Trauma Model

Calming the Body’s Stress Response

Trauma survivors tend to carry a lot of stress in the body. This is because they react to negative triggers in the present as if the triggers are as threatening as the traumatic events of their childhood. These physical changes induce a sense of urgency which escalates negative emotions and activate behavioral responses.

Therefore, it is imperative that survivors learn skills to interrupt these physical stress responses. Mindful relaxation, meditation, yoga, prayer, guided imagery, and exercise are a few of the techniques known to be effective. Just as the body can learn to respond to a negative trigger with a stress response, it can learn to respond to a negative trigger with a relaxation response.