Podcast Summary: "The Physical Symptoms of Trauma: Chronic Illness, Chronic Pain & More"

Podcast: You Make Sense
Host: Sarah Baldwin
Guest: Rachel (Q&A Co-Host, social worker, community leader)
Release Date: September 9, 2025
Episode Focus: Exploring how unresolved trauma leads to chronic physical symptoms such as illness and pain, and outlining somatic and nervous system-based interventions for healing.

Episode Overview

Sarah Baldwin delves into the complex and often isolating world of trauma’s physical symptoms—chronic illness, pain, autoimmune disorders, and more. Drawing from neuroscience, trauma research, and her personal healing journey, Sarah explains the physiological underpinnings of trauma, why the body may "get stuck" in survival modes, and practical somatic strategies to restore health and freedom. The episode includes candid reflections, personal stories, and detailed audience Q&A, making sense of the mind-body connection and its relevance to persistent physical symptoms.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Trauma Lives in the Body, Not Just the Mind

• Definition of Trauma:

  • Trauma is not the event itself, but how the nervous system is overwhelmed beyond its capacity to process.
  • Trauma’s “energetic quality” becomes stuck when the body lacks the safety and a "mutually empathic witness" to process the experience.
  • [02:00]
  • Quote:
    • “Trauma is not an event or events … it’s how that experience overwhelms our system’s capacity to process.” – Sarah ([02:15])

• Stuck Incomplete Experiences:

  • When trauma isn’t resolved, the body keeps reliving it on a physiological level, regardless of how much time has passed.
  • [04:30]

• Physical Manifestations:

  • Examples include scars that fail to heal, chronic pain after accidents, or instantly "freezing" in response to emotional triggers.
  • [09:00]
  • Quote:
    • “Our system is still bracing for contact. That event is not over, it is perpetually being relived inside their bodies.” – Sarah ([09:50])

2. How Chronic Dysregulation Leads to Chronic Illness

• Nervous System’s Role:

  • In unresolved trauma, the body lives in a chronic state of self-protection—dysregulation.
  • This keeps blood, energy, and resources away from major organs, impairing their function.
  • [17:00]

• “All Resource Goes to Survival” Principle:

  • Prolonged survival mode reroutes energy from the immune, digestive, and reproductive systems to muscles and heart to prepare for danger.
  • Over years, this leads to breakdowns—autoimmune diseases, GI issues, fatigue, slow healing.
  • [23:00]
  • Quote:
    • “It’s not because you’re broken … all that energy has been going towards survival instead of going towards thriving.” – Sarah ([25:35])

• Sarah’s Personal Example:

  • Years of chronic illness, GI problems, autoimmune symptoms—resolved only when she focused on nervous system regulation.
  • [26:00]

3. Psychosomatic Symptoms: How Emotions Become Physical

• “Sudden” Physical Symptoms:

  • Migraines, pain, and sickness may appear out of nowhere. Often, these are emotional energies—repressed feelings—unconsciously translated into bodily symptoms.
  • [32:00]

• Anticipatory Illness:

  • Getting sick before or after major emotional events is common, due to protective nervous system “parts” or anticipatory anxiety.
  • [36:00]
  • Quote:
    • “It might manifest itself as a migraine, or perhaps a sore throat or a skin issue, or I might feel really sick when I wake up. … These are psychosomatic symptoms that are resulting from the internalization of that emotion.” – Sarah ([33:30])

• Protective Parts:

  • The body can “sabotage” desirable new experiences by making us sick to keep us safe from perceived risk.
  • [38:00]

4. Why Chronic Illness is Isolating—and Why Healing is Possible

• The Isolation of Invisible Suffering:

  • Chronic illness is often hidden, leading to canceled plans, frustration from others, and loneliness—further compounding suffering.
  • [29:30]
  • Quote:
    • “I understand how lonely that experience can be. I was devoting so much energy to trying to get better…” – Sarah ([29:55])

• Compounding: Slow Recovery, Shame, and Hopelessness:

  • Chronically dysregulated bodies recover more slowly and may feel “broken”—but this is a survival strategy, not a personal failure.
  • [46:00]

• Compassion for the Body:

  • Rather than blaming the body, reframe to see it as “working so hard to keep us safe, even with depleted resources.”
  • [47:40]
  • Quote:
    • “Even on 10% of the resource, my immune system was saying, I will keep fighting for you. … My hope is that in hearing this, you can have compassion for your body.” – Sarah ([48:30])

5. Somatic Tools & Approaches for Healing

• Priority: Nervous System Regulation

  • Regulation brings energy and resources back to where the body needs them for thriving, not just surviving.
  • [50:00]

• Supporting the Body

  • Combine somatic work with targeted supplementation, functional/naturopathic medicine, or acupuncture—once regulation is underway.
  • [51:20]

• Re-Orienting to the Body

  • Acknowledge pain, but cultivate awareness and gratitude for what’s still working.
  • Bring in experiences of nourishment, pleasure, and safety—through sensory exercises, mindful eating, movement, connection, and co-regulation (with safe people or pets).
  • [55:00]

• Externalization (Expressing What’s Inside)

  • Use music, journaling, movement, sound, and tears to express repressed emotion, facilitating emotional and physical healing.
  • [58:00]
  • Quote:
    • “Energy has to go somewhere. And if we’re not allowing the emotionality of our experience to come out, it’s going in.” – Sarah ([58:25])

Q&A Segment

1. Trauma & Women’s Health—Cycles, Hormones, & Autoimmunity

• Conditioning, Not Just Biology

  • Higher autoimmune rates in women linked to taught patterns of emotional suppression, caretaking, and somaticizing pain.
  • [40:52]
  • Quote:
    • “It has very little to do with our biology and much more to do with the conditioning that we experienced.” – Sarah ([42:00])

• Menstrual Health and Chronic Dysregulation

  • Severe period symptoms are common but not normal—they’re signs of hormonal imbalance from chronic stress.
  • Regulation yields easier cycles, less pain, more subtle shifts.
  • [44:00]

• Listening to the Body

  • Regulation improves both awareness of and response to the body’s real needs—for rest, nourishment, and movement.
  • [49:00]
  • Quote:
    • “Our bodies will do things like say, I need extra rest… And when we’re in a relationship to it, we trust that.” – Sarah ([50:40])

2. Disconnection from the Body and Fertility

• Disconnection as a Survival Mechanism

  • Trauma makes the body feel unsafe—the “scene of the crime”—so we numb out and disconnect.
  • [53:18]
  • Quote:
    • “The only way for that disconnection to happen is, we have to leave our bodies because our body is the place where it all occurred.” – Sarah ([54:00])

• Reconnecting with the Body

  • Sarah walks listeners through an exercise to identify sensations and emotions, slowly restoring interoceptive awareness.
  • [57:00]

• Fertility and Chronic Dysregulation

  • The body deprioritizes reproduction during perceived danger (dysregulation), leading to fertility issues.
  • Regulation and approaches like acupuncture restore blood flow and safety for conception.
  • [61:29]
  • Quote:
    • “If you are in safety, that’s another story. So one of the most important things we can do if we’re wanting to get pregnant is focus on your nervous system.” – Sarah ([62:00])

3. Chronic Pain & Somatic Healing (Listener Audio Question)

• Recognizing Physical Pain as a Somatic Signal

  • Chronic pain can arise from unexpressed emotions—if not externalized, they manifest physically.
  • [66:08]

• Breakthroughs in Releasing Symptoms

  • Rachel shares her experience: years of sinus and nerve pain vanished when underlying grief was finally expressed.
  • [67:32]
  • Quote:
    • “Once they [the feelings] poured out… I felt clear, the next day. From the most excruciating pain to feeling fine.” – Rachel ([67:54])

• Integrating Pain and Pleasure

  • Acknowledge discomfort, but also intentionally connect with pleasant sensations, gratitude, or nourishment.
  • [68:31]

Notable Quotes & Moments

• “Trauma is not an event… it’s the energetic overwhelm that lives inside our bodies.” – Sarah ([02:15])
• “Our system is still bracing for contact… it is perpetually being relived inside their bodies.” – Sarah ([09:50])
• “It’s not because you’re broken… all that energy has been going towards survival instead of going towards thriving.” – Sarah ([25:35])
• “Even on 10% of the resource… my immune system was saying, I will keep fighting for you.” – Sarah ([48:30])
• “If my tears could talk, what would they say? They likely have a message for you.” – Sarah ([59:30])
• “The only way for that disconnection to happen is, we have to leave our bodies because our body is the place where it all occurred.” – Sarah ([54:00])
• “You are the light at the end of the tunnel. You are the answer. But we all need support.” – Sarah ([60:45])
• “Once the [stored] feelings poured out … the next day, just feeling fine and better than I’d felt in a really long time.” – Rachel ([67:54])

Important Timestamps

• [02:00] – Trauma defined, “energetic overwhelm,” need for safety & witnessing
• [09:00] – Examples: scars, bracing, fear responses replaying physically
• [17:00] – How chronic dysregulation affects organs and body systems
• [25:35] – Not “broken,” but in survival mode
• [32:00] – Psychosomatic symptoms, “sudden” migraines, and repressed emotion
• [36:00] – Getting sick before/after “big things,” role of protective parts
• [44:10] – Hormones, nervous system, and menstrual cycle Q&A
• [53:18] – Disconnection from the body as a survival strategy
• [61:29] – Trauma, nervous system, and fertility
• [66:08] – Listener Q: Chronic pain, cycles of discomfort, and emotional release
• [67:54] – Rachel’s story: Releasing emotion, sudden physical healing
• [68:31] – Integrating pleasant/tolerable sensations for healing

Takeaways: Action Steps & Resources

• Primary Healing Focus: Regulate your nervous system—through somatic tools, co-regulation, and trauma-informed support.
• Express, Don’t Suppress: Use movement, sound, journaling, and tears to externalize emotion.
• Re-pattern Survival: Shift your body from chronic self-protection to thriving by connecting with pleasure, nourishment, and safe relationships.
• Honor the Body: Thank your immune and organ systems for their resilience, and focus on what’s working as well as what needs healing.
• Get Support: Healing is not a solo project—seek practitioners, community, and co-regulation to guide the journey.
• Resources: Sarah’s “Nervous System Essentials” program; free workbook (“How to Gain Control Over How You Feel”) linked in show notes.

Final Thoughts

This episode is an essential listen for anyone struggling with the mysterious, persistent symptoms of trauma—especially when medical interventions have fallen short. Through clear explanations, personal storytelling, and practical exercises, Sarah offers deep validation, hope, and pathways toward integration, health, and ease.

For more:

• Visit the show page for resources and programs
• Download Sarah’s free somatic healing workbook (link in show notes)
• Join the podcast’s email community for further support