Body

Trauma interrupts and confuses our relationship with our bodies. To connect more directly with our bodies just as they are right now, we can bring more awareness to eating, hunger, and fullness. Soothing or stressful eating Babies eat for comfort as well as nourishment. So do growing children and adults. Eating is a fundamental sensory… Read More

Trauma leads to chronic muscle tension as the body works to manage internal nervous system disruptions as well as external life disruptions. Our eyes are affected directly by muscle tension and indirectly by incomplete trauma responses. Light enters the eye through the pupil and is focused by the lens onto the retina in the back… Read More

Find Calm: A Polyvagal Primer describes the structure of our nervous system according to Stephen Porges’ Polyvagal Theory. This article follows up with practical tools to help the nervous system regulate itself and find rest as it heals from developmental trauma. Our early experiences help our bodies learn about safety, rest, and regulation. When a… Read More

Physical calm can be frustratingly elusive after trauma. We receive messages that we “should” be over it, “just calm down,” or suggestions to try yoga or meditation. When we’re already doing our best to calm an irritated nervous system, it can help to understand the underlying physical mechanisms in our bodies. Stephen Porges has done… Read More

Your nervous system interprets sensations and enables actions. It contains the brain and spinal cord, as well as a branching network of nerves throughout the body. Your nervous system constantly transmits electrical and biochemical signals back and forth between your brain and the rest of your body. Physical irritation is defined as inflammation or pain… Read More

Oregon law allows bicyclists to use a full travel lane while turning left, passing another cyclist, or avoiding hazards such as glass, debris, and suddenly opened car doors. Stickers such as this one publicize the law, because many drivers are unaware of it and behave rudely when they are impatient to pass. Humans are allowed… Read More

When we feel threatened, we hunch protectively around our center. Neck scrunches, shoulders pull in, belly tightens, legs press together. When the threat passes, we relax into a more comfortable posture. If the threat remains active for a long time, or if we stay in emergency mode after trauma, our muscles remain protectively tense, even… Read More

Our legs help us defend ourselves, move around, dance in celebration, and connect to the earth. They make up approximately 30% of our body mass, offering a large space to help us manage emotions. Survival responses Our whole body mobilizes in an emergency, including our legs. They might want to kick as part of a… Read More

Our arms reach out to connect to the world and bend in to defend us from threats. We pull in what we want, and push away what we do not want, physically expressing our boundaries. If our efforts to relate to the world are repeatedly thwarted, we unconsciously inhibit impulses, limit movement, and dissociate from… Read More

Support is an ongoing issue for trauma survivors. Lack of support makes an event more traumatic, and there is often inadequate support afterward as well. Trauma leads to dissociation, separating us from sensing internal and external physical support. Many of us think of our spine as the knobs we feel running up the back of… Read More