The Psychology of Your 20s

Episode 327: How Trauma Gets Trapped in the Body
Host: Jemma Sbeg
Date: September 2, 2025

Episode Overview

In this episode, host Jemma Sbeg explores the concept of trauma as something not just psychological or emotional, but fundamentally physical—stored in the body and influencing our behaviors, reactions, and health in deep and sometimes invisible ways. Drawing on her own research, personal experiences, and key psychological theories, Jemma unpacks how trauma manifests somatically, the science supporting this understanding, and emerging therapeutic techniques aimed at addressing trauma on both the individual and collective levels. The episode aims to help listeners recognize, validate, and better understand their own responses to trauma, particularly in their 20s.

Key Discussion Points

1. Reframing Trauma: Beyond Stereotypes

[03:00–11:00]

• Expanding Definitions:

  • Trauma isn’t always a “movie-worthy” event. It can include both large, life-threatening experiences (Type 1) and chronic small-scale or repeated harms (Type 2), like workplace harassment, discrimination, or ongoing instability.
  • “You don’t have to have survived a war or a natural disaster to refer to something as trauma. Small moments from the past really shape our sense of safety in invisible ways.” (Jemma, 05:00)

• Subjectivity Matters:

  • Trauma is deeply personal. One person’s traumatic event may not impact another the same way.
  • “Someone can have a broken leg and you can have a broken arm. Just because someone has more pain than you, it doesn’t mean your pain isn’t painful.” (Jemma, 09:35)

• Delayed Onset:

  • Symptoms or realizations of trauma can emerge years after the event, sometimes triggered by new experiences or milestones in adulthood.

2. Trauma in the Body – The Science

[11:00–25:00]

• “The Body Keeps the Score”:

  • The seminal book by Dr. Bessel van der Kolk popularized the idea that trauma is not just a cognitive memory, but is stored in the body and can impact behaviors and health much later on.
  • The book shifted focus from purely cognitive approaches to a holistic view encompassing nervous system, pain, gut reactions, and more.
  • “Your body keeps the score, even when your brain tries to move on.” (Jemma, 08:30)

• Critique and Expansion:

  • While the book is considered groundbreaking, Jemma notes criticism:
    • It can make complex therapies sound DIYable, when really guidance is vital.
    • It often frames trauma as an individual issue without adequate attention to broader systemic causes.
  • She recommends additional reading:
    • Trauma and Recovery by Judith Herman
    • What My Bones Know by Stephanie Foo

3. The Polyvagal Theory Explained

[29:17–37:00]

• Polyvagal Ladder:

  • Introduced by Dr. Stephen Porges, this theory explains how the vagus nerve mediates our stress responses.
  • States:
    • Ventral Vagal (Base): Regulated, calm and present.
    • Sympathetic: Fight/flight, arousal, tension.
    • Dorsal Vagal (Top): Shutdown, numbness, helplessness.
  • Trauma can dysregulate people, making them stuck in arousal (hypervigilance) or shutdown (numbness).
    “Think of it like a door getting unlocked — once your brain knows what complete overwhelm feels like, it never forgets.” (Jemma, 31:40)

• Why Does Trauma Become Physical?:

  • Stress responses get stuck; the message to return to calm never arrives.
  • Physical symptoms arise: chronic pain, fatigue, digestive issues, tension, anxiety.
  • “The vagus nerve is the key player — trapping experiences deep in our nerves and cells.” (Jemma, 34:20)

• Connection to Chronic Pain:

  • Studies show high rates of PTSD in people with unexplained chronic pain.
    • “In a sample of those experiencing chronic pain, up to 80% had a history of trauma.” (Jemma, 38:25)

4. Barriers to Recognition and Healing

[41:00–44:00]

• The Mind-Body Dualism Myth:
  • Historic medical models separated mind and body, leading to dismissal of emotional origins for physical symptoms.
  • New neuroscience evidence (fMRI studies) shows clear overlap between emotional and physical pain processing.
• Shame as an Obstacle:
  • Shame keeps people silent about trauma and their symptoms.
    • “Shame is like a plague on society—keeps so many people miserable and hurt when they don’t have to be.” (Jemma, 44:20)

5. Healing: Individual, Collective, and Somatic Approaches

[44:00–61:00]

• You Can’t Just “DIY” Healing:

  • Many therapy techniques require expert guidance, not just reading about them.

• Evidence-Based Therapies:

  • EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing):
    • Developed by Francine Shapiro. Uses eye-movement/bilateral stimulation to help the brain “move” stuck traumatic memories from the amygdala (fear) to the hippocampus (“past event”).
    • “It’s not hypnosis. The memory doesn’t disappear, but the charge is neutralized.” (Jemma, 47:35)
  • Somatic Experiencing:
    • Developed by Dr. Peter Levine. Uses “titration” to release trauma from the body gradually.
    • “It’s like slowly releasing the pressure from a locked valve tiny bits at a time…so it doesn’t all flood out.” (Jemma, 53:30)

• Body-Based Practices:

  • Yoga: Shown in studies to significantly reduce PTSD symptoms, anxiety, and pain.
  • Running/Strength Training: For some, intense movement brings back a sense of power and control.
    • “When I run, I feel so strong. I feel so capable. A lot of the rage I’ve been carrying releases itself.” (Jemma, 56:38)
  • Breathwork: Builds self-trust, helps regulate the nervous system.
    • “Whatever practice you find that allows you to realize your mind and body are in unison…will help you.” (Jemma, 60:24)

• Collective and Community Healing:

  • Western therapies often focus on the individual, but collective approaches — support groups, culturally-informed circles — need to be more available and better researched.
    • “It’s very unfair…we are kind of forced to heal from it individually.” (Jemma, 52:16)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “You don’t have to have survived a war or a natural disaster to refer to something as trauma. Small moments from the past really shape our sense of safety in invisible ways.”
  — Jemma, [05:00]

• “Think of it like a door getting unlocked — once your brain knows what complete overwhelm feels like, it never forgets.”
  — Jemma, [31:40]

• “In a sample of those experiencing chronic pain, up to 80% had a history of trauma.”
  — Jemma, [38:25]

• “Shame is like a plague on society—keeps so many people miserable and hurt when they don’t have to be.”
  — Jemma, [44:20]

• “It’s not hypnosis. The memory doesn’t disappear, but the charge is neutralized.”
  — Jemma on EMDR, [47:35]

• “When I run, I feel so strong. I feel so capable. A lot of the rage I’ve been carrying releases itself.”
  — Jemma, [56:38]

Key Timestamps

• 03:00 — Defining trauma; types and misconceptions
• 08:30 — “Your body keeps the score” and the mind-body link
• 29:17 — Polyvagal theory and its ladder of nervous system states
• 34:20 — How chronic dysregulation leads to physical symptoms
• 38:25 — Study: Chronic pain and PTSD linkage
• 41:00 — Why medicine dismissed trauma as a root cause
• 44:20 — The role of shame and barriers to seeking help
• 47:35 — EMDR explained
• 53:30 — Somatic experiencing and titration
• 56:38 — Personal reflections on movement, running, and healing
• 60:24 — Integrative practices and the importance of uniting body/mind in trauma work

Resources & Further Reading

• Books:
  • The Body Keeps the Score — Bessel van der Kolk
  • Trauma and Recovery — Judith Herman
  • What My Bones Know — Stephanie Foo
• Podcast Recommendation:
  • Everyday Ultra: “How to Heal Through Running and Build Self-Belief with Madeline Wolfbauger”

Final Reflection & Call to Action

• Healing from trauma in the body is about safety: “Helping the body understand the threat is over.”
• You are not alone — your pain is valid, no matter what form it takes or when it emerges.
• Take care of yourself, seek support, and remember: “You can be soft and gentle and vulnerable, and that doesn’t mean the trauma has won; it means you have.” (Jemma, [13:00])

Connect with the show

• Instagram: @thatpsychologypodcast
• Further summaries, resources, and tour announcements: Instagram & the show website

“What symbolizes peace for you? The opposite of trauma, the opposite of pain. Where do you feel most at peace?”
— Jemma, [61:49]