The Power of Perception: Have You REALLY Ever Experienced Trauma?
Updated: Sep 8
What is trauma, really?
I was chatting with my husband a few days ago, and the question came up: What actually counts as trauma?
The example that I gave was that we know a scratch and broken neck are both (physical) traumas. One is simple and the other is serious, but both are still considered (physical) trauma. Similarly, we can experience a seemingly small and insignificant event such as a child being unable to speak for themselves or a more well known kind of (emotional) trauma such as an unexpected death of a loved one. Again, both are considered (emotional) trauma.
A lot of people think they haven’t experienced trauma because nothing huge or horrific happened, but trauma is subjective and shaped by perspective. Perception can be distorted when we’re in a state of survival. It's a protective response that we influenced by our neuroception, the part of our nervous system that continuously evaluates cues of safety and threat outside of our conscious awareness.
Survival mode isn’t always dramatic, sometimes it's putting our stressors on hold to get through the day. Over time, those stressors can become background noise we learn to ignore and eventually forget. The problem with that is the nervous system remembers what the conscious mind forgets.
The Role of Support
Whether we had support during and after an experienced trauma is a significant factor in how that experienced trauma can impact us. The support also needs to be what we needed during and after the traumatic event to help reduce or avoid negative impact.
Support during trauma strongly affects outcomes. Research continues to show that the presence of supportive people during or right after a traumatic experience plays a major role in it's long term impact. Whether it’s PTSD, anxiety, or depression, having someone there can make a real difference. Support can indlude emotional connection, a sense of physical safety, and the presence of someone who feels truly attuned. In childhood, this often comes from caregivers. In adulthood, it could be a close friend, partner, or trusted professional.
The type of support matters. Not all support has the same impact. What protects us most is the kind that feels safe, validating, and in tune with what we actually need in that moment. When support is missing, dismissive, or not in line with what we needed, the experience is more likely to stay unresolved and continue to negatively shape nervous system responses.
Seemingly insignificant events can make an impact without support. Something that seems minor to one person can stay with someone else for years if it happened without support or understanding. This can be especially true if someone went through it alone, felt shamed, or never had the chance to process it with someone who truly listened.
When a person experiences something overwhelming, being emotionally and physically supported in the way they needed at the time greatly increases the chance of resilience and recovery, and decreases the risk of trauma having lasting negative effects.
How Trauma Reveals Itself in the Body
As mentioned previously, perception can be distorted when we’re in a state of survival. This is where neuroception comes in. It’s your body’s silent scanner, working 24/7 to detect safety or threat long before you consciously catch on. It's constantly in autopilot working for us without ever requiring conscious thought. It's reading our environment and bodily signals to determine wether we are safe or not. When it senses threat, it makes the needed shifts inside our body through physiological changes like increased heart rate or tension to prepare you for survival or maintain safety.
Sometimes, our conscious awareness picks up on these changes through interoception, our ability to feel internal signals like tightness in the chest or a racing heart. That awareness can help us make sense of what's happening and allow us to regulate or respond. Neuroception and interoception contribute to what we call a "gut feeling," intuition, or instinct.
A lot of people don’t realize they’re living in a constant state of survival or they don't have the tools to step out of that state. So, they spend their days feeling disconnected, dissociated, or running on autopilot, because that's what has felt safest to their nervous system. Many of us are unaware that we've experienced trauma at all. We continue to live life being subtly or even intensely triggered by everyday moments and interactions with no idea they're tied to unprocessed experiences from the past.
Unprocessed trauma can show up in numerous ways:
Chronic tension in the neck or shoulders
Back pain or digestive issues
Headaches or migraines with no clear reason
Irritability or snapping at loved ones over small things
Cravings for alcohol, cigarettes, food, or stronger escapes
Feeling numb or checked out
Difficulty relaxing, even in safe environments
Trouble sleeping or waking up exhausted
Symptoms are your body's way of communicating that something needs attention.
The Power of Restoration Found Within Stillness
My husband and I continued discussing and reflecting on our different traumas and how it took moments of safety in our lives to truly realize and acknowledge that some events we previously viewed as insignificant were still impacting us on a deeper level. For me, this realization grew and continues to grow as I progress through my Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy (BCST) training. Each level of study and practice has revealed new layers of healing and peace I hadn’t experienced before.
Around the time of writing this blog post, I experienced a long-lasting sense of awareness and calm during an event that would have usually sent me into fight or flight. It confused me because I genuinely did not understand why I felt so calm in a moment of serious stress. Then it dawned on me that I must have integrated a part of myself that previously triggered that knee-jerk stressful reaction. My window of tolerance expanded! The journey to becoming a Registered Craniosacral Therapist through the BCST trainings has changed my life. I've entered a level of peace and stillness I hadn’t known before. With each level and session I notice a deeper and longer-lasting change.
This is why I have a deep love for Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy. This work can support the body alongside the emotional and psychological work of processing trauma. For many, it reaches places that words and conscious awareness sometimes can’t.
When we rest in stillness, peace, awareness, and resilience have room to rise.
Your body already knows what it needs. Providing the space for you and your body to process in safe stillness is essential. BCST gently and safely meets the nervous system where it is stuck. This is where regulation can begin.
Would you like to become more aware of what your body is communicating?
If this conversation I had with my husband resonated with you, chances are your body is ready for a deeper kind of support.
Book a Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy session. Let your nervous system settle in a safe, quiet space.
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I am currently at level VII, meaning I have spent 455+ hours dedicated to learning and practicing this modality. I am working toward becoming a Registered Craniosacral Therapist, with an expected completion date in 2027. While continuing my education, I offer BCST sessions for free as I gain hands-on experience. Because spaces are limited between levels, I encourage you to reach out soon if you are interested in experiencing this gentle and supportive therapy.
Thank you for reading! I genuinely hope you found something new or valuable in this post. If you have any questions or want to learn more, feel free to reach out. I’m grateful to do this work and happy to support anyone who is interested or in need, however I can. In health and harmony,
Shilouh Chandler, LMT
