How to Calm Your Nervous System After a Trauma Trigger

Erika Baum
Sep 5
3 min read

Updated: Sep 16

Disclaimer: Apparently, I have to add this, this site shares general information and ideas — not therapy, professional advice, or mental health treatment. Reading here does not make me your therapist (imagine the paperwork if it did). As Ralph Waldo Emerson said, ‘A mind stretched by new ideas never returns to its original dimension.’ That’s the spirit of what you’ll find here. Read on, my friend.

When I sit with clients at Denver Attachment Counseling, one of the first things I remind them is this: you are not broken. If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed, shut down, or flooded after a trauma trigger, your nervous system is simply doing what it learned to do in order to keep you safe.

As someone who has worked with people healing from CPTSD, attachment trauma, or alcoholic households, I know how disorienting those moments can feel. The good news? There are ways to calm your nervous system, re-ground yourself, and begin creating new patterns of safety and connection.

Why Trauma Triggers Feel So Overpowering

When you’ve lived through attachment trauma, mother hunger, or the challenges of being an adult child of an alcoholic, your nervous system can get wired to expect danger—even in situations that are safe. That’s why a tone of voice, a look, or even a memory can feel like a threat.

This isn’t weakness. It’s biology. Your brain and body are working together to protect you from pain you’ve already known. Healing doesn’t mean erasing the past; it means teaching your nervous system that the present can be different.

Simple Practices to Calm Your Nervous System

When you feel triggered, here are some of the practices I often share in therapy:

1. Breathe Into Safety

Slow, intentional breathing is one of the fastest ways to calm your nervous system. Try inhaling for four counts, holding for four, and exhaling for six. This signals to your body that you are safe right now.

2. Orient to the Room

Look around and name five things you can see, four things you can touch, three things you can hear, two things you can smell, and one thing you can taste. This grounding exercise helps pull you back into the present.

3. Offer Yourself A Gentle Touch

Placing a hand over your heart or gently squeezing your arms can bring a sense of comfort. For those healing attachment styles shaped by trauma, this kind of nurturing self-touch can begin to rewire your nervous system toward safety.

4. Move Your Body

Sometimes trauma gets “stuck” in the body. A short walk, gentle stretching, or even shaking out your arms can help release the surge of adrenaline and cortisol that come with a trigger.

5. Remind Yourself of What’s True

Say out loud: “This is a trigger, not a threat. I am safe right now.” Your nervous system often needs the reassurance of your own voice.

Therapy as a Path to Nervous System Healing

While these practices can help in the moment, deep healing often requires more than quick tools. At Denver Attachment Counseling, I work with clients using EMDR, IFS, and attachment-based counseling to reprocess traumatic memories, shift survival patterns, and create new pathways of regulation.

Some of my clients also explore ketamine-assisted psychotherapy or spiritual integration therapy as part of their healing journey. These approaches can open powerful doorways for nervous system repair and whole-person healing.

You Don’t Have to Heal Alone

If you’re searching for Denver counseling, Denver trauma therapy, or Denver attachment counseling, know that support is here. Healing from CPTSD, attachment trauma, or the pain of mother hunger takes time, but it is possible.

I believe in the resilience of the human spirit. I’ve witnessed people go from survival mode to thriving, from disconnection to deep, authenticated relationships.

I’d love to walk alongside you in that journey.