The Evolution of Somatic Trauma Theory
Trauma theory has come a long way. Initially, the focus was on survival mechanisms, the body’s instinctual responses to threat. However, while ground-breaking, early trauma theories didn’t tell the whole story.
As we continue to learn, we realise that human trauma is not just about survival. It’s about love, identity, and relationship. It’s the tension between what we need to stay safe, and who or what failed to protect us. Understanding this shift in trauma theory is key to moving forward in our healing journey.
The Pioneers: Establishing the Groundwork
We owe much of our understanding of trauma to pioneers such as Stephen Porges, Peter Levine, and Bessel van der Kolk. Their work introduced us to a powerful and transformative concept: trauma doesn’t just exist in the mind; it’s stored in the body.
These early insights helped us:
Recognise the body’s autonomic responses—fight, flight, freeze, shutdown.
Understand how trauma disrupts the body’s ability to return to safety.
Introduce the idea that trauma is energy that gets trapped in the body.
This body-first understanding of trauma was essential. But, it’s not the whole picture.
Why Early Trauma Theory Doesn’t Fully Address Human Experience
Humans aren’t just biological entities—they are:
Attachment-driven.
Time-bound, with rich, layered memories and narratives.
Meaning-makers whose identity is shaped through relationships.
For example, a child doesn’t freeze in response to an external predator—they freeze because the person they love and rely on for safety is also the one who causes them harm. In many cases, the trauma lies not in escaping danger, but in loving the wrong person or being betrayed by someone who should have protected them.
Humans don’t just survive trauma and forget it. Trauma is woven into the fabric of our identity. It shapes our relationship patterns, and its effects continue to repeat until they are grieved and integrated.
The Human Side of Trauma: Attachment, Identity, and Love
Somatic trauma theory now recognises that trauma, particularly developmental and relational trauma, requires more than just somatic discharge. We must explore:
Attachment-based trauma: How trauma manifests in relational patterns—like fawning, collapse, compliance, and fusion—not just fight or flight.
The temporal nature of trauma: How early relational fractures create lifelong distortions in our relationships and sense of self.
Narrative and grief: Understanding the importance of processing grief and rewriting our life stories as part of recovery.
The symbolic and spiritual dimensions of healing, which go beyond biology to reconnect us with our soul and purpose.
Trauma is not just a response to external danger, it’s a rupture in the process of becoming. It’s about what we needed to develop as whole, safe individuals, and what we were deprived of in the process.
The Future of Trauma Healing: Integrating Somatic and Relational Wisdom
As trauma theory evolves, so must the practices we use to heal. Somatic intelligence alone is not enough; it must be expanded into relational wisdom. We need to broaden our understanding of nervous system literacy to include grief literacy, identity repair, and emotional integration.
No longer can we view trauma purely through the lens of survival. We must acknowledge the human need for connection, attachment, and healing through relational experiences.
A New Paradigm: How Trauma Lives in the Human Nervous System
Somatic trauma recovery is no longer just about regulating survival responses. It’s about healing relational ruptures, restoring balance, and allowing trauma to become integrated into our stories rather than controlling them.
To truly heal, we must see trauma as:
A rupture in the natural rhythm of development.
A fracture in the mirror of early relationships.
A repetition of unresolved grief until wholeness is restored.
This is the new chapter of trauma recovery, and it’s beginning now. Relational healing, alongside somatic healing, is where true recovery starts.