Understanding Trauma Responses: Your Mind and Body After Trauma
Learn about common responses to trauma and understand why your mind and body might react in certain ways. Knowledge is an important step in your recovery journey.
What are Trauma Responses?
Trauma responses are natural reactions to abnormal events. When we experience trauma, our brain and body develop protective mechanisms to help us cope and survive. These responses can affect how we think, feel, and behave - sometimes long after the traumatic event has passed. Understanding these responses helps us recognise that our reactions are normal adaptations to extraordinary circumstances.
Common Challenges in Processing Trauma
Many survivors experience a range of responses that can feel overwhelming or confusing. Recognising these responses as normal reactions can help you understand your experiences better:
Feeling disconnected from your body or emotions
Experiencing unexpected physical reactions
Having difficulty trusting your own judgement
Struggling with relationships or intimacy
Finding it hard to feel safe in everyday situations
Experiencing changes in sleep or eating patterns
The Impact of Trauma
Pathways to Recovery: Understanding Your Responses
Understanding that your responses are natural survival mechanisms helps reduce confusion and self-judgment, allowing you to approach recovery with self-compassion.
Learning to recognise and respond to your body's signals helps you develop better ways to manage overwhelming feelings and physical reactions.
Developing personal strategies to help you feel grounded when trauma responses arise gives you more control over your recovery journey.
Survivor Resources & Research
Learning from other survivors journeys can be a powerful tool, and make you feel much less alone. Access specialist articles, survivor stories, and evidence-based research about childhood sexual violence recovery and support.
Articles and guides covering trauma responses, recovery stages, and practical support strategies for survivors of childhood sexual violence.
A curated collection of poems written by survivors of sexual abuse, sharing personal experiences of trauma, healing, and recovery. *Please note that whilst this content is moderated you may find some of it triggering so please take care*
Key findings from our research , revealing crucial insights into sexual violence and abuse, how survivors access support services, costs to the NHS and survivor experiences, and more
With your support, we can help more survivors access the support they need when they need it. Every donation directly funds our work to supporting those affected by sexual violence.