Stuck In Time
Trauma and Healing: How the Body Remembers
This week we begin a series of focusing on attachment and trauma, with clips from my Radical Recovery Summit interview with Dr Diane Poole Heller.
Trauma has a way of freezing us in time. Something that happened years ago can feel immediate, as though it is still happening in the present moment. Our nervous system remembers. It holds on to overwhelming experiences, keeping us in a state of vigilance or collapse, long after the actual event has passed.
Dr. Diane Poole Heller describes this as trauma creating different “time zones.” We may be operating in today’s time, but our reactions are heavily influenced by the time when trauma happened. A look, tone of voice, or memory can activate the old imprint. The body responds as if we are still that child, teen, or adult caught in a painful moment.
The good news is that our nervous system is also designed to heal. With the right support, we can release the stuck energy of trauma and recover a deeper sense of safety. Somatic practices, simple ways of paying attention to sensations, breath, and movement, help us to pendulate between stress and resource. This means we learn to visit difficult material gradually, then return to a grounded sense of stability. Over time, our body integrates what happened and we begin to feel more whole.
Healing does not erase the past. Instead, it allows us to reclaim the life force and vitality that were bound up in the trauma. As Diane says, humans are remarkable in our ability to “time travel” in consciousness. We can revisit a wound at the age it was created, and then move forward with new resilience.
This week, take a few minutes to notice how your body signals safety. It might be the warmth of a cup of tea in your hands, the sound of a bird, or the presence of a trusted friend. Each moment of safety reinforces your nervous system’s natural capacity to heal and return to balance.
Reflection questions:
When have you noticed yourself feeling “stuck in time” with a memory?
What helps you return to the present and feel safe again?
Join us in our Sunday free community class this week as we begin several weeks of exploration around building resilient, secure attachment in relationships. Details here.