Trauma Release: Science, Self-Compassion, and Practical Tools for Healing
- terrymilliken
- Aug 11
- 4 min read
By Terry Milliken, CCHt – Certified Clinical Hypnotherapist
Founder, Organic Hypnotherapy
Understanding Trauma: Why It Feels So Big
Trauma isn’t just about what happened, it’s about what happened inside of you as a result.When we face an overwhelming event, especially as children, our nervous system can be flooded with more input than it knows how to process.
Science shows the body reacts with fight, flight, freeze, or fawn (appease) responses, all driven by the amygdala and survival wiring. In overwhelming situations, you might:
Freeze and feel “stuck” or unable to move.
Flee (physically or mentally) from the situation.
Fight to regain control.
Fawn: people-pleasing to stay safe.
Dissociate: your brain temporarily “disconnects” to protect you, sometimes creating gaps in memory or replacing details.
For children, trauma can be especially intense because the prefrontal cortex (the brain’s rational, decision-making center) isn’t fully developed yet. This means big emotions or fear don’t get filtered the way they do in adults, they flood the body and mind completely.
How Trauma Lives in the Body
Neuroscientists like Dr. Bessel van der Kolk (author of The Body Keeps the Score) have shown that unprocessed trauma often gets stored as implicit memory: sensations, emotions, and body reactions without a clear storyline.
This can manifest as:
Chronic muscle tension
Anxiety or panic attacks
Emotional reactivity
Physical symptoms (headaches, digestive issues, fatigue)
Difficulty feeling safe or trusting others
The body becomes a messenger, saying:
“Something here needs to be seen, acknowledged, and loved.”
Awareness Is the First Step (Even if it Feels Like Going Backwards)
Becoming aware of your trauma patterns can feel like regression, you might suddenly remember details, feel emotions you thought you’d “gotten over,” or react more strongly than you expected.
This is not a setback.It’s your system finally feeling safe enough to bring these pieces into the light.Without awareness, trauma often continues to silently shape our choices, our relationships, and even our self-identity.
The Science of Healing: Why Brainwave States Matter
For deep release work, your brain needs to shift from high-alert beta waves into alpha (relaxed focus) or theta (meditative/creative) states.In theta, you can access the subconscious, where trauma memories, beliefs, and emotional imprints are stored, without overwhelming the nervous system.
That’s why each exercise below begins with a brief meditation or self-hypnosis preparation: to calm the body, quiet the analytical mind, and create safety for the deeper work.
Practical Trauma Release Exercises
Preparation for All Exercises: The Alpha-Theta Shift
Before doing any trauma work, spend 5 minutes on this:
Sit comfortably, eyes closed.
Inhale slowly for a count of 4, hold for 2, exhale for 6.
Imagine each exhale sending a wave of relaxation through your body.
Say to yourself: “It is safe for me to be here now.”
Let your mind settle into a slower, softer rhythm.
1. Inner Child Connection
Purpose: To give the younger you the validation, comfort, and safety you needed at the time.
Steps:
With eyes closed, visualize yourself as the age when the trauma happened.
See this younger you in a safe, warm environment.
Sit beside them. Offer a hug or words they needed to hear: “You are safe now. I’m here for you. None of this was your fault.”
Stay until you sense they feel calmer, lighter, or more relaxed.
Why it works: Research on memory reconsolidation shows that revisiting a memory while feeling safe can update the emotional imprint it carries.
2. Somatic Release Scan
Purpose: To release stored physical tension connected to trauma.
Steps:
In your relaxed state, slowly scan your body from head to toe.
Notice any areas of tightness, heaviness, or “holding.”
Place a hand over that area, breathe into it, and imagine warmth melting the tension.
Say silently: “It’s safe to let this go now.”
Why it works: Trauma often stays in the body as muscle contraction or visceral tension. Focused attention plus breath can activate the parasympathetic nervous system and release the grip.
3. Pattern Awareness Journal
Purpose: To spot recurring triggers and reframe them.
Steps:
When you notice a strong emotional reaction, write down:
What happened (the trigger)
What you felt (emotion)
What you did (reaction)
Ask: “When have I felt this before?”
Note any earlier memories this connects to.
Why it works: Awareness interrupts automatic neural pathways and begins to create choice instead of reflex.
4. The Safe Place Visualization
Purpose: To establish an inner “reset” point during overwhelming moments.
Steps:
In a relaxed state, imagine a place (real or imagined) where you feel completely safe and supported.
Fill in sensory details: sights, sounds, textures, scents.
Practice visiting this place daily so your nervous system learns to return to safety faster.
Why it works: Builds a neural anchor for calm, which you can access in moments of stress.
When Trauma Pops Up Again
It’s common to feel you’ve “dealt with” something, only for it to resurface later. This doesn’t mean you’ve failed, it means you’re seeing it from a new angle, like walking around a sculpture and noticing details you missed.
Each revisit can bring:
A new layer of release
A new perspective
Deeper compassion for yourself
Instead of frustration, try asking:“What is this here to teach me now?”
Why Hypnotherapy Accelerates Trauma Healing
Hypnotherapy allows you to:
Access the subconscious directly
Reframe experiences without re-traumatizing
Install new emotional responses
Strengthen your sense of safety and self-trust
When you work in alpha or theta states, your subconscious becomes more open to change, and old patterns can be replaced with healthier ones.
Final Word: Courage + Surrender
Facing trauma takes courage to look at the pain, and surrender to let go of controlling the process.Remember: your trauma does not define you, it’s one chapter in a much larger story. And with awareness, compassion, and the right tools, you can write the next chapters with intention and peace.
Terry Milliken
Comments