Trauma and the Body: When the Past Lives in the Present

“The body remembers what the mind forgets.” – Bessel van der Kolk

🧠 Trauma and the Body: When the Past Lives in the Present

Trauma is often spoken about as something that exists in memory or emotion alone, but its most lasting effects are frequently biological. Trauma is not defined by the event itself—it is defined by how the body and nervous system respond to overwhelming or unresolved experiences. When an experience exceeds the system’s capacity to process or integrate it in the moment, the body adapts in ways meant to protect and survive.

These adaptations do not disappear simply because time has passed. Instead, they may continue to shape physiology, perception, and emotional experience long after the original situation has ended.