The Biology of Trauma by with Dr. Aimie Apigian

Trauma is one of the most overlooked drivers of chronic illness and stalled healing, and it's not just psychological, new research is suggesting it is biological, too. In this episode, Dr. Melinda Ring talks to Dr. Aimie Apigian about how trauma reshapes the body and nervous system, drawing from Apigian's bestselling book, The Biology of Trauma. Together, they explore why creating safety in the body is essential to healing and how understanding trauma's biology can unlock a new path forward.  https://youtu.be/WhAfbdEJccY 00:00 – Why Trauma Healing Requires Mind, Body, and Biology 00:00:14 – Welcome to Next Level Health 00:00:45 – Could Trauma Be the Root Cause of Chronic Illness? 00:01:54 – Trauma Isn't Just Big Events—It's Chronic Overwhelm 00:03:04 – Nothing Is Wrong With Your Body: Removing Shame From Trauma 00:04:11 – When Love Feels Unsafe: How Trauma Shapes Relationships 00:07:09 – Burnout Isn't a Failure—It's a Trauma Pattern 00:08:02 – When the Body Finally Says No: Trauma and Autoimmune Disease 00:10:53 – Trauma Is a Biological Survival Response 00:14:53 – Do All Bodies React the Same Way to Trauma? 00:18:00 – The Five Stages of the Trauma Response 00:22:42 – Freeze and Shutdown Are Not Weakness 00:23:52 – How Trauma Gets Stored as Chronic Inflammation and Pain 00:27:38 – Trauma: The Missing Root Cause in Functional Medicine 00:28:31 – Trauma or Gut Health: Which One Comes First? 00:29:30 – Why Pushing Through Trauma Can Make You Sicker 00:31:23 – Healing Begins With Nervous System Safety 00:34:53 – Your Nervous System Is Always Listening 00:36:57 – How Trauma Patterns Get Passed Down (And How to Stop It) 00:41:14 – Simple Somatic Practices That Help the Body Feel Safe Again 00:43:30 – How to Gently Shift Out of Survival Mode 00:43:50 – A Hopeful Path Forward in Trauma and Chronic Illness Healing Subscribe to the channel here: https://www.youtube.com/@OCIHNorthwestern Follow the Osher Center for Integrative Health at Northwestern University here: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nmoshercenter/ Website: https://www.feinberg.northwestern.edu/sites/ocih/index.html Sign up for our newsletter: https://www.feinberg.northwestern.edu/sites/ocih/about-us/newsletter.html