The Stages of Healing from Trauma
There isn’t one universally agreed-upon number of stages when it comes to healing trauma. Different therapeutic models outline the process in their own ways—some describing three, five, seven, or more phases. These variations aren’t contradictions; rather, they reflect the complexity of trauma and the multiple pathways people can take toward healing. Some frameworks focus on the psychological journey—like understanding the trauma, expressing emotion, and creating meaning—while others center the body’s experience, emphasizing nervous system regulation, somatic discharge, and restoring a felt sense of safety.
Ultimately, the number of stages of trauma recovery isn’t as important as the recognition that trauma healing is a layered, non-linear process. People may revisit the same themes or responses multiple times, often with more capacity and insight each time. What matters most is that the healing path honors the person’s pace, includes support that feels safe, and unfolds gradually over time. This allows for sustainable healing and integration—whether it’s named in three phases or ten.
As a somatic experiencing practitioner, I’ve supported many clients through the stages of trauma recovery. Some arrive feeling completely disconnected from their body; others are stuck in fight or flight, or even emotional shutdown. Over time, as we move gently through the process, the signs of healing begin to emerge—not just mentally, but simultaneously emotionally and physically.
Below is an integrated overview of the stages of healing emotionally and somatically. It’s important to note that these stages can all happen in one session as well as an overarching general progression towards complete healing. You might recognize yourself in one or more of these stages.
Stage 1: Safety and Stabilization
This is the foundation of all trauma healing. If you are in a constant state of survival—hypervigilance, panic, dissociation, or shutdown, etc.—the first step is to work towards creating safety and stabilization. This may look like processing the traumatic events or it may look like working with the symptoms of dysregulation with somatic regulation tools. It all depends on the person's capacity and a properly trained therapist or practitioner should be able to identify this. For some people diving into traumatic events is too much, too fast—which is retraumatizing. So this is where titration and pendulation approaches from somatic experiencing are vital and help foster safety and stabilization.
Signs you’re in this stage:
You’re learning to identify what your capacity is and when you are regulated or dysregulated.
You’re learning how to ground and settle yourself when overwhelmed
You’re starting to identify what feels safe vs. unsafe in your environment or relationships
You’re building tools to calm your body, like pausing and orienting
You feel less reactive, even if only for short moments
This stage is especially important for those healing from early experiences, like childhood neglect or abuse. For many, the first stage of healing from childhood trauma is learning what safety even feels like in the body. Click here to learn more about healing from developmental trauma or Complex PTSD.
Stage 2: Trauma Awareness and Meaning-Making
Once more regulation is available, many people begin connecting the dots between the events of their past and their current circumstances and symptoms. This stage brings insight—but it can also bring emotional pain, as memories or patterns become clearer.
Signs you’re in this stage:
You begin to understand why certain triggers activate you
You’re making sense of emotional responses (like freeze or rage) instead of judging them
You feel curiosity about your survival strategies rather than shame
You start recognizing how trauma shaped your beliefs, behavior, or boundaries
In somatic experiencing, we pair this stage with body tracking—gently noticing the sensations connected to these insights. This helps keep the process from becoming overwhelming which simultaneously changes and brings healing the nervous system. To lean more about somatic experiencing click here.
Stage 3: Processing Trauma and Unwinding Survival Energy
In this stage, you begin to release, process and metabolize what you and your body has held onto—whether that’s tension, emotions, or stuck fight/flight/freeze responses. Your system is getting to not only appropriately express emotions, but complete protective defensive responses, as well as repair boundaries and get unmet needs met. This stage is not about reliving trauma, but about allowing you and your body to complete what was once interrupted.
Signs of progress:
You notice spontaneous movements like trembling, deep sighs, or warmth during sessions
You feel strong emotions rise and fall without getting lost in them
You’re able to stay connected to the present moment while recalling the past
You feel a shift in long-held patterns, like chronic tension, numbness, or emotional flatness
This is a vital stage in processing trauma. The body begins to move from protection into expression, and the nervous system gradually reorganizes around a felt sense of safety.
is Trauma holding you back?
Are you feeling stuck in life, disconnected, or somehow not yourself? 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.
Stage 4: Reclaiming Voice, Boundaries, and Choice— agency, aliveness, balance
As survival energy discharges, clients often begin to reclaim their sense of self. This includes setting boundaries, speaking truth, and making choices from an embodied place—not from fear or fawning.
Signs of progress:
You can say “no” or “yes” and feel it in your body
You’re more aware of what drains or supports your energy
Your voice feels stronger, steadier, or more natural
You begin to feel a growing sense of confidence or grounded power
This is one of the most noticeable stages of healing emotionally. You no longer feel entirely defined by the trauma. Instead, you’re building a sense of identity rooted in choice, not reaction.
Stage 5: Integration and Reconnection
In this stage, healing begins to ripple into all areas of life. You feel more emotionally regulated, more at home in your body, and more connected to others.
Signs you’re integrating:
You experience moments of ease, playfulness, or even joy
You’re more present in your relationships, less guarded or disconnected
You trust yourself to navigate triggers and return to regulation
Your relationship to your past changes, it no longer runs your life and you experience a difference between then and now.
This is often the phase where people begin to rebuild a sense of wholeness. It’s not about being “done” with healing—it’s about living from a place that includes your past but is no longer controlled by it.
How Do You Know Your Body Is Healing from Trauma?
You may not always feel like you’re healing. Progress can be subtle, but the good news is that the most sustainable progress is slow and subtle. But here are some signs your body is healing from trauma:
You start feeling instead of numbing
You have access to your breath in stressful moments
You can notice tension without needing to fix or escape it
Your emotions move through more easily
You begin to trust your body’s signals
You can witness dysregulation as it happens and your capacity to be with it has expanded
You feel more grounded, more real, more you
Final Thoughts
Whether you’re in the early stages of healing from childhood trauma or navigating grief from more recent events, remember: healing is not linear. You might revisit earlier stages as life unfolds, and that’s okay. Each return is an opportunity to go deeper—with more compassion, more skill, and more capacity than before.
You’re not broken. You’re healing. And your body knows how to find its way home.
If the energy emanating from this article resonated with you please explore what my somatic healing 1 on 1 sessions here.
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.