When Your Body Doesn’t Feel Safe: Relearning Body Signals After Trauma

Interoception and Trauma: Relearning Your Body’s Signals After Trauma

Trauma doesn’t only live in memory or emotion—it also lives in the body. Many people who have experienced trauma find themselves disconnected from bodily sensations, overwhelmed by them, or unsure how to interpret what their body is trying to communicate. This process of noticing, interpreting, and responding to internal body signals is known as interoception, and it plays a crucial role in trauma recovery.

At Downtown Psychological Services, our NYC-based group psychotherapy practice integrates trauma-informed, somatic, and evidence-based approaches to help individuals reconnect with their bodies in safe, meaningful ways. Understanding interoception can be a powerful first step toward healing.

What Is Interoception?

Interoception refers to the brain’s ability to sense and interpret signals coming from inside the body. These signals include:

Hunger and fullness

Heart rate and breathing

Muscle tension or relaxation

Temperature

Pain or discomfort

Emotional sensations (such as butterflies in the stomach or tightness in the chest)

Healthy interoception allows us to recognize our needs and respond appropriately—resting when we’re tired, eating when we’re hungry, or seeking support when we’re overwhelmed. Trauma, however, can disrupt this internal awareness.

How Trauma Impacts Interoception

After trauma, the nervous system often remains in a state of survival. For some people, this means heightened sensitivity to bodily sensations, where even minor physical cues feel intense or alarming. For others, it means numbness or disconnection—an adaptive response when sensations once felt unsafe or overwhelming.

Common trauma-related interoceptive challenges include:

Difficulty identifying emotions or bodily needs

Chronic tension, pain, or gastrointestinal issues

Panic attacks or anxiety triggered by bodily sensations

Dissociation or feeling “out of” one’s body

Ignoring hunger, fatigue, or pain cues

These patterns are not signs of weakness; they are protective responses shaped by the nervous system to help someone survive.

Why Relearning Body Signals Matters in Trauma Therapy

Reconnecting with interoception is a cornerstone of trauma-informed therapy. When clients learn to notice and interpret body signals safely, they gain:

Increased emotional regulation

Greater sense of agency and control

Improved ability to self-soothe

Stronger mind-body connection

Reduced anxiety and trauma symptoms

Rather than forcing awareness, effective trauma therapy helps clients gently rebuild trust with their bodies at a pace that feels safe.

Interoception and the Nervous System

Interoception is closely tied to the autonomic nervous system, which governs our fight, flight, freeze, and rest responses. Trauma can keep the body stuck in states of hyperarousal (anxiety, panic, agitation) or hypoarousal (shutdown, numbness, exhaustion).

By improving interoceptive awareness, individuals can begin to recognize early signs of nervous system activation and respond with grounding, regulation, or support before becoming overwhelmed.

How Trauma Therapy Can Help Restore Interoception

At our NYC group therapy practice, our clinicians use a range of evidence-based and somatic approaches to support interoceptive healing, including:

Somatic therapy to increase body awareness and regulation

Trauma-informed care that prioritizes safety and consent

Mindfulness-based practices adapted for trauma survivors

EMDR and other trauma-focused modalities

Cognitive and relational approaches that integrate body-based insights

Therapy may involve learning to track sensations, differentiate between past and present danger, and develop compassionate curiosity toward the body’s responses.

Rebuilding Trust With Your Body After Trauma

Healing interoception is not about “pushing through” discomfort or forcing body awareness. It’s about:

Moving slowly and intentionally

Noticing sensations without judgment

Learning which signals belong to the present moment

Developing tools to regulate distress

Reclaiming the body as a source of information, not danger

Over time, many people find that their bodies become allies rather than adversaries in their healing process.

Trauma Therapy in NYC

If trauma has impacted your relationship with your body, you are not alone—and support is available. At Downtown Psychological Services, our diverse team of clinicians offers trauma-informed therapy for individuals, couples, and families in NYC. We integrate somatic approaches, relational therapy, and evidence-based modalities to support deep, sustainable healing.

If you’re curious about how therapy can help you reconnect with your body and restore interoceptive awareness, please reach out to schedule a free 10-15 minute consultation call with our intake team.