You’re eating the nourishing food, taking the right supplements, trying to rest—but your skin is still flaring, your hair's falling out, your cycles feel off, and your energy is all over the place.
If this sounds familiar, it might be time to look deeper. Beneath the surface. Beneath the protocols. Beneath the physical symptoms.
Let’s talk about trauma.
Because trauma doesn’t just live in your memories. It lives in your nervous system, your gut, your hormones, your skin and your immune system. And if your body doesn’t feel safe, it can’t heal.
Here are 5 ways unresolved trauma may be affecting your body—and how you can start supporting your healing, gently and safely.
When we experience trauma—whether it’s a single big event or years of chronic stress—our nervous system goes into survival mode. This is helpful in the moment, but when trauma is unresolved, our body can get stuck there.
You may feel hypervigilant, anxious, jumpy or find it hard to wind down. Or you may feel frozen: low energy, brain fog, disconnected from your body. These are both signs your nervous system is dysregulated.
Long-term fight or flight (or freeze) keeps cortisol high and depletes the very systems you need for healing—like digestion, immunity, and hormone regulation.
Supportive step: Focus on daily regulation. Breathwork, grounding, time in nature and gentle routines help your body begin to feel safe again.
Trauma impacts the vagus nerve—which connects your brain and your gut. When this pathway is affected, everything from stomach acid production to gut motility can slow down.
You might notice:
When the gut isn’t functioning well, it creates a ripple effect. Your skin becomes more reactive. Your hormones can’t clear properly. Inflammation increases.
Supportive step: Practice calm, slow, mindful eating. Chew your food well, eat sitting down, and take 3 deep breaths before your first bite. Start with simple meals that feel grounding and nourishing.
One of the first places I see trauma show up in clinic is the skin. Chronic stress and trauma:
This can look like:
Even when you’re using beautiful products and following all the right steps, your skin might still feel angry. This isn’t your fault. It’s your skin asking for internal safety.
Supportive step: Gentle is key. Book a 1:1 consultation to explore trauma-informed skin support and get help choosing the right calming products for your unique needs.
When your body is constantly preparing for threat (even subconsciously), it’s not prioritising reproduction or hormonal balance.
Cortisol steals from the same pathways your body uses to make hormones like progesterone and DHEA. Over time, this can lead to:
You may feel like you’re doing everything right, but your hormones aren’t shifting. Trauma may be the missing piece.
Supportive step: Support your blood sugar and circadian rhythm. Prioritise protein-rich meals and morning sun exposure to give your hormones the safety signals they need.
This is the most tender piece.
When you’ve experienced trauma, your body can start to feel like an unsafe place to be. This might look like:
It’s hard to heal when your body feels like a battleground.
Supportive step: Go slow. Gentle movement, somatic practices, and working with a trauma-aware practitioner can help you rebuild your relationship with your body—without overwhelm.
Trauma isn’t just a mental health issue. It’s a whole-body experience. And it can affect everything from your digestion and hormones to your skin and sleep.
The healing journey is not about fixing what’s broken. It’s about reminding your body that it is safe now. That it can soften. That it can begin to heal.
If this blog resonated with you, I invite you to book a 1:1 consultation. Together, we can explore your symptoms through a trauma-informed lens and create a healing plan that honours your body’s story.
Listen to my in-depth podcast with Hayley on The Skin Series
