What Is Trauma Reactivity — and How Do You Address It in Therapy?
Understanding Trauma Reactivity
When a client says, “I know I’m safe now, but my body doesn’t feel safe,” they’re describing trauma reactivity.
This term refers to the automatic, body-based responses that occur when the nervous system perceives danger — even when none exists in the present moment. These reactions can look like:
Emotional flooding or shutdown during conflict
Panic, anger, or numbness when feeling criticized or abandoned
Dissociation, spacing out, or losing time
Urges to control, please, or withdraw to avoid emotional pain
Trauma reactivity isn’t about weakness — it’s the body’s survival response trying to protect you from past pain.
The Science Behind It: Your Nervous System on Alert
Trauma imprints not only in memory but also in the autonomic nervous system. When the body senses a reminder of previous threat (a tone of voice, facial expression, smell, or even silence), it can trigger:
Fight or Flight (Sympathetic): your system mobilizes to defend or escape
Freeze or Fawn (Dorsal / Protective): your system shuts down or appeases
These states bypass logic — which is why reassurance or rationalizing rarely helps in the moment.
Healing requires working directly with the body’s felt sense of safety.
How Therapy Helps Regulate Trauma Reactivity
Effective trauma therapy doesn’t just teach coping skills — it helps the nervous system relearn what safety feels like.
At Awareness Collaborative, I integrate Polyvagal Theory, Internal Family Systems (IFS), and EMDR to help clients gently build tolerance and connection.
1. Mapping Your Triggers and Body Cues
We identify patterns: When does reactivity arise? What sensations signal it’s coming? This awareness transforms automatic reactions into opportunities for choice.
2. Creating Internal Safety
Through grounding, resourcing, and compassionate parts work, clients learn to comfort their activated “younger” parts that carry fear, shame, or grief.
3. Processing the Root Memories
Using EMDR, we safely reprocess traumatic memories so that the body stops reacting as if the past is still happening.
4. Developing Co-Regulation
Relationships can become healing spaces. Couples or family sessions help partners learn how to soothe each other’s nervous systems through attunement, empathy, and boundaries.
Signs You’re Healing
You know trauma reactivity is softening when you:
Pause instead of explode or shut down
Feel emotions without becoming overwhelmed
Set boundaries without guilt
Recover faster after triggers
Feel present in your body and relationships
Healing doesn’t mean you never react — it means you recover with awareness and compassion.
Begin Your Healing Journey
If you recognize these patterns in yourself or your relationship, you don’t have to face them alone.
I offer a free 15-minute consultation to explore how trauma-informed therapy can help you feel grounded, connected, and safe again.