Healing from the Effects of a Traumatic Event

Written by Julia Christensen, MS, AMFT

After experiencing a traumatic event, you may be feeling a sense of shock, sadness, fear,
and/or helplessness. Confusing emotions and physical responses following the event may make you wonder, “What’s wrong with me?” “Why do I feel like this?” or “When will I feel normal again?”

Rest assured: you are not alone, and there is nothing wrong with you for feeling these things. In fact, experiencing distress after a traumatic event is often a sign that your body is working exactly the way it should. Increased emotional and physical distress are common after being in an extremely unsafe situation, and this distress can look different for everyone. Some common responses to trauma include¹:

• • Intense and unpredictable emotions, such as anxiety, moodiness, irritability, grief,
    sadness, guilt, and anger.

• • Feeling numb, withdrawn, avoidant, and/or detached from reality and usual social activities.

• • Vivid memories, flashbacks, nightmares, and/or not being able to stop thinking about the
    event. These experiences may include physical reactions, such as elevated heart rate and a sense of fear, and difficulty concentrating.

• • Disruptions to sleep, eating habits, and everyday routines.
  • Sensitivity to environmental factors such as loud noises, or other sensory triggers that
    evoke memories of the event. These triggers may bring up fears that the traumatic event
    will happen again.

• • Physical symptoms such as headaches, nausea, shakiness, and tightness or pain in the chest.

You may be experiencing all, some, or none of these responses after witnessing a traumatic event. It’s important to remember that whatever comes up for you is okay and valid, even if it looks different from how others respond.

The Body’s Response to Trauma
When faced with an intensely stressful or dangerous threat, your body will go into a state of hyperarousal—think fight, flight, or freeze—to protect you.² This may feel like an adrenaline rush pushing you to fight back against the threat or get to safety. It could also look like dissociation, or numbing out, to protect you from pain. These states of feeling agitated or “amped up” or conversely withdrawn or distant are is incredibly important to keep us safe, but it also takes a lot of energy.³

After experiencing a traumatic event, your body may stay in this state of heightened awawreness or hyperarousal for an extended period, leading to responses such as the ones named above, or others like startling easily.² This doesn’t mean there is something wrong with you—this is your nervous system’s attempt to protect you. It takes a lot less energy for your body to stay in a state of hyperarousal after a traumatic event than to relax, only to kick back into high gear the next time a threat is introduced. Even if logically, you know you are now safe and away from the threat, your body might not know this. Your body is doing what it has been programmed to do: keeping you safe by preparing you to respond to further danger and attempting to make sense of what has just happened to you.

Three Principles for Trauma Recovery

How can you signal to your body that you are safe, and experience healing and recovery after such significant stress? Well, you might not need to do anything but let time pass and continue in your daily life and relationships, accepting and allowing any feelings to arise when they do. Research shows that most people are resilient to stressful and even traumatic events, and continuing in their typical routines and relationships is enough to allow the body to return to its own baseline.⁴ Even in this case, or if the reactions you’re experiencing persist over weeks or months, some additional principles may be helpful. These three principles are key: safety, control, and connection.²

Safety & Control
Trauma occurs when you are exposed to an extreme amount of unsafety or harm with little or no control of the situation.³ To heal, regaining a sense of safety and autonomy is essential. Judith Herman, a leading expert of trauma recovery, stated, “The guiding principle of recovery is to restore power and control to the survivor.”² Establishing safety begins by focusing on what you
can control within your body, then extending that control to the environment around you.² Here are some ways to regain control and signal to your body that you are safe:

• • Care for your basic needs. Part of tapping into a sense of control is maintaining your
    regular eating and sleep habits.² Do your best to eat regular and nutritious meals, get enough sleep, and engage in light physical exercise.

• • Be patient with your healing and establish some self-care. Some people may naturally recover from the traumatic event within a few weeks by staying engaged in their typical routines, and may not feel a need to stop or slow down. Others may need some more time and structured care to feel okay again. Both experiences are equally valid. If you find yourself needing to slow down and rest, remember that you don’t need to rush back to work, school, or normal life if you don’t feel ready. Engage in activities that help you feel better when you’re feeling stressed, sad, or overwhelmed.¹ This could look like reading a feel-good book, taking a nap, watching your favorite comfort show, taking a walk, spending time in a place you feel safe, cuddling a loved one or pet, listening to music, etc. Avoid “quick fixes” that may numb how you’re feeling in the moment but can actually be harmful, like using substances, binging media and streaming services, and consuming too much food or alcohol.

• • Remember you are in control of when, how much, and with whom you share your
    experience. You don’t need to share any details about the event with anyone until you feel safe and ready to. If you choose to share with others, maintain a sense of control by stating your intentions and expectations for the conversation. For example, “I’d like to share my experience with you. It would help me if while you listen, you _____. Please don’t _____.”

• • Use deep breathing and grounding exercises to feel safe in your body. Breathing,
    meditation, and comforting touch can work wonders for signaling safety to your body.³

Below are some resources to try when you’re feeling overwhelmed or just want to feel more peace:

• • Box Breathing: Breathe in for 4 counts, hold for 4 counts, breathe out for 4 counts, and hold for 4 counts. Repeat this at least eight times.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bF_1ZiFta-E

• • Safe Space Meditation: There are many great guided meditations online. Here is
    one that may be helpful for feeling safe:
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wgsEKBXMiPI

• • 5-4-3-2-1 Senses Activity: This is a helpful exercise to ground you in the present when you are feeling anxious, uneasy, or overwhelmed. Sit in a comfortable position and begin with box breathing. Look around the room and observe 5 things you can see. Next, find 4 things in the room that you can touch. Feel them with your hands and observe the different textures, temperatures, and sensations of each item. Next, focus your attention on 3 things you can hear, then 2 things you can smell. Lastly, eat or drink something (e.g., a chocolate, a berry, juice, water, etc.) and focus your attention on the taste.

• • PEACE Resource: This brief exercise is helpful for soothing yourself when you notice physical discomfort in your body.⁵
    • • P: Pause what you are doing and briefly identify any signs of unrest in
        your body. (“Does anything feel funny?” “Is there any sort of discomfort
        or tension?”)
    • • E: Embody a movement that feels supportive in your body in this moment.
        In other words, do something that feels good. It may be rocking back and
        forth, hugging yourself, feeling a soft blanket nearby, laying down, etc.
    • • A: Acknowledge the positive effects of the movement. How does it make
        you feel? What feels good about this movement?
    • • C: Concentrate your attention on the positive effects for 15 seconds or
        more.
    • • E: Engage with your environment. When you feel ready, close the exercise
        and move forward with your day.

• Limit re-exposure to the traumatic event. In situations of mass trauma, it is not uncommon for videos, images, or comments related to the event to circulate online. Repeated exposure can increase distress.⁶ You may find it helpful to take a break from the internet and social media, or mute certain keywords or accounts to take care of yourself and give your body some rest.

Connection
Experiencing a traumatic event can feel dehumanizing. Spending time with and confiding in trusted family and friends can restore hope, connection, and stability.² Positive human connection is one of the strongest healing forces after experiencing a traumatic event. Here are some ideas for how to incorporate connection into your recovery:

• • Surround yourself with safe people. After experiencing a traumatic event, you may find yourself not wanting to be alone. Be intentional about spending time with others who make you feel safe and secure.¹ On the other hand, it is also okay to be alone, spending time doing things that help you feel calm and fulfilled.

• • Share your story with people you trust. In your own time and when you feel ready, sharing about the traumatic event, including how it made you feel, with someone you trust can help you process and make sense of the experience.² Remember, you are in control of when, how, and with whom to share. Trauma-informed mental health professionals are available for those who wish to process their experience in a safe space.

• • Use safe physical touch. Gentle and compassionate touch can be naturally comforting and healing for many people. If you feel comfortable, ask to be held or cuddled by a loved one. A hug can go a long way in regulating your body.

• • Participate in a social activity. If you feel up for it, surround yourself with others by engaging in a fun social activity. Some ideas could be going to a group fitness class, participating in a church or community activity, or going to see a light-hearted play or performance. Remember to listen to your body and pace yourself—there’s no need to force yourself to do anything that feels like too much.

By applying the principles of safety, control, and connection, you and your loved ones can begin to engage in activities that bring healing and recovery after experiencing a traumatic event. Remember, you are not alone, and there is nothing wrong with you for feeling the way you do.

If current emotional or physical distress feels too severe or difficult to handle alone, support is available. Don’t hesitate to reach out to a trauma-informed mental health professional in your area for further help, especially if your symptoms haven’t started to improve after about one month, and are interrupting your ability to eat, sleep, function at work or school, or connect with others.. Doing so is an act of courage, and a step in the direction of healing and relief.

References:
1. American Psychological Association. (2025, May 23). How to cope with traumatic stress.
American Psychological Association. https://www.apa.org/topics/trauma/stress

2. Herman, J. L. (2022). Trauma and recovery: The aftermath of violence—from domestic abuse to
political terror (Rev. ed.). Basic Books.

3. van der Kolk, B. (2014). The body keeps the score: Brain, mind, and body in the healing of

4 Vedantam, S. (Host). (2025, August 25). The trauma script [Audio podcast episode]. In Hidden
Brain. Hidden Brain Media.trauma. Penguin Books.

5. Sensorimotor Psychotherapy Institute. (2022). SP PEACE protocol: 5 steps to modulate
activation & build resilience [PDF]. Retrieved from
https://sensorimotorpsychotherapy.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/SP-PEACE-
PROTOCOL-for-Clients.pdf.

6 Abdalla, S. M., Cohen, G. H., Tamrakar, S., Koya, S. F., & Galea, S. (2021). Media exposure
and the risk of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder following a mass traumatic event: An in-
silico experiment. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 12. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2021.674263