You might get discouraged when you think you’ve been improving but suddenly an old trauma response happens, and that’s understandable. However, it doesn’t necessarily mean you are backsliding.
Often an old trauma response recurs during times of stress or overwhelm. At these times, the nervous system is short on resources. It goes straight to the old responses, the ones that were tried and true earlier in your life.
Learning new ways to respond does not erase old patterns. Instead, the nervous system gradually develops additional options. During difficult periods, it may temporarily rely more heavily on familiar responses because they require less effort and they reduce uncertainty.
A more helpful way to measure improvement may be to notice how quickly you recognize the trauma response, how effectively you respond to it, and how often you can choose a different path when circumstances allow.
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.
Explore more:
- Questions about Why Trauma Responses Happen Even When You’re Safe
- Why Doesn’t My Body Believe that I’m Safe Now?
- Why Can’t I “Just Get Over” Past Trauma?
- Why Your Nervous System Reacts the Way It Does
- Trauma Responses in Daily Life
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