It’s Not Just in Your Head: Trauma in the Body & Somatic Healing with Hannah Rzysko

For many people, healing starts with understanding.

You read the books.
You listen to the podcasts.
You start to recognise your patterns.

And yet something still feels stuck.

If you have ever thought, “I know why I do this, so why can’t I change it?”, you are not alone.

In this episode of Riding the Trauma Train, Lydia is joined by trauma-informed somatic therapist and coach Hannah Rzysko to explore a powerful truth that is often missed in healing spaces.

Trauma is not just held in the mind. It is held in the body too.

What Does It Mean for Trauma to Be Held in the Body?

When we think about trauma, we often think about memories or events from the past.

But as Hannah explains, the nervous system stores experiences in a much deeper way.

From a young age, your body is constantly learning:

• Am I safe?
• Is it okay to speak up?
• What happens when I express emotion?
• What do I need to do to stay protected?

These experiences are not just remembered as thoughts. They become patterns in the nervous system.

So even if your life looks safe now, your body may still be responding based on what it learned back then.

This is why you might:

• Feel anxious in situations that seem fine
• Shut down in conversations
• Struggle with intimacy or connection
• Experience tightness in your chest or a knot in your stomach

Your body is not overreacting. It is responding based on past experience.

Why Mindset Work Is Not Always Enough

Understanding your trauma matters. Naming it matters. Talking about it matters.

But it is not always enough on its own.

Hannah explains that the nervous system does not primarily respond to logic or reasoning. It responds to felt experience.

So while your mind might say, “I am safe now”, your body might still be bracing for danger.

This is where many people feel stuck.

They are doing the work. They understand their patterns. But their body is still reacting automatically.

This is not failure. It is a sign that the body also needs support.

The Nervous System and Survival Responses

When the body perceives threat, it moves into survival mode.

This can look like:

• Fight, anger, frustration
• Flight, anxiety, restlessness
• Freeze, shutdown, numbness
• Fawning, people pleasing, over adapting

These responses are not conscious choices. They happen automatically.

Hannah describes the nervous system as something that is constantly scanning the environment, asking, “Am I safe or not?”

If the answer feels like not safe, the body responds instantly, often before the thinking mind has time to catch up.

This is why you can know something logically and still feel completely overwhelmed in your body.

When the Body Remembers What the Mind Has Moved Past

One of the most powerful parts of this conversation is understanding how the body can remember experiences long after they have passed.

For example, someone may consciously know they are safe in a relationship, but still feel their body tense, shut down or pull away during intimacy.

This is not because something is wrong with them.

It is because the body has learned that certain situations are unsafe, and it is trying to protect them.

These patterns can show up in all areas of life, including:

• Relationships
• Work and visibility
• Parenting
• Self expression
• Boundaries

Anger, Fear and the Body

Anger is something many people struggle with, and this episode explores it in a really helpful way.

For some, anger feels overwhelming, scary or unsafe.

But as Hannah explains, what many people experience is not just anger itself, but the body contracting around it.

When anger does not feel safe to express, the body tightens. This can feel like:

• A knot in the stomach
• Pressure in the chest
• Tension in the jaw or shoulders

The emotion itself is not the problem. It is the lack of safety around feeling it.

When the body begins to feel safer, emotions can move through more naturally.

The Window of Tolerance

A key concept in trauma healing is the window of tolerance.

This is the range in which you can experience emotions and stay present without becoming overwhelmed or shutting down.

Somatic healing is not about pushing yourself into intense feelings.

It is about gently expanding your capacity, bit by bit.

This might look like:

• Noticing a sensation in your body
• Staying with it for a moment
• Returning to a sense of safety
• Repeating this process over time

Healing happens in that back and forth, not in forcing yourself to feel everything at once.

Somatic Healing: A Gentler Approach

Somatic healing focuses on the body and nervous system, not just the mind.

It is not about reliving trauma or forcing release.

Instead, it is about:

• Building a sense of safety in the body
• Learning to notice sensations without overwhelm
• Reconnecting with your body in a gradual way
• Allowing stored stress or emotion to move when it feels safe to do so

This approach can feel very different from traditional talking therapies, especially for people who have spent years trying to think their way through their healing.

Safety, Dignity and Belonging

Hannah shares three core experiences that are often disrupted by trauma:

• Safety
• Dignity
• Belonging

When these are impacted, the body adapts in order to cope.

Part of healing is not just releasing what is held, but rebuilding these experiences within yourself and in your environment.

Seeing Yourself Differently

One of the most powerful shifts that can happen in this work is how you see yourself.

Many people carry shame about their reactions. They think:

• Why am I like this?
• I should be over this by now
• What is wrong with me?

But when you begin to understand your nervous system and your body’s responses, something changes.

Your reactions start to make sense.

Instead of seeing yourself as broken, you begin to see yourself as someone who adapted.

And that shift can be the beginning of a much kinder relationship with yourself.

You Do Not Have to Do This Alone

At the end of the episode, Hannah shares a simple but powerful message.

What you are feeling makes sense.
And you do not have to do this on your own.

Healing is not about forcing yourself through it alone.

It is about finding safe support, going gently, and allowing your body to learn that it does not have to stay in survival mode forever.

Final Thoughts

If you have been feeling stuck, overwhelmed, disconnected or frustrated with your healing journey, this episode is a reminder that there is nothing wrong with you.

Your body is doing what it learned to do to keep you safe.

And with the right support, that can begin to change.