Researchers and practitioners alike have come a long way over the past decade in terms of understanding how trauma memory is stored in the cells of our body, can be passed down through generations, and, most importantly, can be healed by working on the body and not just our thoughts.

Today, I listened to Dr. Tom O’Bryan interviewing Dr. Aimie Apagian in a podcast on trauma and the body. I appreciate that what they have to say is approachable for the public–in language choices and in their way of making it understandable to a general audience.  If you’re interested in the subject, you can find a recording of it here. I am not connected with them in any way; I just like what they have to say. Dr. Apagian is particularly qualified to speak on the subject of trauma, not only as a physician who specializes in trauma healing, but as someone whose family survived the genocide in Armenia and as the mother of an adopted child.

There are so many other authorities and good books on the subject of how trauma is embodied.  Two of my favorite are: The Pocket Guide to the Polyvagal Theory–the Transformative Power of Feeling Safe, by Stephen Porges and When the Body Says No, by Dr. Gabor Maté. Dr. Maté, like Dr. Apagian, has first-hand knowledge of trauma after being separated from his mother in Hungary during World War II. Of course, Dr. Bessel van der Kolk’s work on trauma is among the best. Check out The Body Keeps the Score.