Trauma: Understanding the Impact, Reclaiming Your Strength

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🌱 The Weight We Carry, Even When We Keep Moving

You can live through something and still carry it with you. Trauma isn’t always loud or obvious — sometimes it hides behind overreaction, exhaustion, tension, or the sense that you're not quite yourself. Whether it comes from a single event or a long season of hardship, trauma changes how you think, feel, and move through the world. But the impact doesn’t have to be permanent.

This week, we’re exploring trauma from every angle. How it affects your brain, body, and nervous system. What the latest research says about psychological and physical recovery. And how the five pillars of Tiger Resilience can guide the healing process in a grounded, practical way.

We’ll also explore what resistance training has to do with physical trauma prevention and the powerful role of exercise in emotional recovery. From science to storytelling to real-world tools, this issue is here to meet you where you are and offer a framework for moving forward.

What Is Trauma?

Trauma is not just what happened. It’s what stays with you — in your thoughts, your nervous system, and how you move through the world. According to the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), trauma is “an event, series of events, or circumstances experienced as physically or emotionally harmful or life-threatening, with lasting adverse effects on an individual’s functioning and well-being.”

In simple terms, trauma overwhelms your ability to cope. It can result from a single moment like an accident or assault, or from prolonged exposure to stress such as emotional abuse, neglect, or chronic instability. What matters most is not just the event, but how helpless, unsafe, or out of control you felt during and after it.

Everyone reacts differently. Some people become hyperalert, anxious, or easily triggered. Others may freeze, shut down, or disconnect from their emotions entirely. These are not flaws. They are human adaptations — protective responses from a nervous system doing its best to survive.

✅ Trauma is not defined by the event itself but by the impact it leaves behind

✅ It can be acute (a single incident), chronic (repeated over time), or complex (multiple overlapping events, often starting in childhood)

✅ Emotional trauma can be just as significant as physical trauma

✅ Trauma is subjective — what deeply affects one person might not affect another the same way

✅ The body often remembers what the mind tries to forget

Understanding trauma begins by recognizing these responses as valid. You are not broken. You adapted. And with the right tools, those same systems can be recalibrated and healed.

Michael’s Perspective: Redefining Trauma, Reclaiming Resilience

When I think about what’s been truly traumatic in my life, one memory comes up first — the time I was shot in the leg during a training run in high school.

If you’ve been with us for a while, you might remember the story. I was running in the woods, and a hunter’s misfire sent buckshot flying in my direction. A tree took most of the hit, and just one pellet lodged into my left calf. It was the closest I’ve ever come to what people might call a “near-death experience.” And yet, I’ve never felt like that moment left a traumatic imprint on me.

I didn’t develop fear, hypervigilance, or any of the emotional aftershocks we often associate with trauma. In fact, I was so unaffected that I leaned into the attention — eager to get in front of the news cameras and spin it into something that might boost my future running career. It became more of a personal anecdote than a psychological wound.

That doesn’t mean I’m immune to trauma. It means that trauma isn’t just about what happens — it’s about what happens inside of us as a result. And for me, that moment didn’t carry the weight that trauma often does.

But here’s where I think we’re getting it wrong today: social media has flattened the definition of trauma. We use the word to describe everything from awkward conversations to mild disappointments. And while I never want to minimize anyone’s pain, I also think it’s dangerous when discomfort and trauma are treated as the same thing.

That’s a mistake.

When everything is trauma, we train our nervous system to see threat everywhere. We become hyperreactive, constantly scanning, and stuck in survival mode. This doesn’t just affect our mood — it reshapes our brain. Studies show that overactivation of the amygdala and underregulation from the prefrontal cortex leads to chronic stress, emotional dysregulation, and learned helplessness.

Resilience, to me, comes from something different:

✅ Seeing stressors for what they are — not denying them, but not inflating them either

✅ Expanding our view — finding nuance instead of reducing every negative moment to a crisis

✅ Making meaning on the other side — not through denial, but through reflection and intentional growth

Flattening trauma does the opposite. It narrows our response, trains the brain to overreact, and confuses hardship with injury. And that confusion takes a toll on our ability to truly heal when something serious does happen.

I say this with full respect for people who carry deep wounds. Trauma is real. It is valid. And it deserves to be treated with the depth and care it demands. But resilience also means learning to tell the difference — not as a dismissal, but as a discipline.

If we’re going to grow stronger, we have to build capacity for discomfort. We have to sharpen our ability to regulate, reflect, and recover. Not everything that hurts is trauma. Sometimes, it’s stress. Sometimes, it’s challenge. Sometimes, it’s just life.

And sometimes, it’s an opportunity to expand.

“The wound on Tiger’s leg (shown above) is a steady reminder of the tribulations the Mattapoisett native has gone through.”
— Wicked Local, 2011

📰 For your reading pleasure:
Mike Tiger Recovering Quite Nicely, Thank You – Wicked Local (2011)

Bernie’s Perspective - Rising Through the Ashes: A Reflection on Trauma and Transformation

For years, many of my friends and colleagues never knew that I came from a childhood marked by trauma—fractured by neglect, shaped by a broken family, and culminating in homelessness at 17. I became a master of hiding the struggle, wearing a mask of composure while wrestling silently with the shadows of my past.

In my twenties, that unprocessed pain took root in unhealthy ways, leading me down a road of alcoholism and emotional isolation. It took me time—years, in fact—to realize something that now sits at the heart of everything I teach: trauma touches us all, and while it may shape where we begin, it does not have to define where we end.

Lately, I’ve been more open about the challenges I’m facing in my current role as a program manager in a healthcare system that once inspired hope—but has recently become a daily crucible of disillusionment and distress. What began as a mission to transform mental health care has eroded into a numbers game, where human dignity often takes a backseat to profit margins. Since the acquisition of our small hospital group, the environment has steadily deteriorated. Staffing shortages, leadership turnover, and a loss of organizational soul have all contributed to a culture where trauma isn't just part of the job—it’s baked into the system.

Last week, multiple clinicians and nurses called out. The director voiced her frustration, but missed what was glaringly obvious to me—when people consistently call out, it’s not laziness. It’s trauma. It’s the soul crying out for air in a space that no longer breathes.

And I’ll be honest: I’m feeling it too. I sat across from a friend and psychiatrist, a man I respect deeply, and told him he looked exhausted. He admitted to waking at 2 or 3 a.m. most nights, unable to sleep. That’s trauma—manifested in the body, invading the mind. We both knew it.

I told him I’m in the same place—contemplating next steps, aware that while my purpose hasn’t changed, the environment around me has. And sometimes, no matter how strong your intention, you can't change a place that refuses to grow. When that happens, the only option left is to rise.

This is where the Phoenix lives in me. Not as a symbol of fantasy, but of real, raw rebirth. Trauma doesn’t just burn—it clears the path for what comes next. It strips us bare, yes, but it also gives us the chance to build again, wiser and stronger.

Using the Five Pillars of Tiger Resilience, I’ve stayed tethered to my highest self—even when the weight of the world feels like it’s pressing down on my chest.

· Purpose keeps me aligned with who I am becoming, not just what I’m enduring.

· Planning gives me a way out—not through fantasy, but through strategy. I'm mapping the next steps, not just for myself, but for those I lead.

· Practice is my daily armor. Morning rituals, journaling, breathwork, physical movement—these aren't extras, they are essentials.

· Perseverance is where I thrive. When everything feels like too much, I remember that grit is forged in the fire. And I’ve walked through that fire before.

· Providence is my faith—not just in something greater, but in the truth that I’ve always risen. And I will again.

Still, I’m not perfect. Trauma doesn’t disappear just because you’ve named it. The other day, I reached for a second slice of ice cream cake on my wife’s birthday—knowing full well it was an emotional reflex. It tasted good for a moment, but like all short-term fixes, it faded fast. That moment reminded me: real healing is found in the long game.

Trauma isn’t just about survival. It’s about transformation. It’s about rising from what tried to break you with fire in your eyes and wings forged in ash.

I don’t have all the answers. But I have a process. I have a purpose. And I have a belief in what’s possible—because I’ve seen it. I’ve lived it.

You can rise too. Not in spite of the trauma—but because of who you become through it.

From holding my “Team Member of the Year” award to facing seasons of exhaustion and uncertainty — this moment is a reminder that resilience is always within reach. No matter the setbacks, we can rise, rebuild, and become our best selves once again.

The Science of Trauma: What Happens in the Brain and Body

Trauma isn’t just psychological — it’s biological. It affects both the brain and body in ways that can be long-lasting if not addressed. Understanding how trauma works helps explain why healing often takes more than willpower.

🧠 The Brain’s Trauma Response

When you experience trauma, your brain shifts into survival mode. The amygdala (your brain’s alarm system) becomes hyperactive, scanning for danger even after the threat is gone. At the same time, the prefrontal cortex, which handles logic and regulation, can go offline — making it harder to think clearly or calm yourself down.

Memories formed during trauma often become fragmented and sensory-based. That’s because the hippocampus, responsible for organizing memory, may under-function. This is why trauma can feel like it’s “still happening,” with vivid flashbacks, nightmares, or body sensations that don’t make sense.

✅ The amygdala stays on high alert

✅ The prefrontal cortex struggles to regulate emotions

✅ The hippocampus may shrink or misfire, disrupting memory processing

✅ Dissociation or numbness can occur during or after trauma

✅ These are not mental weaknesses — they are protective adaptations

🩺 Trauma in the Body

Your body holds onto trauma. When the nervous system can’t fully return to baseline after a threat, it can stay stuck in either hyperarousal (anxious, on-edge) or hypoarousal (numb, shut down). This is where polyvagal theory helps us understand trauma as a nervous system injury, not just a mental one.

Trauma also disrupts the HPA axis — the system that regulates your stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline. When this system is dysregulated, you may feel exhausted, irritable, foggy, or wired all the time.

✅ The autonomic nervous system gets stuck in survival mode

✅ Breathing, heart rate, digestion, and muscle tension are all affected

✅ Chronic trauma increases inflammation and suppresses immunity

✅ Trauma can manifest physically — through headaches, fatigue, pain, or GI issues

✅ Healing the body supports healing the mind

Trauma changes how your brain and body work. But with support, structure, and targeted interventions, those systems can reset. The same neuroplasticity that allows trauma to change you is also what makes recovery possible.

By the Numbers: The Impact of Trauma on Health and Well-Being 📊

Understanding the scale and impact of trauma helps remove shame and puts recovery into context. The data paints a clear picture of how widespread and serious trauma-related challenges really are.

🌍 70% of people worldwide report experiencing at least one traumatic event in their lifetime

(World Health Organization, 2023)

🗽7–8% of the U.S. population will develop PTSD at some point in their lives

(U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, 2022)

⚠️ 67% of people exposed to mass violence go on to develop PTSD — a much higher rate than after natural disasters or accidents

(National Center for PTSD, 2023)

🧠 80% of individuals with PTSD experience at least one additional mental health condition, such as depression or anxiety

(Current Treatment Options in Psychiatry, 2020)

💤 Trauma-related stress is linked to disrupted sleep, heightened inflammation, and elevated risk of chronic health conditions like heart disease and autoimmune issues

(Harvard Health Publishing, 2023)

💔 Women are about twice as likely as men to develop PTSD — around 10% of women compared to 4% of men

(American Psychiatric Association, 2023)

🧬 Trauma can affect gene expression, immune system functioning, and long-term brain development, especially when it occurs in childhood

(Psychological Science, 2019)

The Tiger Resilience Lens: Five Pillars of Trauma Recovery 🐅

Healing from trauma takes more than insight. It takes structure. The Tiger Resilience framework offers five core pillars that are grounded in both experience and research — each one providing a path forward when life feels unsteady.

🎯 Purpose helps restore meaning after trauma disrupts your inner world. A renewed sense of purpose has been linked to lower levels of PTSD, depression, and anxiety. Studies show that even small, meaningful goals can buffer against hopelessness and support long-term recovery outcomes.

🗺️ Planning rebuilds a sense of control. Trauma often brings chaos, but structure can restore agency. Research in trauma-informed care highlights how setting collaborative, achievable goals reduces avoidance, supports progress, and re-engages the executive brain functions that often go offline during trauma.

🔁 Practice anchors healing in daily habits. Techniques like breathwork, movement, mindfulness, and trauma-sensitive yoga help regulate the nervous system. Studies show these practices reduce hyperarousal, improve sleep, and increase tolerance to stress through vagus nerve activation and neuroplasticity.

💪 Perseverance supports recovery when it feels slow or stuck. Most trauma survivors improve over time with consistent effort, even if progress feels uneven. Research on post-traumatic growth shows that grit, meaning-making, and emotional regulation are key factors in long-term healing.

🙏 Providence invites trust into the process. That might mean spiritual belief, community support, or simply the idea that something good can still come from what happened. Gratitude and connection have been shown to promote psychological resilience, reduce cortisol levels, and help trauma survivors shift from survival to hope.

Each pillar works in tandem with the others. You don’t need to master them all at once. Even starting with one can help reset your internal compass and move healing from concept to practice.

💪 Michael’s Training Corner: The Role of Exercise in Trauma and Healing

Strength, Impact, and Recovery

Trauma doesn’t just happen to the mind. It happens to the body. And training your body is one of the most practical ways to build resilience — both physically and psychologically.

Part 1: Why Strength Matters in Real Life

Resistance training isn’t just about aesthetics or performance. One of its most overlooked benefits is its ability to reduce injury from blunt force trauma. Stronger muscles, bones, and joints act as protection — absorbing shock, stabilizing movement, and lowering the risk of severe damage from accidents, falls, or unexpected impacts.

✅ Strength training improves bone density, joint integrity, and balance

✅ It reduces fall risk, especially in aging populations

✅ It helps your body absorb and redirect force under stress

✅ It builds structural resilience over time

Research shows that strength and power training significantly lower the chances of major injury, and even small gains in lean muscle can improve impact tolerance. A stronger body isn’t invincible, but it’s better prepared for the unexpected.

Part 2: How Movement Supports Emotional Recovery

Exercise doesn’t just heal the body — it rewires the brain. When you engage in regular movement, especially strength or aerobic training, your body releases a powerful mix of chemicals that support trauma recovery:

✅ BDNF (Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor): Supports neuroplasticity and emotional regulation

✅ Irisin: A molecule released by your muscles during exercise that supports brain health and reduces inflammation

✅ Endocannabinoids (like anandamide): Naturally calming, anti-anxiety molecules that help regulate mood and stress

✅ Endorphins: Natural painkillers and mood boosters released during physical effort

Studies show that resistance training and aerobic activity reduce symptoms of PTSD, depression, and anxiety — sometimes rivaling medication in effectiveness. Exercise also improves sleep, lowers stress hormone levels, and gives survivors a tangible way to reclaim control.

Whether you’re lifting, walking, running, or stretching, etc., your body becomes a tool for processing stress and rebuilding stability. It’s not about perfection. It’s about presence. Movement sends a powerful message to your nervous system: I am here, I am strong, and I am safe now.

Real-World Voice: Dr. Bessel van der Kolk — The Body Remembers What the Mind Tries to Forget

Few voices in the trauma space have had the impact of Dr. Bessel van der Kolk, psychiatrist, researcher, and author of the bestselling book The Body Keeps the Score. His work has helped millions understand that trauma isn’t just stored in the mind — it’s embedded in the body, in the nervous system, and in how we experience safety, connection, and control.

Van der Kolk’s central message is simple but powerful: trauma changes the brain and body — but both can heal. He was one of the first to bring somatic therapies like yoga, EMDR, and neurofeedback into mainstream trauma treatment. His research showed that traditional talk therapy alone isn’t always enough because trauma often bypasses the rational parts of the brain. Instead, healing must involve the body, sensory systems, and movement-based interventions that help restore internal regulation.

✅ Trauma disrupts emotional regulation, memory, and sense of self

✅ The body holds onto trauma cues — heart rate, tension, breath, startle response

✅ Practices like yoga and breathwork can help calm the nervous system and rebuild safety

✅ Recovery requires both bottom-up (body-based) and top-down (cognitive) approaches

✅ Healing is not just about understanding the trauma, but about reclaiming the body and re-establishing agency

Van der Kolk’s book has reached audiences around the world — and it made a personal impact in our home as well. My fiancée (Michael) read it and was deeply moved by the practical insights and humanity in Dr. van der Kolk’s approach. She recommended it because of how clearly it explained what trauma really does — and how healing can actually begin.

If you’re looking to understand trauma in a way that’s clear, compassionate, and research-backed, this book is an essential resource.

📘 Get your copy of The Body Keeps the Score on Amazon here:

https://www.amazon.com/Body-Keeps-Score-Healing-Trauma/dp/0143127748

Journal Exercise: Processing and Reclaiming Your Story ✍️

Trauma fragments. It breaks continuity — between your past and present, your body and mind, your emotions and thoughts. Journaling helps put those pieces back together in a safe, structured way. You don’t have to relive everything. You just have to give yourself space to be honest.

This week’s prompts are designed to help you explore your experience, track your healing, and reconnect with a sense of inner safety.

📝 Step 1: Name What Changed

Write about a moment or season in your life when something shifted. What changed in how you saw yourself, others, or the world around you?

📝 Step 2: Identify the Imprint

How has that experience shown up in your body, your thoughts, or your relationships? What do you notice when you feel triggered or overwhelmed?

📝 Step 3: Define What Safety Feels Like

If safety had a shape, a sound, or a rhythm — what would it look like for you right now? Describe one place, practice, or person that helps you feel grounded.

📝 Step 4: Reclaim One Layer of Control

Write down one small thing you can choose today — something that gives you a sense of agency. This might be a boundary, a habit, or a decision to rest.

📝 Step 5: Reframe the Narrative

Finish this sentence: I am learning to trust myself again by...

Let the words flow freely, even if they feel incomplete.

Healing isn’t about forcing closure. It’s about creating enough structure that your mind and body can begin to settle. Journaling is a place to witness your own truth without judgment.

🛠️ Need guided support? Use the Awaken the Tiger, Rise Like the Phoenix self-esteem and resilience journal to track progress, build inner safety, and reconnect with your values week by week.

📘 Get your copy here:

https://www.amazon.com/Awaken-Tiger-Phoenix-build-Esteem/dp/B0DBRWTGS9

🔥Final Thoughts: You’re Not Failing — You’re Adapting

Trauma changes people. That’s not weakness. That’s response. The brain rewires. The body holds tension. Emotions feel harder to manage. Focus drifts. Trust wavers. All of this is normal after something abnormal. And it doesn’t mean you’re broken.

Recovery is not about erasing what happened. It’s about learning how to carry it differently. It’s about recognizing that the reactions you once needed to survive might no longer serve you — and that you have the power to change them over time.

You don’t have to heal all at once. You don’t need to explain everything. What matters is that you stay connected to your values, your breath, your movement, your people — and that you give yourself the structure to slowly, steadily rewire what was thrown off course.

The body keeps the score. But it also keeps the potential to heal. And when healing becomes a practice — guided by purpose, supported by planning, sustained through perseverance, grounded in daily practice, and lifted by providence — the nervous system starts to settle. Life begins to feel more like yours again.

You are not weak for feeling overwhelmed. You are strong for continuing to show up. And no matter how long it takes, your story is still being written.

We’ll be right here with you as you rise.

With you in resilience,

Bernie and Michael

Tiger Resilience 🐅

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📚 References

American Psychiatric Association. (2023). What is posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)? Retrieved from https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/ptsd/what-is-ptsd

Bremner, J. D. (2006). Traumatic stress: effects on the brain. Dialogues in Clinical Neuroscience, 8(4), 445–461. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3181836/

Gateway Foundation. (n.d.). How PTSD affects the brain. Retrieved March 30, 2025, from https://www.gatewayfoundation.org/blog/how-ptsd-affects-brain/

Harvard Health Publishing. (2023). How trauma affects your physical health. Retrieved from https://www.health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/how-trauma-affects-your-physical-health

Mind. (n.d.). Effects of trauma. Retrieved from https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/types-of-mental-health-problems/trauma/effects-of-trauma/

National Center for PTSD. (2023). Mass violence. U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Retrieved from https://www.ptsd.va.gov/understand/types/mass_violence.asp

National Child Traumatic Stress Network. (n.d.). Effects of complex trauma. Retrieved from https://www.nctsn.org/what-is-child-trauma/trauma-types/complex-trauma/effects

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). (2014). SAMHSA’s Concept of Trauma and Guidance for a Trauma-Informed Approach. HHS Publication No. (SMA) 14-4884. Retrieved from https://ncsacw.acf.hhs.gov/userfiles/files/SAMHSA_Trauma.pdf

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. (2022). How common is PTSD in adults? National Center for PTSD. Retrieved from https://www.ptsd.va.gov/understand/common/common_adults.asp

van der Kolk, B. A. (2014). The body keeps the score: Brain, mind, and body in the healing of trauma. Viking.

World Health Organization. (2023). Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Retrieved from https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/post-traumatic-stress-disorder-(ptsd)