The Biology of Trauma: Why Stress Sometimes Won’t Let Go

“Trauma isn’t about what happened. It’s about what didn’t get resolved,” explains Justin Hai, CEO of Rebalance Health and author of the national bestseller, Stress Nation. When something is too much, too fast, or too soon, the body doesn’t finish the stress cycle. Instead, the nervous system stores the experience on a loop — always scanning, always guarding, always preparing.

This is why you might flinch at a tone of voice, freeze in a confrontation, or feel panic in calm situations. “Your cortisol is responding to a memory, not the actual moment.”

Think of it like a smoke detector. Trauma turns the sensitivity up so high that even steam from the shower sets it off. The body is stuck in fight, flight, freeze, or fawn — with cortisol keeping the alarm ringing.

“You can’t think your way out of trauma. You have to regulate your way through it.” That means working at the level of the nervous system:

• Grounding rituals (standing barefoot on the earth, breath work, even holding ice cubes).

• Somatic release tools like shaking, gentle movement, or dance.

• Therapies such as EMDR or tension and trauma release exercises.

• Creating safety through repetition — consistent sleep, meals, and routines.

“Don’t force it to move faster than it can. Healing from trauma isn’t about getting over it. It’s about listening to the body that protected you and slowly letting it exhale.”

And the reminder worth repeating: “You are not broken. You’re just trying to feel safe again.”

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