The Biology of Trauma- How to Recognize and Release It With Dr. Aimie Apigian

Episode Highlights with Aimie

• Why she started this line of study after she foster parented while in medical school
• Assumptions about trauma that turned out to be all wrong
• The reason therapy might not be the solution, or certainly not the only one
• How trauma is connected to our physical health and why this matters so much
• Creating inner safety… and why this sounds so simple but can be tough to actually do
• What trauma is in the body. And how do we actually make our bodies feel safe?
• Why creating safety isn’t just in the mind and how to address this in the body
• How to begin to recognize trauma in ourselves and in our children
• Trauma stored in the body will always trigger survival mechanisms that can be subtle coping mechanisms or patterns of disconnection
• The physical reactions that can be tied to trauma including skin reactions, digestive issues, immune system, brain inflammation, and more
• What generational trauma is and how it supports the biological impact of trauma 
• How oxidative stress impacts the body, even epigenetically 
• What it means to complete a trauma response and why this is important 
• When we have a trauma response, it means we felt powerless, alone, and trapped
• The nervous system component of healing 
• What ventral vagal/parasympathetic is and why it is helpful for healing

Resources Mentioned

• 21 Day Journey program
• Biology of Trauma book 
• Biology of Trauma podcast