7 Ways Trauma Shows Up in Your Energy

When we hear the word trauma, it can often make one think of something intense or dramatic. While sometimes it is, having trauma within your energy is often seen in your reactions and behaviors and even your overall well-being, or lack there of.

Even if you do not see yourself as “traumatized,” that can sometimes mean that you are minimizing your own experiences because you compare them to others. “They had it so much worse” may be true, but it does not mean your body is not holding trauma energy. It also does not mean your pain is any less real.

Here are some of the most common ways unresolved trauma shows up energetically.

1. Sudden Emotional Reactions

You might find yourself reacting strongly to things that seem small or unexpected. Maybe a comment someone makes or their tone of voice might remind your body of something old.

Energetically, this happens when stored experiences are activated before the mind has time to catch up. The body remembers what the conscious mind may not. These reactions are how the body shares signals to you that something has been activated.

How to start shifting the energy to support you: Pause and orient. Instead of analyzing the reaction, gently bring awareness to your body. Place a hand on your chest or belly and name what you feel physically. This helps the nervous system recognize that you are present and you are safe.

2. Chronic Fatigue

This is more than being tired. It is a deep exhaustion that does not fully lift with rest or sleep.

When your nervous system has spent a long time in survival mode, a significant amount of energy goes toward staying alert or prepared. Over time, that constant internal effort drains your life force. In my personal experiences, as well as those with clients, this often coincides with an autoimmune disease. The body starts to energetically shut down in order to preserve your other reserves. It takes time to heal as it did not happen overnight, but please know that healing is possible.

How to start shifting the energy to support you: This one will vary by person, especially if also challenged by autoimmune symptoms. Chronic fatigue is a drained energy, so replenishment it is key. One question I ask, have you been able to allow your body to rest without feeling guilt? It is amazing how often guilt is the underlying energy.

3. Feeling Numb or Detached

Instead of feeling too much, you may feel very little. This is often termed as disassociation.

Energetically, numbness is a protective response. When feeling became overwhelming or unsafe, your system learned to disconnect. Your body has become hard wired to disconnect in order to stay safe.

How to start shifting the energy to support you: Slow reconnection. Rather than trying to “feel more,” focus on sensation. Start to notice the small details in things such as temperature, smells, and sounds. Start to extend these reflections about people and mannerisms. It is best if you can do this without going too in depth as it can sometimes spark judgement. You are working on awareness. Safety must come before emotional access.

4. Anxiety Around Safety

You may feel uneasy even when things are going well. Relaxation feels unfamiliar and trust does not come easily.

This underlying anxiety often lives in the body rather than the mind. The energy system stays alert because it learned that safety wasn’t guaranteed and it is scanning the field for a theat. Calm can feel foreign when chaos was once normal. This is often why people struggle in relationships that feel “boring” because their nervous systems are hard wired for chaos.

How to start shifting the energy to support you: Practice allowing calm in small doses. Notice moments of neutrality or quiet and allow your system the space to learn that peace does not mean danger.

5. Difficulty Speaking Your Truth

You may know what you feel or need, but struggle to express it. You second-guess yourself and do not always know the “right” thing to say.

Trauma can create energetic constriction around self-expression. This is magniified for those that were punished or even rejected for speaking up. Silence is a form of safety, even when it no longer serves you.

How to start shifting the energy to support you: Start by telling the truth to yourself. Journaling or speaking aloud when alone are both great starts to help heal this energy. Expressing without an audience helps loosen the energetic hold. Expression can be practiced privately before it is shared outwardly.

6. Emotional Shutdown in Intimacy

Closeness may trigger withdrawal or the urge to pull away. You might want connection, but feel overwhelmed once it’s there.

Intimacy requires presence and openness, but this can feel unsafe when your body associates closeness with pain or loss. Energetically, this looks like contraction rather than connection.

How to start shifting the energy to support you: Go slowly and stay in your body. Notice when contraction begins and allow space instead of forcing closeness. Healthy intimacy includes pacing and choice.

7. Repeating Patterns in Relationships

You may notice the same dynamics showing up again and again, even with different people.

Trauma imprints familiarity into the energy field. What feels known often feels safer than what is unknown, even if it is painful. Until these patterns are brought into awareness, the body continues to seek what it recognizes.

How to start shifting the energy to support you: People often ask, “What is wrong with me?” I recommend to instead start asking, “What feels familiar here?” Awareness begins to loosen the energetic loop.

If you feel called to go deeper with this work, I offer energy readings and healing sessions where we explore your seven main chakras and listen to the story your body wants to share.

Your body already knows what it needs and sometimes it just needs space to be heard.

If you want to explore why and how trauma lives in your energy body, not just how it shows up, you can read more in my post Healing from Unresolved Trauma: Understanding and Releasing Trapped Energy.