Reverse-engineering Trauma
Healing Frameworks
“Trauma is not what happens to you. It's what happens inside you as a result of what happened to you.”
The Journey
From Raw Facts to Lived Wisdom
Overview
Trauma is not the event but the nervous system's response that got stuck. Healing involves reverse-engineering what happened and completing what was interrupted, allowing the system to return to baseline.
Window of Tolerance
The zone where we can experience activation without becoming dysregulated
Titration
Approaching difficult material in small, manageable doses
Pendulation
Moving between activation and resource, building capacity to hold both
Raw Facts & Sources
The foundation. Verified facts, primary sources, and direct quotes that form the bedrock of understanding.
What do we know for certain?
Key Facts
- Trauma is stored in the body, not just the mind
- Healing often requires completing interrupted defensive responses
- The window of tolerance can be expanded through titrated exposure
- Integration, not catharsis, is the goal of trauma work
Source Quotes
“Trauma is not what happens to you. It's what happens inside you as a result of what happened to you.”
— Gabor Maté
Sources
Context & Structure
Facts organized into meaning. Historical context, core concepts, and why this matters now.
What does this mean?
Historical Context
Traditional talk therapy often retraumatized because it engaged the rational brain while the trauma lived in the body and limbic system.
Modern Relevance
In a world that creates widespread trauma (collective and individual), understanding healing is not optional - it's essential for functioning.
Patterns & Connections
Insights that emerge from information. Mental models, cross-domain connections, and what most people get wrong.
What patterns emerge?
Key Insights
You can't think your way out of trauma - the body must discharge the stuck energy
Healing is not forgetting - it's being able to remember without being hijacked
Small amounts of activation plus completion equals increased capacity
Resource states are as important as processing states
Mental Models
Action & Transformation
Knowledge applied to life. Practical applications, daily practices, and warning signs when you drift.
How do I live this?
Practical Applications
When: When triggered by something that seems irrational
→ Ask "What is this reminding my nervous system of?" - honor the pattern even if you don't understand it
✓ Curiosity instead of self-judgment
When: When processing difficult memories
→ Go slowly, stay resourced, and pendulate between the difficult material and something settling
✓ Integration without overwhelm
When: When feeling stuck in old patterns
→ Consider whether there's an incomplete defensive response - what did your body want to do that it couldn't?
✓ Opening pathways to completion
Reflection Questions
What activates me more than it "should"? What might that be protecting?
What did I need in that moment that I didn't get?
Where in my body do I feel this?
Daily Practice
When triggered, pause and notice where you feel it in your body. Just notice - don't try to change it.
Warning Sign
When the same patterns keep repeating despite insight, there may be somatic material that hasn't been addressed.
