Episode 4: Trauma Overwhelms

In the first three episodes we covered what trauma is and how trauma interrupts our wholeness; now Leslie and Teddy explore the fourth statement of the Integrative Trauma and Healing Framework: “Trauma overwhelms our body-brain’s ability to integrate and cope.” 

They discuss the body-brain and break down what “overwhelm” feels like our personal and collective nervous systems —from daily micro-aggressions to national crises. And how breathing, being together, and co-regulation with trusted people are steps towards safety, agency, dignity, and belonging. This episode invites listeners to imagine a world where we don’t just survive trauma but actively shape conditions that make wholeness possible.

Referenced in this episode

Whole Again Pod, Episode 1: We Begin Whole

Whole Again Pod, Episode 2: We Embody Trauma

Whole Again Pod, Episode 3: Trauma Interrupts

"Whelmed" from Why Is English Awash in Sailors' Jargon? by Otherwords, PBS

“Emotional flooding” as defined by Dr. John Gottman in the 1990’s refers to a state of being overwhelmed by intense emotions, often during conflict or interpersonal stress. Physiologically, it’s marked by elevated heart rate (often over 100 bpm), activation of the sympathetic nervous system (fight/flight), shutdown of cognitive processing (difficulty thinking clearly, problem-solving, or listening), and strong impulses to escape, lash out, or shut down. The term "flooding" originally came out of behavioral therapies in the 1970’s (that have largely fallen out of use due to ethical concerns). In this context, “flooding” referred to deliberate, prolonged exposure to a feared stimulus without the option to escape, with the goal of extinguishing the fear response.

“Neurons that fire together wire together.” In 1949, psychologist Donald Hebb introduced the assembly theory of how the brain’s neurons respond to the same stimulus connecting preferentially to form neuronal ensembles.

Leslie used the word “degeneration” [13:10] and actually meant “degeneracy”. A concept that neurology has borrowed from quantum mechanics. “Degeneracy refers to the occurrence of different processes or structures leading to the same result.”

“Window of tolerance” is a psychological and neurobiological concept coined by psychiatrist Dr. Daniel J. Siegel, a clinical professor at UCLA School of Medicine, around 2011–2012 that refers to the optimal zone of arousal in which a person can function and respond to life's stressors effectively. When you're within this window, you can regulate emotions, think clearly, interact socially, and solve problems. However, if you slip outside, you'll enter hyper-arousal (heightened fight/flight- panic, anxiety, anger, hypervigilance) or hypo-arousal (shutdown/freeze- numbness, disconnection, dissociation).

Flipping Your Lid- A Scientific Explanation by Dr. Dan Siegel (of what happens in the amygdala when we are having a stress/threat/trauma response).

“Mirror neurons” are thought to underlie basic motor resonance—they help us imitate actions, recognize others’ behaviors, and possibly assist in speech perception via simulating observed or heard actions

How Emotions Are Made by Lisa Feldman Barrett 

“Settled bodies” - Resmaa Menakem

Liberated to the Bone: Histories. Bodies. Futures.