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Mental Health Blog — Trauma Healing, Nervous System Support & Somatic Wisdom
Explore insights, tips & reflections on therapy, trauma, and emotional well-being
This blog is a space where I share resources, insights, and reflections to support your emotional well-being and healing journey. Whether you are curious about trauma therapy, nervous system regulation, body-based healing like Somatic Experiencing and TRE®, or holistic approaches to mental health, you’ll find grounded, compassionate guidance here.
Explore practical tips for trauma recovery, tools for anxiety relief, and deep dives into topics like boundaries, self-trust, and somatic wisdom. Browse the articles or visit Free Resources for more tools and inspiration on your journey.
Depression or Nervous System Fatigue?
How Chronic Stress Dysregulates the Body and What Helps Restore Balance January arrives quietly, yet for many people it feels heavy. Motivation is low. Energy is thin. Sleep doesn’t restore. Even after rest, something feels off.Many begin to wonder: Is this depression? Or am I just exhausted beyond words? For a growing number of people, the answer lies not in a mood disorder, but in nervous system dysregulation caused by chronic stress fatigue . When the body has spent too l
Rebecca Rinnert
Jan 275 min read
Why Trauma Makes It Hard to Feel Safe — Even When Nothing’s Wrong
At the start of a new year, many people pause and take stock.Life might look stable on the outside. Work is okay. Relationships are calmer. The crisis is over. And yet, inside, something still feels… off. A subtle tension.A constant readiness.A sense of waiting for something bad to happen . If you’ve ever asked yourself “why do I still feel unsafe when nothing’s wrong?” , you’re not alone. And more importantly, this is not a personal failure, a mindset problem, or a lack of
Rebecca Rinnert
Jan 134 min read
Why Trauma Makes You Attracted to the Wrong People: The Neuroscience Behind Unhealthy Relationship Patterns
When the Wrong People Feel “Right” You meet someone, feel an intense spark, the chemistry is undeniable — but soon the familiar pattern unfolds: inconsistency, confusion, emotional ups and downs. Part of you knows this isn’t healthy, yet you feel deeply drawn in. Or, on the other hand, you meet someone kind, reliable, warm… and feel nothing. This isn’t irrational.This is neurobiology, attachment history, and trauma patterns playing out in real time.And most importantly:Feeli
Rebecca Rinnert
Dec 9, 20254 min read
Chronic Illness & the Nervous System: Why Your Body’s Flooded—and How to Find Calm
Living with chronic illness can feel like your body is constantly sounding an alarm —fatigue, inflammation, flare-ups, pain, brain fog, emotional overwhelm, and a sense that something deeper is going on beneath the surface. Many people with autoimmune diseases, long COVID, chronic fatigue, and complex pain disorders intuitively feel there is a connection between their symptoms and the stress or trauma they’ve lived through. Yet they’re often dismissed with explanations like “
Rebecca Rinnert
Dec 2, 20254 min read
What Your Gut Is Trying to Tell You: The Gut-Brain Axis, Trauma & Chronic Health
Many people sense that their gut is “off,” yet their medical tests come back normal. They struggle with bloating, sensitivity, nausea, food reactions, or chronic inflammation without clear answers. What most aren’t told is this: the gut holds an emotional history. The gut-brain axis is one of the most intricate communication systems in the human body, and it is profoundly shaped by trauma, attachment patterns, early stress, and chronic survival states. As searches for “gut tr
Rebecca Rinnert
Nov 25, 20255 min read
Attachment, Relationships & Somatic Healing: How Your Nervous System Speaks Before Your Words Do
Your Body Speaks Before You Do Long before you find the right words, your body is already in conversation.Your breath shortens when you feel ignored, your chest tightens during conflict, your muscles soften when you feel safe. This is your nervous system in relationships — constantly scanning for cues of safety or threat. It’s not weakness or overreaction; it’s ancient biology doing its job. Understanding these signals is at the heart of somatic attachment healing — a body-ba
Rebecca Rinnert
Nov 18, 20253 min read
Neuroplasticity Beyond the Mind: How the Body Rewires After Trauma
The Untold Story of Healing: Neuroplasticity in the Body Neuroplasticity has become one of the most exciting words in psychology and neuroscience. It describes the brain’s remarkable ability to adapt, rewire, and form new connections — even after years of pain or stress. But what most people don’t realize is that neuroplasticity isn’t limited to the brain . The entire body is part of this living network of adaptation. After trauma, your nervous system, fascia, muscles, and o
Rebecca Rinnert
Nov 11, 20254 min read
Healing Traumatic Grief: What It Is & Somatic Tools for Coping
Grief changes everything. When loss arrives suddenly, violently, or under traumatic circumstances, it doesn’t just break the heart — it overwhelms the entire nervous system. Traumatic grief therapy and somatic grief healing offer pathways to help you move through this pain with compassion, safety, and embodiment. In this article, you’ll learn what traumatic grief is, how grief and trauma intertwine, and which somatic tools can help you find your way back to stability and
Rebecca Rinnert
Nov 4, 20255 min read
Sleep, Trauma, and the Body: Why Night Is Hard & How Somatic Rituals Can Help
Why Night Feels Unsafe When You’ve Experienced Trauma If you live with trauma, night can feel like the hardest time of day. When the world gets quiet, your body might do the opposite — staying alert, tense, and ready for something to happen. Even when your mind knows you’re safe, your nervous system may still be in survival mode. This is not “just stress” — it’s a body remembering. After trauma, the amygdala (your brain’s alarm system) becomes overactive, while the prefronta
Rebecca Rinnert
Oct 28, 20254 min read
Boundary Healing: How Trauma Impacts Boundaries & 5 Somatic Steps to Reclaim Them
When Your Body Says “No” — But Your Mouth Says “Yes” You promise yourself you’ll speak up next time.But when the moment comes, your heart races, your throat tightens, and your voice disappears. You smile instead, hoping to keep the peace. This is what happens when trauma meets boundaries. For many trauma survivors, saying “no” feels unsafe — not because you lack willpower, but because your nervous system learned that safety meant compliance . Understanding this is the first
Rebecca Rinnert
Oct 21, 20254 min read
Trauma & Social Media: How Online Exposure Amplifies Anxiety and What Somatic Practices Can Do
The Moment Your Body Says “Enough” It’s late. You’re lying in bed, phone glowing in your hand, scrolling through a feed that started as...
Rebecca Rinnert
Oct 14, 20255 min read
Inner Child Healing: Somatic Exercises to Release Childhood Trauma & Reconnect with Your Younger Self
Why Inner Child Healing Is So Powerful Have you ever wondered why certain situations trigger you more than they “should”? Why you feel...
Rebecca Rinnert
Oct 7, 20254 min read
Relearning to Feel Safe: Somatic Therapy Explains the Body-Mind Trauma Connection
Why Safety Can Feel Out of Reach After Trauma You may know you’re safe—but still feel panic, tension, or numbness in your body. That...
Rebecca Rinnert
Sep 30, 20253 min read
Why “Processing Trauma” Feels Elusive—and How Somatic Therapy Bridges the Gap
The Buzz Around “Trauma Processing” If you’ve ever searched “how to process trauma” or scrolled through #TraumaProcessing on TikTok...
Rebecca Rinnert
Sep 23, 20253 min read
Can You Heal Trauma Online? What Internet-Based Therapies Really Deliver
Can You Really Heal Trauma Online? For decades, trauma therapy was only considered effective in a traditional therapy room. But today, a...
Rebecca Rinnert
Sep 16, 20253 min read
Oversensitive & Exhausted? How Nervous System Dysregulation Hijacks Your Well-Being
Why You Feel Overwhelmed and Exhausted Do you often feel like the smallest noise, comment, or change in your day can send you...
Rebecca Rinnert
Sep 9, 20254 min read
Why Traditional Talk Therapy Sometimes Isn't Enough – And What to Try Instead
Understanding Why Talk Therapy May Fall Short Talk therapy has been a cornerstone of mental health care for decades, helping countless...
Rebecca Rinnert
Sep 2, 20254 min read
6 Things to Expect in Your First Somatic Therapy Session (That You Won’t Find in CBT or Talk Therapy)
Starting a new type of therapy can feel exciting but also nerve-wracking. If you’ve tried Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) or...
Rebecca Rinnert
Aug 26, 20254 min read
Freeze Response Trauma: What It Is, Fawn vs Freeze, and How to Thaw Safely
When Your Body Can’t Fight or Flight Most people know about the fight-or-flight response — your body’s instinct to confront or escape...
Rebecca Rinnert
Aug 19, 20253 min read
Nervous System Fatigue: Signs You’re Not Lazy—You’re Dysregulated
If rest doesn’t fix your exhaustion, your nervous system might be trying to protect you. Have you ever wondered: "Why am I so tired all...
Rebecca Rinnert
Aug 12, 20253 min read
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