Episode 27: How Does Brain Fog and Inflammation Affect Somatic Trauma Work? with Dr. Aimie Apigian

Listen to Episode 27 with Tori →

When Your Brain Can't Do the Work Your Mind Wants To

You're trying to do the somatic exercises. You're showing up for your trauma work. You're following all the guidance your practitioner gives you.

But nothing is landing the way it should. You can't focus during body scans. You can't track sensations clearly. The work that helps others leaves you more confused and exhausted.

A brain inflamed is a brain in overwhelm. And when your brain is in overwhelm, somatic trauma work doesn't work the same way.

Tori joins me to share her story firsthand. She was a marathon runner and successful accountant. Then head injuries changed everything. The past ten years have been difficult in ways she couldn't have predicted.

When Everything That Worked Stops Working

Tori was high-functioning before her injuries. She was running marathons regularly, managing a career in accounting successfully, handling her health issues well enough, and staying active and engaged with life. She had developed coping strategies and healing practices that supported her.

Multiple head injuries created a cascade effect that changed everything. Brain inflammation set in gradually and everything that used to work for her stopped working. The somatic practices that once helped became impossible to follow. The body awareness exercises that grounded her left her more confused.

When your brain is inflamed, it can't process information normally. Every task becomes harder than it was before. Focus disappears when you need it most. Memory fails in ways that feel alarming. Regulation becomes nearly impossible because your brain can't coordinate the responses your body needs.

This isn't about willpower or trying harder. Brain inflammation is a biological condition that affects your capacity for everything including trauma healing work. Tori discovered this the hard way as she tried to continue her healing journey while her brain struggled with inflammation.

Why Brain Fog Blocks Somatic Work

Somatic work requires body awareness and the ability to track sensations. Brain inflammation disrupts that connection fundamentally. You can't sense your body clearly when your brain is struggling to process basic information.

Tori tried to continue her healing work despite the inflammation. But her inflamed brain couldn't handle the somatic exercises that once supported her. What used to bring clarity now brought confusion. What used to regulate her now overwhelmed her system completely.

The Biology of Trauma® approach recognizes that brain health directly affects your capacity for trauma work. When your brain is inflamed, you lose access to the very capacities that somatic healing requires including the ability to notice subtle body sensations, the capacity to stay present with difficult emotions, the mental clarity to follow complex instructions, and the cognitive flexibility to integrate new experiences.

Head injuries are obvious triggers for brain inflammation that practitioners can recognize easily. But chronic inflammation can build without obvious cause through ongoing stress, poor gut health, autoimmune conditions, or environmental toxins. Brain fog, memory issues, and emotional dysregulation are signs that inflammation might be affecting your brain's function.

What This Means for Your Healing Journey

You can't push through brain inflammation with more somatic work or greater determination. You have to address the inflammation first and support the brain's healing capacity before trauma work will be effective again.

The past ten years have been difficult for Tori in ways that show what happens when brain inflammation goes unaddressed in trauma healing. Trauma work stalls because your brain can't process it. Progress stops because you've lost the capacity the work requires. Frustration builds because nothing works like it should and you can't understand why.

This doesn't mean trauma healing is impossible with brain inflammation. It means you need a different approach that addresses the biological barrier first. Supporting brain health through reducing inflammation, supporting mitochondrial function, healing gut-brain connection, and managing stress on the nervous system creates the foundation trauma work requires.

What kind of work brain inflammation requires isn't more somatic exercises or deeper trauma processing. You need functional medicine approaches that reduce inflammation, nutritional support for brain health, rest that allows your brain to repair, and realistic expectations about what trauma work you can handle while healing.

Tori's story illustrates why some people struggle with trauma work that helps others. When your brain is inflamed, the issue isn't the quality of the trauma work but your biological capacity to engage with it. Understanding this removes the shame and frustration of "failing" at healing work your brain simply can't process yet.

This Episode Is For:

✓ People with history of head injuries struggling in trauma work 

✓ Anyone with persistent brain fog alongside trauma symptoms 

✓ Practitioners whose clients can't seem to engage with somatic exercises despite trying 

✓ Those whose trauma work used to help but doesn't anymore 

✓ Anyone with unexplained cognitive decline affecting their healing 

✓ People ready to address brain health as part of trauma healing

What You'll Learn

Listen to understand how brain inflammation affects your capacity for trauma work and why addressing it must come first. Discover why somatic exercises might overwhelm you when they help others. Learn what Tori's decade-long journey teaches about the relationship between brain health and trauma healing.

Your brain needs to be healthy enough to do the healing work your mind wants to accomplish.

Listen to Episode 27 with Tori →

Disclaimer

This podcast is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical or mental health advice, diagnosis, or treatment. The information shared reflects my clinical expertise and research, but every person's biology and healing journey is unique. Always consult with qualified healthcare providers before making changes to your treatment plan or starting new interventions. If you're experiencing a mental health crisis, please contact emergency services or a crisis helpline immediately.

Join the Conversation

I'd love to hear your thoughts on this episode. What resonated with you? What questions came up?

Please keep comments respectful and supportive. This is a community of people committed to healing. We welcome diverse perspectives and honest questions, but we don't tolerate personal attacks, spam, or content that could harm others on their healing journey.