You may not feel safe even when you are because the thinking parts of the brain and the threat-detection parts of the brain do not always agree. The sense that you could be in danger often comes from automatic threat-detection systems, whereas knowledge that you are safe comes from conscious thinking areas of the brain.
If you grew up in an environment where calm or quiet or closeness was merely the prelude to danger or harm, your nervous system may have learned that those conditions meant danger. Even though your circumstances are different now, your nervous system is still going by that prior learning.
In dissociative systems, some parts may understand that you are safe while other parts still feel trapped, threatened, or afraid. This can lead to confusing experiences of feeling endangered even when safe.
This page is part of the Why Do Trauma Responses Show Up Even When You Know You’re Safe section of the CommuniDID site, which explains why the nervous system continues protective responses long after the original threat has passed.
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