Why trauma is more than 'in your head'

Trauma is not just about memory or emotion – it’s a full-body response. 

Traumatic stress can be understood as the body remembering something that the mind may be trying to forget. Even after a threat has passed, the body can remain stuck in survival mode. 

Trauma can stem from many different experiences – such as accidents, illness, loss, natural disasters, or exposure to conflict or violence – and the body responds to all of them in ways designed to keep us safe. 

Your body’s survival system 

When we face danger, our nervous system reacts instantly. Heart rate rises, breathing speeds up, and energy is redirected to help us respond. This is the familiar “fight or flight” response. 

But that’s not the whole picture. Humans also respond by freezing or, in some situations, trying to appease the threat – known as the “fawn” response. These reactions happen automatically, shaped by both the situation and our biology. 

Normally, once the danger is over, the body settles back into balance. The effects of trauma linger when it doesn’t – when the body continues to act as if the threat is still present. 

Why some people are more affected 

Trauma is incredibly common – most people will experience a traumatic event at some point. Yet only some go on to develop long-term difficulties like post-traumatic stress or anxiety disorders. 

Biology plays a role here, but not in a fixed way. Genetics may influence how we respond to stress, but they don’t determine our outcome. Our DNA is simply “the hand we’re dealt”. How we respond – and recover – is shaped by many other factors. 

As we age, our bodies can also become more sensitive to stress. Life experiences accumulate, and the body’s stress response systems may take longer to return to baseline – meaning older adults might feel the effects of stress for longer. 

Stress hormones and burnout 

One of the body’s key stress tools is cortisol. It helps us manage challenges after the initial adrenaline rush. In healthy conditions, cortisol rises and falls in a daily rhythm. 

But with ongoing stress or trauma, this system can become unbalanced. Some people experience constantly high cortisol levels, leading to anxiety and poor sleep. Others experience the opposite – low energy, fatigue, and burnout after prolonged low cortisol. 

Either way, the body struggles to reset. 

In older adults, changes to sleep patterns and daily rhythms can further disrupt cortisol balance. This is one reason why stress may feel more physically taxing later in life.