How to Feel Safe in Your Body After Trauma
When you’ve experienced trauma, it’s not just your thoughts that carry the weight of what happened—your body does too. The body stores trauma in ways that are often invisible but deeply felt. You might notice yourself constantly on edge, bracing for something to go wrong, or feeling numb, disconnected, or trapped inside your skin. If you’ve ever thought, I don’t feel safe in my body, you’re not alone—and you’re not broken.
The truth is, safety isn’t just an idea. It’s a felt experience. It’s in your breath, your heartbeat, your muscles, your skin. Reclaiming that sense of safety in your body after trauma takes time, compassion, and practice—but it is possible.
Not Feeling Safe in Your Body Is a Common Trauma Response
When something overwhelming or terrifying happens, your body does exactly what it needs to do to protect you. It might freeze, dissociate, go numb, or become hyper-alert. These responses are intelligent—they’re your nervous system doing its job. But when those protective responses linger long after the trauma has passed, you might find yourself not feeling safe in your body, even in safe environments.
That sense of danger isn’t imagined—it’s embedded. And that’s why healing has to happen through the body, not just the mind.
Feeling Safe in Your Body Is a Practice, Not a Destination
Healing isn’t about “getting over it” or pretending everything’s fine. It’s about building a new relationship with your body—one rooted in safety, curiosity, and care. It’s about learning to feel again without being overwhelmed. To notice sensations and stay present. This allows the body to process and discharge the trauma symptoms that have hijacked your sense of safety.
Here are a few gentle ways to begin:
Start with breath: Slow, conscious breathing can signal to your body that it’s safe now. Inhale gently through your nose, exhale slowly through your mouth. Try placing a hand on your heart or belly for added grounding.
Notice what feels neutral or good: You don’t have to dive into the discomfort. Start by noticing textures, sounds, or places in your body that feel calm, warm, or just okay.
Use touch or movement: Rocking, stretching, or gently pressing your feet into the ground can help reconnect you with your body in a non-threatening way.
How to Trust Your Body After Trauma?
Trust is built through consistent, small experiences that tell your nervous system: it’s safe to be here now. This trust doesn’t come from forcing or pushing through—it comes from slowing down, listening, and tending to what is right here, right now. When you learn to attune to your body’s subtle cues, to respect its pace, to celebrate each moment of safety you create—you rebuild a connection that trauma may have disrupted. This is the beginning of how to feel safe in your body. Learn more about feeling safe in your body after trauma here.
Here are some truths to remember as you relearn how to trust your body:
Your body is not the enemy.
Your symptoms are adaptations, not flaws.
You can rewire your system for safety, over time.
Trust is earned through consistency and kindness.
You Deserve to Feel Safe in Your Body
If you’ve been carrying the weight of not feeling safe in your body, please know this: your healing is valid, and your body is not beyond repair. Healing is possible—not because you’ll forget what happened, but because your body can learn to release and discharge the trauma and experience what it didn’t get to feel back then: safety, choice, and presence.
Learn How to Feel Safe in Your Body After Trauma
If you’re ready to begin that journey, I invite you to explore somatic healing practices that gently guide you back to yourself. Through grounded, body-based work, I can help your nervous system unwind, release stored trauma, reconnect safely to your body and yourself, and reclaim safety—one breath, one moment at a time.
Brianna Anderson, SEP
I’m here to help you heal so you can begin to live the life of your dreams
My private practice specializes in helping people who have endured trauma, resolve the symptoms out of their body, mind & spirit so they can feel comfortable in their skin, find inner peace and live the desires of their heart.
I am based out of South Orange County, Ca and offer online therapy sessions. Whether you are just starting your healing journey or ready to try something new, I am here to help.
is trauma holding you back?
Perhaps you experienced a specific event that left you feeling different, disconnected, or stuck. Or maybe you carry a sense of unease in your body, struggling with anxiety or a feeling that something isn’t quite right.
As a somatic experiencing practitioner I specialize in helping people process and release stored trauma through gentle yet effective methods.
Download my FREE guide “Get Unstuck! The Truth About Body Trauma and How to Break Free’ and learn how to create the future you deserve.