The Biology of Trauma: Why Your Body Holds On When Your Mind Has Healed with Dr. Aimie Apigian

Sep 9, 2025

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In this special reverse interview episode, my friend and colleague Steven Wright from Healthy Gut interviews me about the core concepts from my upcoming book, The Biology of Trauma. Steven understands the somatic work, the parts work, the biology, the capacity, and the overwhelm from his own healing journey, making this conversation uniquely insightful.

I share stories I haven't told anywhere else - including my keto diet disaster during surgery residency that became my first clue about the biology of trauma. We explore why I rewrote this book seven times, how I discovered I had all three major biochemical imbalances, and the painful decision to place my adopted son Miguel in a different home - the grief that ultimately led to my autoimmune diagnosis and this entire body of work.

Key Topics & Timestamps

[00:00] The Eight Drafts of the book: Dr. Aimie's journey as an author
[04:12] Beyond ACEs Scores: Why we can become obsessed with our score
[08:36] Capacity is Everything: Understanding your nervous system's dynamic capacity
[13:47] The Biology Block: How Dr. Aimie discovered her own biology was sabotaging her trauma healing
[21:55] The Pain Equation: When humans decide to change
[25:44] Perception vs. Reality: How we create mountains from molehills
[28:19] The Healing Timeline: Why trauma work doesn't have to be a lifelong journey
[34:04] Safety First: The critical sequence for healing trauma without retraumatization
[37:18] Stress vs. Trauma: The crucial distinction that changes everything
[38:18] Miguel's Story: The heartbreaking adoption journey that changed Dr. Aimie

Main Takeaways

The Three-Legged Stool: True trauma healing requires addressing psychological, emotional, AND biological aspects simultaneously
Biology Keeps You Stuck: Inflammation, oxidative stress, and biochemical imbalances create internal danger signals that perpetuate trauma responses
Capacity Changes Moment to Moment: Your nervous system's capacity is dynamic and requires constant awareness, not just daily check-ins
Perception Creates Your Reality: Your body responds to your perception of danger, not actual danger - making that molehill into a mountain
The Right Sequence Matters: Creating safety must come before attempting to process trauma, or symptoms worsen
Fast Healing is Possible: When addressing all three domains properly, healing happens faster than medication with only positive "side effects"

Notable Quotes

"If something makes you sick, that is not stress. Let's call it for what it is. That is your body having gone into a trauma response."

"Our capacity is not being measured up against our reality, it's being measured up against our perceptions."

"The pain of staying the same has to become so bad that we're willing to undergo the pain of change."

"If their body had already felt safe, it would have already opened up all of this stuff and let all of these emotions and trauma go. It hasn't felt safe."

Episode Takeaway

Trauma healing doesn't have to be a lifelong journey. By understanding that trauma lives in your biology - not just your mind - and following the proper sequence of safety, support, then expansion, you can heal faster than traditional approaches suggest. The key is addressing all three aspects: psychological, emotional, and biological, rather than focusing on just one.

Resources Related To This Episode

Resources/Guides:

Biology of Trauma book - Bonuses are available when you Pre-order now.
Go Deeper With Dr. Aimie with The Biology of Trauma Book (available only until September 22nd):
- Guided Seeker: Get the Workbook + Mastercourse to go with the book - walking you through each chapter's key concepts
- Accelerated Implementer: Everything above + live half-day online group intensive with Dr. Aimie for implementation support
- Fast Track Professional: Everything above + one full day in-person with Dr. Aimie at her home to identify your biggest personal block to your next level of healing and regulation as a professional and guide for others
Foundational Journey - If you want to be guided through The Essential Sequence laid out in the Roadmap and the book, join me and my team for this 6 week journey into your inner world with practical somatic and parts self-practices to lay your foundation to do the deeper work safely. These are the daily practices I have found that change one’s biology and health symptoms the fastest.
Steven Wright - Healthy Gut - Learn more about Steven's gut-brain support products: HoloZyme™ digestive enzymes with dual-strain activation technology, Tributyrin-X™ for microbiome diversity and gut lining health, and HCL Guard™ for protein digestion support

Related Episode:

Episode 122: Shutdown Before Stress: The Misstep in Trauma Healing That Often Gets Missed