Why Healing Your Relationship With Your Body Is the Key to Healing Everything Else | Complex Trauma

The Missing Piece in Trauma Recovery  

Have you ever felt disconnected from your body—like you’re living from the neck up? Maybe you’ve spent years in therapy, analyzing thoughts and emotions, yet still feel stuck. What if the missing link in your healing journey isn’t just your mind but your body?  

Emerging research in complex trauma recovery reveals that trauma doesn’t just live in our memories—it embeds itself in our muscles, nerves, and nervous system. Dissociation, disembodiment, and depersonalization are common survival responses for trauma survivors, leaving them feeling detached from their physical selves.  

But here’s the breakthrough: True healing requires reconnecting with your body.  

When your connection to your body has been harmed, how can you fix it? In the last part of this video on Body Issues coming out of complex trauma, Tim covers some methods you can use to heal that connection and ground yourself within your own body again. Watch the video here

The Body-Brain Connection: Why Your Body Holds the Key to Healing  

For decades, trauma therapy focused primarily on cognitive approaches—changing thoughts, understanding triggers, and rewiring beliefs. While these are essential, they’re only half the battle.

"States of the body modify states of the mind. All psychological processes are influenced by the body."  

This means:  

- Your gut feeling isn’t just a metaphor—it’s a physiological signal.  

- Trauma lives in the body as much as (if not more than) the brain.  

- Healing requires "bottom-up" approaches—working through sensations, movement, and nervous system regulation.  

What Happens When We Disconnect From Our Bodies?  

Many trauma survivors experience:  

- Chronic pain or tension with no medical cause  

- Numbness or shutdown during stress  

- Hypervigilance—always bracing for danger  

- Self-loathing or shame about physical appearance  

These aren’t just "psychological" issues—they’re signs of a body carrying unprocessed trauma.  

Embodiment: What It Really Means (And Why It’s Not Just About Pain)  

Some people fear reconnecting with their bodies because they assume it means drowning in pain or discomfort. But embodiment is much more than that.  

As trauma expert Kathy Moti explains:  

"Somatic awareness isn’t just about identifying distress—it’s about engaging our body’s capacity as a positive resource."  

Embodiment in Action: Practical Examples  

1. Restorative Yoga – Instead of forcing poses, you listen to your body’s limits.  

2. Grounding Techniques – Feeling your feet on the floor when anxiety strikes.  

3. Expressive Movement – Dancing, shaking, or stretching to release trapped energy.  

4. Breathwork – Using diaphragmatic breathing to signal safety to the nervous system.  

These aren’t just "feel-good" exercises—they’re neurological resets that help regulate your limbic system (the brain’s fear centre).  

"But How Do I Start?" – Trauma-Informed Ways to Reconnect With Your Body  

1. Somatic Therapies: Healing From the Bottom Up  

Traditional talk therapy is vital, but body-based therapies like:  

- Somatic Experiencing (SE)  

- EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing)  

- Sensorimotor Psychotherapy  

...help release trapped survival energy stored in the body.  

2. Mindful Movement: Yoga, Tai Chi, and Dance  

Studies show that yoga significantly reduces PTSD symptoms by:  

- Increasing interoception (awareness of internal body signals)  

- Strengthening the vagus nerve (key for calming the nervous system)  

3. The Power of Touch (Safely)  

For many trauma survivors, touch feels threatening. But gradual, consensual touch (like massage or acupuncture) can help rebuild trust in the body.  

4. "What’s My Body Telling Me?" – A Simple Daily Practice  

Try this:  

- Pause 3x a day.  

- Scan your body—where do you feel tension? Warmth? Numbness?  

- Don’t judge it—just notice. 

This builds body literacy, helping you recognize stress before it overwhelms you.  

The Ultimate Goal: Your Body as a Safe Home  

Trauma expert Amber Gray says:  

"We each have a right to inhabit our bodies with safety, self-agency, joy, curiosity, and enlivenment."  

This isn’t just poetic—it’s biological. When you repair your relationship with your body:  

- Triggers feel less overwhelming (because your nervous system isn’t stuck in fight-or-flight)  

- Self-compassion grows (hating your body = hating your survival instincts)  

- You reclaim pleasure (yes, trauma survivors can feel joy in their skin again)  

Your Body Isn’t the Enemy—It’s Your Ally  

Healing from complex trauma isn’t just about "fixing" your thoughts—it’s about coming home to your body.  

Questions to Reflect On:  

- When did you first learn to disconnect from your body?  

- What’s one small way you can practice kindness toward your body today?  

- How might your life change if your body felt like a safe place instead of a battleground?  

Additional Resources to Support Your Journey

You don’t have to navigate this path alone. Explore these resources designed to support and empower you:

- ALIGN Courses: Practical, self-paced, trauma-informed tools to help you navigate recovery with clarity and confidence.

- Article: Read “The Effects of Complex Trauma on the Nervous System” for actionable insights into overcoming trauma’s long-lasting effects.

Healing is a journey of self-discovery and empowerment. You don’t have to walk it alone. Let’s take the first step together