Why You’re Not Broken: The Science Behind Your Reactions to Trauma

When your hands shake for no reason… when you snap at your kids after shift… when you feel like you’re “outside your body”—you may wonder if you’re broken. But trauma responses are survival strategies. Your nervous system is doing exactly what it was wired to do: protect you.

You didn’t choose to be in danger, but your body chose to keep you safe. Numbness, hypervigilance, emotional shutdown—they’re not character flaws. They’re biological responses to prolonged exposure.

You’re not broken. You’re responding like any human would. And you can heal.