🧠 A NEUROSCIENCE GUIDE TO HEALING · The Somatic Academy by Soma+IQ

🧠 A NEUROSCIENCE GUIDE TO HEALING

What Your Brain Is Really Doing When You’re Triggered?

When we get triggered, our amygdala (the brain’s alarm system) hijacks our prefrontal cortex (our rational thinking center) in milliseconds. This isn’t a character flaw, it’s your nervous system doing exactly what it evolved to do: keep you alive.

But here’s what neuroscience teaches us: triggers are actually breadcrumbs leading us back to unhealed parts of ourselves.

The Neurobiology of Triggers

Your nervous system stores incomplete experiences as implicit memories, body sensations, emotions, and survival responses that get activated when present circumstances mirror past threats. When triggered, you’re not overreacting to the present moment; you’re responding to an unresolved past experience that your nervous system perceives as happening right now.

Think of it this way: Your nervous system is like a smoke detector. Sometimes it goes off when someone burns toast (a minor trigger), but it’s responding as if there’s a five-alarm fire (the original wound).

The Window of Tolerance

Psychiatrist Dan Siegel’s concept of the Window of Tolerance explains why regulation matters. This is your optimal zone where you can:

- Think clearly

- Feel your emotions without being overwhelmed

- Respond rather than react

- Stay present and connected

When triggered, you exit this window into:

HYPERAROUSAL (fight/flight): anxiety, rage, panic, racing thoughts

HYPOAROUSAL (freeze/fawn): numbness, dissociation, collapse, depression

Somatic Regulation Techniques

Your body holds the key to returning to your window of tolerance. Here are evidence-based practices:

The STOP Method

S - Stop what you’re doing

T - Take a breath

O - Observe your body sensations

P - Proceed with awareness

Bilateral Stimulation

Cross your arms over your chest and gently pat your shoulders alternately. This activates both brain hemispheres and naturally calms your nervous system (similar to EMDR’s mechanism).

Orienting and Resourcing

Look slowly around your environment until something catches your attention that feels neutral or pleasant: a plant, artwork, the texture of fabric. Let your eyes rest there and notice what happens in your body. This orienting response helps your nervous system remember you’re safe in the present moment.

Create a mental resource library of sensations, memories, or images that bring you peace. Practice accessing these when regulated so they’re available when triggered.

Vagal Toning

Your vagus nerve is your body’s natural reset button:

- Hum, sing, or gargle

- Take slow exhales longer than your inhales (4 counts in, 6 counts out)

- Gentle neck stretches and head rolls

Pendulation

Notice the triggered sensation in your body, then find a place that feels neutral or pleasant. Gently move your attention back and forth between these areas. This teaches your nervous system that you can experience intensity and return to safety.

This isn’t just about calming down, it’s about meeting your triggered parts with curiosity and compassion to facilitate genuine healing.

HERE’S THE GOOD NEWS:

As you begin to recognize when you’re activated and practice pausing and incorporate the work above, there’s a healing opportunity. Here’s what I mean:

Each trigger is an invitation to:

WITNESS the reaction without judgment
REGULATE your nervous system back to safety
INVESTIGATE what this trigger is trying to tell you
NURTURE the part of you that got activated

Questions for Self-Inquiry

When you’re regulated enough to reflect

- What does this trigger remind me of from my past?

- What did that younger version of me need that they didn’t receive?

- How can I provide that need for myself now?

- What boundary might I need to set?

Creating Safety for Integration

Healing happens in safety, not in activation. Your job isn’t to “get over” triggers quickly, but to:

- Build your capacity to stay present with difficult emotions

- Develop a toolkit of regulation practices

- Create relationships and environments that support your healing

- Practice self-compassion when old patterns emerge

Remember This

Your triggers aren’t evidence that you’re broken, they’re evidence that you’re human. They’re your psyche’s way of saying, “Hey, there’s something here that needs attention and care.”

The goal isn’t to never get triggered again. The goal is to respond from your healed, adult self rather than your wounded, younger self.

Let’s discuss

What resonates most with you from this post? Share your thoughts below and let’s support each other in this healing journey.

👉 If you have questions or want to explore these somatic and neuroscience-backed healing methods together, feel free to send me a DM. I’m here to support you on your healing journey.

Resources for deeper learning

- “The Body Keeps the Score” by Bessel van der Kolk

- “Waking the Tiger” by Peter Levine

- “Polyvagal Theory” by Stephen Porges

4 comments