The Adaptive Nature of Trauma Responses: Unpacking Your Suitcase of Survival

In trauma therapy, one of the most empowering shifts we can make is to alter how we perceive our trauma responses. Instead of viewing them as signs of dysfunction or deficit, we can adopt the perspective that they are adaptations born from our body's evolutionary creativity and genius. In exploring trauma responses as adaptive, I don’t wish to glorify or diminish the very real and painful challenges that living with the legacy of trauma can have on one’s life. My hope is to simply invite a different perspective that trauma symptoms are signs of weakness, dysfunction, or deficit - or that you are broken, or “crazy”. When in fact, when you experience trauma, what we come to know and call symptoms are adaptive responses that our ancestors have honed over millennia to survive, it’s your body's innate wisdom trying to protect and preserve you amidst challenging circumstances.

During an amazing training I took with Ana Gomez, she offered up this beautiful metaphor of the adaptive nature of trauma being like the protective clothing we wear if we lived in the north pole. I give credit and thanks to Ana for her wisdom as I share her metaphor below.

Imagine for a moment that you've been living in a harsh, cold climate. The biting cold, the snowstorms, and the icy paths all demand that you wear layers upon layers of clothing. Over time, you learn to pack on more layers, to choose the thickest scarves, the warmest gloves, and the most insulated boots. This is an adaptive response. It's your way of surviving the hostile environment.

In the same way, when you face traumatic experiences, especially during formative years, your body, mind, heart, and spirit layer up with protective mechanisms. Hypervigilance, difficulty trusting others, and feelings of detachment, among others, are like the layers you wear in the cold—they're there to protect you.

The problem arises when these adaptive responses remain activated long after the threat has subsided. It's akin to wearing all your heavy winter clothing, even when you've moved to a sunny, tropical paradise. Suddenly, those thick layers, which were once lifesaving, become burdensome. They make you sweat, feel uncomfortable, and prevent you from enjoying the warmth on your skin.

Similarly, if your mind and body continue to operate in trauma mode—always on alert, always ready to protect—even when there's no imminent threat, it can lead to chronic issues and disturbances in your daily life. Your body's defenses, invaluable during traumatic experiences, might now feel like barriers to connecting with others, to experiencing joy, and to living life to the fullest. They may even be at the source of behaviours that, although the protective intention is good, can cause harm to yourself or others such as self-harming behaviours, addiction, violence, or disordered eating.

Take a moment to think of a trauma response you've experienced and try to view it through this lens of adaptation. Feel the weight of generations of survival and ancestral wisdom pulsating within that response. Notice any shift in emotions, thoughts, or sensations as you explore this perspective. Does it inspire a sense of awe towards the intricate workings of your body? Does it help in dispelling some of the shame or distress linked to these symptoms? Notice if you can experience even a slight softening towards yourself.

In trauma therapy, we don’t try to shed these adaptive responses as if they were bad or wrong. After all, they served a pivotal role at some point in your life, and you may need them again in the face of any potential threats in the future. Instead, we focus on helping you understand your body's wisdom, to appreciate its adaptive nature, and to gently guide it towards safety and discernment.

Through building consistent connections—with a therapist, supportive community, or safe relationships—you can offer your body repeated experiences of safety. Over time, your body, with its innate resilience, can relearn to identify when it's genuinely in a cold, threatening environment that requires all those protective layers and when it's safe to enjoy the warmth, unburdened.

If you are a trauma survivor, I invite you to carry this perspective with you. Your trauma responses are not signs of brokenness but testimonies of your body's ingenious strategies for survival. By embracing this viewpoint, you can change your relationship with trauma and honor the deep-rooted strength and resilience that's been part of humanity's story—and your story—for ages.

In your moments of struggle or self-doubt, lean into this reframing. Celebrate the evolutionary marvel that is your body. And remember, your body, in its wisdom, always aims for your well-being, even if the methods it uses are sometimes puzzling.