First written in 2019, this updated reflection explores what truly helps traumatised people heal. Through compassion, co-regulation, and safe connection, our nervous systems can learn to settle again. Healing isn’t about fixing what’s broken. It’s about remembering what safety feels like and finding our way back to ourselves.

The freeze trauma response can feel like being shut down, numb, or unable to act. It’s the body’s way of protecting itself when fight or flight aren’t possible. The nervous system slows everything down to keep us safe. But when freeze becomes the default response, it can limit how we live, work, and connect with others.

Our bodies hold more wisdom than we often realise. Sometimes, the sensations, tensions, or emotions that arise aren’t random, they are reminders of trauma stored in the body. Learning to listen to these signals can guide us towards deeper healing and wholeness.

Trauma isn't only about what happened. It’s about how your body responded in the moment and what it had to do to survive

For people who’ve experienced trauma, especially in early life, the body may have learned to expect threat or rejection even in safe situations. This can show up in chronic tension, a lack of ease in being touched, or even an absence of sensation in certain parts of the body.

When we talk about safety in the context of trauma healing, we’re not just talking about physical safety, although that’s crucial.

When our early experiences didn’t give us the safety, love, or attunement we needed, we often carry those wounds into adulthood.

You have an incredible inbuilt, automatic, safety mechanism to alert you to danger and take steps to preserve life. All living beings...

QEC is a wonderful way of supporting people to make lasting changes to their lives.