As therapists, understanding the nervous system is central to helping clients heal from trauma. When trauma dysregulates the nervous system, it affects emotional, physical, and relational health. By learning the science behind nervous system regulation, you can deepen your practice and help clients rediscover a sense of safety and connection. Here are five foundational insights every therapist should know about the nervous system, its role in trauma, and how to support regulation.
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1. The Autonomic Nervous System (ANS): Trauma’s Gateway
The autonomic nervous system (ANS) is the body’s command center for responding to stress and trauma. It operates in two main modes:
- Sympathetic Nervous System (SNS): Activates the “fight-or-flight” response to perceived threats, preparing the body to defend itself or escape danger.
- Parasympathetic Nervous System (PNS): Supports recovery, calm, and repair, fostering a “rest-and-digest” state.
Trauma can cause the ANS to become dysregulated, leaving individuals stuck in hyperarousal (anxiety, panic, agitation) or hypoarousal (numbness, disconnection, or shutdown). This “stuckness” often manifests in symptoms like chronic stress, difficulty concentrating, or physical pain.
What you can do: Teach clients to recognize these states in their own bodies. Tools like grounding exercises, slow diaphragmatic breathing, or progressive muscle relaxation can help them shift between these states and regain balance.
2. The Polyvagal Theory: Safety is the Foundation of Healing
Developed by Dr. Stephen Porges, Polyvagal Theory offers a roadmap for understanding how the nervous system prioritizes safety, danger, and life threat.
- Ventral Vagal State (safety): Associated with calm, connection, and engagement. Clients feel open and present in this state.
- Sympathetic State (danger): Activated when the body detects a threat, triggering fight-or-flight.
- Dorsal Vagal Shutdown (life threat): An extreme response to overwhelming danger, causing dissociation, numbness, and immobilization.
Clients who’ve experienced trauma often struggle to access the ventral vagal state, which is essential for healing. Instead, they remain “stuck” in danger or shutdown modes, perceiving the world as unsafe.
What you can do: Teach clients to identify their state and practice techniques to return to safety. Simple strategies like rhythmic movement, humming (to stimulate the vagus nerve), or using breathwork can help regulate the nervous system and reconnect to ventral vagal calm.
3. Trauma Lives in the Body, Not Just the Mind
Trauma isn’t only a cognitive memory; it’s stored in the body. This insight, emphasized in somatic therapies and trauma programs like the Core Skills Trauma Certificate, challenges the idea that “talk therapy” alone is sufficient for healing.
Trauma often bypasses the brain’s logical center (the prefrontal cortex) and embeds itself in the limbic system (emotion regulation) and body (muscle tension, chronic pain, or sensory flashbacks). Clients may report feeling “on edge” or “frozen,” even without clear memories of their trauma.
What you can do: Integrate somatic tools into therapy. Encourage clients to tune into their physical sensations through body scans, mindful movement, or grounding exercises. Helping clients process trauma in their bodies can unlock deeper healing beyond words.
4. Neuroplasticity: The Brain Can Heal
One of the most hopeful aspects of nervous system regulation is the brain’s ability to change. Neuroplasticity refers to the brain’s capacity to form new neural pathways, even after trauma. This means that with the right interventions, clients can “rewire” their nervous systems for greater resilience.
Chronic dysregulation caused by trauma may have taught the nervous system to overreact to perceived threats. But practices like mindfulness, EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing), or somatic experiencing can retrain the nervous system to respond with greater flexibility.
What you can do: Help clients build new, safe experiences that replace old trauma-driven patterns. Encourage consistent practices like meditation, journaling, or safe connection exercises to reinforce these new pathways.
5. Co-Regulation: The Power of Safe Relationships
Regulation doesn’t happen in isolation—it happens in connection. Humans are wired for co-regulation, meaning we attune to the nervous systems of those around us. As therapists, this makes your role as a “safe anchor” incredibly powerful.
When you model a calm and regulated state, your clients can mirror this, thanks to the brain’s mirror neurons. This is especially crucial for clients who may not have experienced safety in relationships before. By building a secure therapeutic alliance, you help clients create new templates for trust and connection.
What you can do: Maintain your own nervous system regulation during sessions by practicing mindfulness or self-regulation techniques. Encourage clients to explore co-regulation with loved ones or support groups, fostering a network of safety and healing outside therapy.
Bringing It All Together
Understanding the nervous system is transformative for trauma-informed therapy. By addressing dysregulation in the body, brain, and relationships, you can support clients in accessing safety, connection, and healing. Programs like the Core Skills Trauma Certificate offer valuable tools for integrating these principles into practice, helping therapists bridge the gap between science and compassionate care.
Whether you’re just beginning to explore the nervous system or deepening your knowledge, remember: healing is possible. By empowering your clients with tools to regulate their nervous systems, you’re equipping them to navigate life’s challenges with resilience and hope.
If you’d like to learn more about these approaches or explore training opportunities, consider incorporating somatic practices into your work or pursuing certifications like the Core Skills Trauma Certificate. Your clients—and their nervous systems—will thank you.
