is no longer needed.
Why Understanding the Nervous System Matters in Therapy
Many clients come to therapy believing there’s something “wrong” with them. They’re exhausted from cycling through anxiety, depression, or relationship difficulties. But when we reframe these patterns as nervous system responses — not failures — something shifts. The goal becomes regulation, not perfection.
Trauma-informed therapy often includes:
Tracking nervous system states (noticing when you feel safe, activated, or shut down)
Practicing regulation tools that help shift the nervous system gently toward safety (e.g., grounding, breathwork, co-regulation)
Validating survival responses instead of judging them
Building capacity over time to stay in the present, especially when big emotions arise
This is especially important for clients from marginalized backgrounds. BIPOC and LGBTQ+ individuals often live in a state of chronic nervous system activation due to systemic oppression, racism, homophobia, or past trauma. Their bodies are not just reacting to personal experiences but to collective, historical, and ongoing threats to safety and belonging.
Signs of Nervous System Dysregulation
Understanding nervous system dysregulation can help name what often goes unseen. Some signs include:
Difficulty sleeping or resting
Trouble concentrating or “spacing out”
Intense emotional reactivity or emotional numbness
Feeling chronically unsafe or on edge
Digestive issues, headaches, or tension with no medical explanation
Impulsivity or shutdown during conflict
These are not “overreactions.” They are your body’s intelligent — but stuck — attempts to protect you.
The Power of Regulation and Co-Regulation
Regulation doesn’t mean you never feel anxious or shut down. It means you know how to notice what’s happening, respond to your body’s cues, and bring yourself back into a more grounded state. This can look like:
Slowing your breathing
Taking a walk
Naming the sensation in your body
Holding a comforting object
Reaching out to someone safe (co-regulation)
Regulation is not just an individual process — we also need safe relationships to heal. When another person sees you, validates you, and remains calm in your distress, your nervous system can start to learn: I’m not alone. I’m safe now.
Healing Is Nervous System Work
Healing from trauma isn’t just about processing memories — it’s about creating new experiences of safety in the body. It’s about helping the nervous system understand that the threat is over. That it can rest. That it can come home to itself.
When we understand how the nervous system works, we stop blaming ourselves for how we respond to stress — and we start learning how to gently come back into balance.
Nereah Felix is an EMDR-trained therapist at Catharsis Psychology and Psychotherapy.
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