Is it even possible to heal trauma?
To understand if it is possible to heal trauma it is important to first address what is trauma?
Trauma isn’t the ‘thing’ that happened to you but how your nervous system responded to it.
For example: the same event can happen to two different people but the outcome for both can be vastly different.
Siblings that grow up in the same environment with the same parents, yet in their adult years when they talk about different events they will describe them very differently.
How can this be?
The nervous system of each person is different and as an Empath and/or HSP your nervous system is vastly different; it picks up on things that those with a less sensitive system may not even notice.
So in the world of Trauma healing we describe trauma as ‘stored survival stress’; all of your nervous system responses to an environment or event is stored. Think of fight/flight/freeze responses you have experienced throughout your life.
We break traumas down into little ‘t’s’ and big ‘T’s’, but both affect your nervous system and cause what we call a trauma capsule.
What is a trauma capsule?
A trauma capsule is before the event and after the event, envision it like two book endings. One sits before the event happened and one sits at the end, encapsulating the event and protecting you from it.
But over time this encapsulation can start to break down and memories can start to flood through and you may wonder why?
You may think ‘I thought I dealt with that’ or ‘I don’t even know what this is’?
All very normal reactions to when the trauma capsule starts to break down. Why it breaks down in my opinion is it comes at a time that you are safe enough to work through and release the emotional charge of the event.
The nervous system will not allow any healing or release when it doesn’t feel safe; so it protects you in the best way it knows possible.
Sometimes those ways can feel counterproductive; but always protective.
All of us have many trauma capsules within us and as you embark on nervous system healing and your system feels safe enough; one by one they will start to surface for release.
My nervous system healing mentor Irene Lyon describes it like a swimming pool full of beach balls and they are all jammed in together, with not much room to move, which can make healing near impossible.
For a long time in my life I used the statement “it is what it is”, meaning I experienced what I experienced and that is that. However, as I trained as a Counsellor and EFT Tapping Practitioner; I started to see it didn’t have to be “it is what it is”.
My past experiences will always be what they were, but it isn’t a jail term, I can free myself…
From the very beginning of my journey becoming a Certified EFT Practitioner, there was one quote that really resonated with me and still does to this day…
"A memory without the emotional charge is called Wisdom" - Dr Joe Dispenza
What I love about this quote by Dr Joe Dispenza is it describes exactly what healing with EFT Tapping feels like. It doesn’t take away your memories or even what happened to you, but it takes away the emotional charge.
It reduces and releases the emotional charge and the triggers that have kept you in the moment and it running over and over in the background.
Have you ever had a reaction to something that has happened and later thought to yourself, why did I react so intensely to that situation?
The reason is that you aren’t reacting to only what is happening in the current moment, but to all the moments throughout your life that felt similar.
The lens you are looking through affects the experiences of today...
The lens you are looking through can change and it changes through healing stored survival stress aka trauma.
For years, even decades talk therapy has been the gold standard in therapy; but in recent years developments have shown us that trauma is not stored in the brain but in the body.
This taught us that something more than talk therapy was needed and that is where the fourth wave of therapy has flowed through and modalities like EFT Tapping has taken over as the gold standard in therapy.
EFT Tapping is a somatic experience, combining both mind and body and with me as a Practitioner spirit as well.
Staying on the surface aka talk therapy is not enough...
Healing trauma or releasing years of stored survival stress requires us to go deeper, to work with the nervous system in a safe and sustainable way.
We need to make space or capacity within the swimming pool to allow the beach balls aka trauma capsules to start to have room to be able to move or release.
We start to do that by bringing safety to the nervous system, and at first it can feel painfully slow and like you aren’t doing much at all; but the nervous system loves slow and loves safety.
You start to bring safety into your nervous system and into your body through connection; connecting with your body and giving it the signals of safety and that you are listening.
If you can honestly ask yourself right now; when was the last time I listened to my body? The signals are subtle and quiet, so you too need to be quiet and still to hear…
How you can bring safety into your Nervous System...
To bring safety into your nervous system and to give it permission to start to release ‘stored survival stress’ involves connecting to your body and connecting to your environment.
Have you ever been driving somewhere and all of a sudden think ‘how did I get here’ or was that traffic light green’?
That is a prime example of not being connected to your environment; for the most part a lot of us are just going through the motions; not really connected to anything.
I remember when I first started healing my own nervous system and connected to my environment; there were things in my house I hadn’t seen consciously for years.
Then when I was out and about, I also saw things I hadn’t seen and the colours started to be more vibrant.
As you start to connect to your body and to the environment, this sends a signal of safety to your nervous system. As you provide safety to your nervous system it builds capacity, this then makes space for your stored survival stress to move towards the surface.
What this also provides is tools for you to use when you may feel triggered or when things do surface. Connecting to your body and to your environment brings safety during those times as well; which ensures the healing and release instead of tension and holding.
Below I will share with you a tutorial for this exercise which is called Orienting to your environment:
Can you heal trauma by yourself?
I think it is important to address this as whilst doing daily exercises to build capacity in your nervous system is vital and I highly recommend it; I also feel I would be remiss if I didn’t recommend that you work with a Professional Practitioner to support you as you are working on healing and releasing your trauma.
Something that I find comes up a lot with new clients is a fear of going too deep and this is a very valid fear and can happen if you go too deep too quickly.
That is why my motto is “to heal is to feel safe” and this embodies the importance of working with the nervous system and not trying to control it with time and speed.
A Professional Practitioner will have the training and experience to hold a healing container for you, giving you the safety and the foundation that both you and your nervous system needs to heal slowly, sustainably and safely.
I would be honoured to hold that healing container for you.
Is it possible to heal trauma?
To revisit the original question “is it possible to heal trauma?” Yes I believe it is possible but with a caveat, and I am not going to sugarcoat it; it needs to be a commitment that you make to yourself and to your nervous system.
I like to think about my nervous system as a relationship; building trust and safety within the relationship so we can support each other.
Healing trauma is not fast, it takes time and like your healing journey; it can be life long. Now that doesn’t mean you are in the depths of it all the time, but it is something you need to commit to; to doing things differently, to providing space to allow healing to occur.
I trust this has served you and given you a pathway forward to a place of peace and healing.
You Don't Have to Heal Alone
If this article resonated with you, perhaps it has gently shown you that healing trauma isn’t about “getting over it” or becoming someone different.
It’s about creating enough safety within yourself that your nervous system no longer has to carry the weight of the past every single day.
Healing is possible. It doesn’t happen through force or pressure, but through compassion, understanding, and being supported at a pace that feels right for you.
If you’re ready to begin that journey, or simply curious about what support could look like, I’d be honoured to walk alongside you.
Together, we’ll create a safe space where your story can be heard, your nervous system can begin to settle, and healing can unfold one gentle step at a time.
Explore my Holistic Counselling sessions or get in touch if you’d like to learn more.
