When the Body Speaks: On Trauma, Healing, and the Path to Prevention
“The body remembers what the mind tries to forget.”
— Bessel van der Kolk
Over the past several weeks, I’ve been immersed in the work of Bessel van der Kolk’s The Body Keeps the Score, along with a wide range of academic texts, scientific journals, and research articles. As I prepare for my first exams toward a Master of Science in Integrative Therapy, I find myself profoundly grateful for the timing. The material I’m studying is not only academically rich—it is personally and professionally affirming.
A Winding Road with Purpose
I often reflect on how long it’s taken me to arrive at this work. The thought used to carry frustration or even regret. But I’m beginning to understand that every stage of my journey was necessary.
From finance and marketing, to the administration of early childhood education, to birth work, parenting education, and midwifery care—each chapter laid a piece of the foundation.
But the most significant influence has been my own lived experience as a survivor of complex PTSD, sexual abuse, and cancer. I carried the emotional weight of those traumas long before my body could fully release them. For years, I wondered why healing was so elusive. Now I understand: the body remembers what the mind tries to forget.
Trauma, Epigenetics, and the Generational Thread
Thanks to the growing body of research in somatics, trauma studies, and neuroscience, we now know that trauma is not just a psychological wound—it’s a physiological imprint. It burrows deep into the body, often hidden beneath layers of shame and grief. And it doesn't end with us.
The science of epigenetics has shown us how trauma can be passed down through generations. A mother’s stress, anxiety, or depression doesn’t just affect her—it can shape the development of her unborn child in measurable, lasting ways.
The implications are enormous. For those of us working with women and children, the mission must be clear: prevention is everything.
Where Science Meets Hope
In a world still reeling from collective trauma—pandemics, conflict, social upheaval—we have an urgent responsibility to break the cycle. And we’re better equipped than ever before.
Our understanding of mental health, developmental psychology, and embodied healing is deeper and more nuanced than it’s ever been. We’re learning how to listen to the body, how to support its wisdom, and how to intervene early—before trauma becomes legacy.
Looking Ahead
There’s a long road ahead. But there’s also hope.
Because when we know better, we have the chance to do better.
Unsplash Image by Marina Abrosimova
