From Grief to Grace: Functional Medicine and Trauma Recovery

Traumatic experiences in life can cast a long shadow—one that reaches into the body, the brain and even future health.

Living with beauty and loss

In life, we encounter beauty in many forms. Each season brings new friendships, love in its many expressions, and cherished memories that stay with us for a lifetime. But life also brings loss and other impactful experiences that leave their mark.

These life-altering events can leave deep imprints—not only in our memory, but in our bodies, our nervous systems, and even in our gene expression. Trauma can become embedded on a cellular level and significantly influence our immune system, our physiology, and our ability to feel safe and connected.

The imprint of trauma on body and mind

Some events are so profound that they permanently alter the course of our lives—or even our collective history. Think of the Second World War or the attacks of 9/11: collective traumas that shaped how we experience safety, time and identity. These events create a clear sense of life before and after.

But trauma also leaves deep marks on a smaller scale. Within families or communities, patterns of fear and survival are sometimes passed down across generations—often unconsciously. Research on transgenerational trauma shows that trauma doesn’t only affect those who directly experienced it; its effects can ripple through to children and grandchildren, both psychologically and biologically.

How trauma becomes stored in the body

As trauma expert Dr. Bessel van der Kolk has shown: “The body keeps the score.” Trauma is not only held in memory, but also in the body—in muscles, nerves, hormones, fascia, and behavioural patterns. Fascia, the connective tissue that runs throughout the body, is particularly responsive to stress and unresolved emotional tension. When chronically tense, it can contribute to pain, limited mobility, and the sense of being ‘trapped’ in one’s own body.

Trauma shapes how we feel, how we react, and how we relate to others—long after the event itself has passed.

The downward spiral of unresolved trauma

Trauma often begins with an overwhelming experience: fear, helplessness, disconnection. When someone cannot fight or flee, the nervous system may shift into shutdown, fragmentation or chronic overdrive. Some individuals gradually regain their balance. Others remain caught in what the body still remembers.

When the nervous system is stuck in overactivation, it becomes difficult to feel calm or connected. The body stays in a state of alertness, and the mind struggles to find rest. Many people develop physical or psychological symptoms, often without linking them to earlier experiences of trauma.

What begins as a protective response can evolve into a vicious cycle of hormonal imbalance, immune disruption, inflammation, and nervous system exhaustion. Even our gene expression is affected: trauma-related changes have been identified in genes such as FKBP5, NR3C1, BDNF, and IL-6, which are involved in stress regulation, mood, inflammation and resilience.

When trauma keeps repeating itself

When these patterns persist, they can lead to symptoms often associated with post-traumatic stress. Although each experience is unique, common signs include:

• Flashbacks, nightmares, or intrusive memories
• Irritability, exaggerated startle responses, or hypervigilance
• Sleep disturbances or chronic fatigue
• Avoidance of reminders of the event
• Low mood, emotional numbness, or difficulty concentrating
• Physical symptoms such as tension, stomach pain, or heart palpitations

Even without a formal diagnosis, these symptoms can strongly impact daily life. The nervous system remains stuck in survival mode, making rest and connection difficult to access.

Trauma and unexplained health complaints

Recovery requires more than time or insight—it requires conditions of safety in which the body and mind can begin to regulate again. At DNA Care, I support this process with a personalised and integrative approach, adapted to your unique situation and needs.

Many of my clients have a long history in regular healthcare, often with unexplained symptoms that lack a clear diagnosis. In many of these cases, unresolved trauma, chronic stress or nervous system dysregulation plays a significant role in the persistence of symptoms.

Trauma through the lens of Functional Medicine

At DNA Care, I work from the perspective of Functional Medicine: a systems-based approach that looks beyond symptoms to the root causes of imbalance. Within this model, trauma is not viewed solely as a psychological issue, but as a whole-body event—affecting immunity, hormonal regulation, digestive health, energy metabolism and gene expression.

And it’s precisely in the connection between physiology and personal history that the first movement toward healing often begins.

A Functional Medicine approach to trauma-related symptoms

In my work, I investigate disruptions in regulatory systems such as the nervous system, hormones, mitochondria, and the immune response. In trauma recovery, I pay special attention to how these systems may have been altered—particularly the HPA axis, neurotransmitters, fascia and microbiome.

In addition to advanced diagnostics and nutrition-based support, I integrate body-based techniques such as EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques). These can support the recovery of an overwhelmed nervous system. Many clients report gradually regaining inner calm, resilience and quality of life.

Calming the nervous system

When the nervous system is chronically overstimulated, its ability to shift between activation and rest becomes impaired. Recovery then requires not just awareness, but the slow release of deeply held tension. Over time, many clients regain access to calm, clarity and connection. What once felt overwhelming may gradually lose its intensity—and space for healing can emerge.

Neuroplasticity: the brain’s capacity to change

The brain is not fixed—it continuously adapts. This ability, known as neuroplasticity, allows neural networks to reorganise in response to experience. Not only in learning, but also in recovery.

Chronic stress can engrain patterns in the nervous system: stimuli are perceived as threatening, and the ability to self-regulate diminishes. But these patterns are not permanent. By repeatedly offering safe, predictable signals—such as breath, touch, rhythm and relationship—the brain can begin to activate new pathways. Overactive circuits gradually settle, making healing possible on a neurological level.

Post-traumatic growth: what healing can bring

Trauma changes people—but so does recovery. Neurologist and trauma expert Dr. Robert Scaer describes how some individuals, after working through trauma, rediscover a deeper sense of direction, strength and connection. This form of growth doesn’t arise by forgetting what happened, but by integrating the experience in a restorative way.

Post-traumatic growth is not a goal in itself, but a potential outcome of inner healing—when the nervous system begins to feel safe again, and the body and mind are finally able to move from survival toward life.

Collaborative care

Trauma-related complaints often benefit from multidisciplinary support. When appropriate, I collaborate with other professionals—such as trauma therapists, integrative physicians or somatic specialists—to ensure you receive care that is both medically grounded and personally aligned.

Final words

Healing from trauma is rarely linear, but always possible. Even when the past still feels present, recovery can open up step by step toward a new perspective.

Healing from trauma begins when the body feels safe enough to stop reliving the past—so the mind can start imagining a future.

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