The body remembers what the mind tries to downplay

Dear Delyara, I think one of the loneliest parts of trauma is that the body can insist on reality long after the mind has learned to minimize it. I can say, “It wasn’t that bad.” I can say, “That was years ago.” I can say, “Other people went through worse.” And still, the body responds the way it responds. Flinch. Tightness. Freeze. Alertness. A strange leaving of the room while still sitting in it. That is difficult to explain to anyone who believes healing should look more logical than this.