Why Talking About Trauma Doesn’t Always Heal It (And What Does)

Have you ever felt like you’ve "done the work," talked through your past a hundred times, and yet the physical "sting" of a memory won't go away? Perhaps you still feel that sudden clench in your stomach, the racing heart, or the "fog" of dissociation, even though you intellectually understand what happened to you.

If this sounds familiar, I want you to know: You aren’t failing at therapy. You are simply dealing with a body-level imprint that your conscious, thinking mind cannot reach. To understand why, we have to look at the difference between a "story" and a "survival response."

The Brain’s Shutdown Mechanism

When we experience something overwhelming, our brain’s higher functions—the prefrontal cortex—often go offline. This is the part of the brain responsible for logic, time, and language. Meanwhile, the amygdala (the brain’s alarm system) becomes hyper-active, recording the event as a purely physical experience of "danger."

Because the "speech centres" of the brain often shut down during trauma, the memory isn't stored as a narrative with a beginning, middle, and end. Instead, it is stored as a biological loop—a set of physical sensations that stay "stuck" in your nervous system.

Why "Top-Down" Therapy Has Limits

Traditional talk therapy is a "top-down" approach. It uses the thinking brain to try and calm the emotional brain. While this is incredibly helpful for gaining insight, it often fails to reach the "bottom-up" signals coming from your body.

If your biology still thinks it is in danger, no amount of logical "self-talk" will fully convince your nervous system to relax. This is why you can "know" you are safe, but still "feel" like you are in peril.

The Psychobiology Shift: Healing from the Bottom-Up

At London Therapy Online, we work with Psychobiology. Instead of just revisiting the story, we focus on the biological "imprint." By using somatic awareness and targeted techniques like Peak States processes and EFT (Tapping), we send a direct safety signal to the nervous system.

We aren't just talking about the past; we are updating your body’s software so it realises the trauma is finally over.

A Simple Tool: The "Safety Tap"

If you’re feeling "stuck" in a stress response right now, try this simple EFT technique:

1. Identify the feeling (e.g., "This tightness in my chest").

2. Gently tap with two fingers on the side of your hand (the "karate chop" point).

3. Take a slow breath and say: "Even though I feel this tightness, I love and accept myself."

4. Move to the area just beneath your collarbones and tap gently or make circular motions around the area for 30 seconds, repeating "Even though I feel this tightness, I love and accept myself."

   
   

This small physical act begins to break the link between the thought and the panic response.

Ready to Resolve the Root?

You don’t have to keep "managing" your past. You can heal it. If you’re ready to move beyond talk therapy and explore a body-based approach to healing, we are here to guide you.

Book a free 20-minute consultation today and let’s see if a results-oriented approach is the missing piece of your puzzle.