Reconnecting with Your Body After Trauma: Learning to Hear What It’s Saying

For many people who’ve experienced trauma, the body stops feeling like a safe place. Instead of being an ally that communicates hunger, rest, pleasure, or fear, the body can feel overwhelming—or even invisible. One common survival strategy is to disconnect: to numb out, live in the head, and ignore the signals that rise up from inside.

This disconnection is protective in the short term. When overwhelming pain, fear, or violation occurs, shutting down awareness can be the only way to cope. But over time, this disconnection means missing important cues: not realising you’re tired until you collapse, not noticing tension until it becomes pain, or overlooking emotions until they explode.

Healing involves gently learning to hear the body’s language again. It takes patience, kindness, and practice.

Why Trauma Creates Disconnection

• Overwhelm of sensation: Trauma floods the nervous system with sensations (racing heart, shaking, tight chest) that can feel unbearable. The body learns to mute them.

• Safety strategy: Numbing out or dissociating reduces pain in the moment.

• Learned patterns: If no one modelled safe emotional expression or bodily awareness, tuning in may never have been encouraged.

Disconnection is not permanent—it’s an adaptation. And what’s been learned can be unlearned.

When You Can’t Feel Anything at All

For some people, the body feels almost silent. No matter how hard you try to “tune in,” nothing seems to register. This isn’t failure—it’s the nervous system’s way of keeping you safe by turning down the volume on sensation.

If this is your experience, it can help to start with clear, tangible signals before moving toward more subtle awareness. A few gentle ways to spark sensation:

• Pinching the skin lightly: Pinch your arm or thigh between your fingers, noticing the pressure, warmth, or slight sting.

• Using water: A power shower head, or switching between warm and cool water, can give you distinct sensations to focus on.

• Textures and touch: Try holding rough, smooth, soft, or firm objects in your hands and noticing the contrast.

The goal here is not to overwhelm, but to use sharper, external sensations as a bridge. Over time, the body learns it is safe to notice quieter signals like breath, heartbeat, or gentle muscle tension.

Practices for Reconnecting with the Body

These practices are experiments in noticing. Always go at your own pace, and if something feels too much, step back and ground yourself in the present.

1. Body Scan with Curiosity

Bring your attention slowly from head to toe. Notice any areas of tension, warmth, tingling, or numbness. Don’t try to change anything—just name what you notice. Even “I feel nothing here” is valid.

2. Temperature Play

Hold something warm (a cup of tea) or cold (an ice cube wrapped in cloth) and simply notice how your skin responds. This trains attention to physical sensation in a safe, simple way.

3. Grounding Through the Senses

Pick one sense at a time. What can you see, hear, smell, touch, or taste right now? For example, press your feet into the floor and notice the pressure.

4. Gentle Movement

Stretch, do yoga, or take a slow walk. As you move, focus on how each muscle feels. Notice your breath as you shift.

5. Breath Awareness

Instead of changing your breathing, simply observe it. Where do you feel it most—your nose, chest, or belly? Can you feel the rise and fall?

6. Emotion Check-In

Set a timer once or twice a day. When it goes off, pause and ask: “What’s happening in my body right now?” Write down sensations, even if vague: “tight shoulders, heavy stomach, restless legs.”

Moving Toward Safety in the Body

Reconnecting with the body after trauma is not about forcing yourself to relive pain. It’s about slowly rebuilding trust with yourself—learning that sensations don’t have to be overwhelming or dangerous.

If you feel nothing at first, you’re still doing the work. Even numbness is a body signal—it’s your nervous system saying, “This was too much once.” By respecting even that, you are already listening to your body in a new way.

The body is not the enemy. It has always been trying to protect you. With care, patience, and practice, it can once again become a source of wisdom, grounding, and safety.