The Body Keeps the Score: The Nervous System and the Capacity to Change

Listening to the Body After Trauma

Bessel van der Kolk’s The Body Keeps the Score helped popularize the idea that trauma affects more than our memories. It can also shape how we experience our bodies, relationships, emotions, and sense of safety.

The phrase “the body keeps the score” can help describe trauma’s lasting effects, but it doesn’t mean traumatic experiences are literally stored in our muscles or tissues. Experiences can shape how the brain and nervous system recognize and respond to danger. Those responses can show up as physical sensations.

After trauma, we may become especially sensitive to possible signs of danger. A change in someone’s tone, a delayed text, or tension during a disagreement may trigger anxiety, particularly if it echoes past experiences—even when the present situation is relatively safe. A racing heart, tight chest, or tense muscles can reinforce the feeling that something is wrong. The brain may be responding not only to what is happening now, but also to what it has learned to anticipate.

Making Room for Awareness

Somatic, or body-focused, approaches invite us to ask not only “What are you thinking?” but also “What are you noticing in your body?”

Learning to notice sensations with curiosity can help create space between feeling and response. This doesn’t mean forcing ourselves to stay with sensations that feel overwhelming. We can move at a manageable pace, pause when needed, and seek support.

The brain’s capacity to adapt through experience and learning, known as neuroplasticity, offers a source of hope. Over time, experiences of safety and connection, along with opportunities to practice new skills, can support more flexible ways of responding. Rest, movement, and setting boundaries may also play a role in that process.

Finding More Choice

As we develop this awareness, we might gently ask ourselves:

Can I feel anxious without immediately acting on the anxiety?

Can I experience conflict without assuming it means abandonment?

Can I notice an urge to withdraw and consider whether I need rest, space, or support?

These questions aren’t a test or a demand to respond perfectly. They are invitations to notice what is happening and consider what we need now. Healing doesn’t mean never feeling triggered. It can mean having more choices than the ones trauma taught us first.