Somatic Healing: Both/And Nervous System Truths
The Paradox of Progress in Somatic Healing
If you are doing the deep work of nervous system healing, you have likely encountered a confusing truth: you can feel moments of genuine safety, and still be hijacked by a trigger that sends your body into fight-or-flight. This is not a sign of failure. It is the signature of a system that is reorganizing itself—slowly, layer by layer.
The body keeps score, but it also learns new rhythms. When we practice vagal toning, breathwork, or somatic experiencing, we are not erasing the past; we are building a new neural pathway alongside the old one. The old alarm system still exists. It was forged in survival. But now, a new circuit is being laid down—one that whispers, you are safe now.
The Both/And of the Autonomic Nervous System
Your nervous system is not a light switch that flips from trauma to healed. It is a dimmer dial, and it flickers. You can be in ventral vagal (social engagement, calm connection) one moment, and then a sound, a tone of voice, or an internal sensation can drop you into sympathetic (fight-or-flight) or dorsal (freeze/collapse). This is the nature of a polyvagal reality.
Healing is not about never being triggered. It is about shortening the time it takes to return to regulation. It is about recognizing that the alarm is not a sign of brokenness—it is a sign that your body is still trying to protect you. And you can thank it, soothe it, and slowly teach it that the danger has passed.
Practical Somatic Tools for the Both/And
Orienting: When you feel activated, slowly look around the room. Name three things you see. This tells your nervous system, I am here, not there.
Resourcing: Before you dive into a trigger, anchor in a memory or sensation of safety. Let the body feel that safety first.
Titration: Only touch the edge of the trauma. Don’t dive in. Pendulate between the trigger and a resource. Let the system learn that it can handle small doses.
Tracking sensation: Notice where the activation lives in your body—tight chest, shallow breath, clenched jaw. Just name it. Don’t fix it. This builds interoceptive awareness.
The Courage to Stay
The most radical act of healing is not escaping the discomfort, but staying present with it while your body learns that it can survive. You are not broken. You are in the messy, beautiful, nonlinear process of rewiring a lifetime of survival. And you are choosing to do it anyway.
💡 Ready to take the next step? Explore the worksheets and guided practices in the Trauma Bond Recovery Kit to start rewiring your nervous system today.