09/01/2026
Trauma does not stay in the past simply because an event is over. Your brain remembers what overwhelmed you, and your body will continue responding to that memory long after you are physically safe. Sometimes it responds in a positive way, other times in a debilitating way. The science behind it, and how your brain can store the memories of trauma in your grey matter, long term, is absolutely fascinating.
This matters deeply in life healing yes, but also in death and dying. As someone approaches the end of life, old trauma can surface through fear, agitation, resistance to touch, difficulty surrendering control, or reactions that seem disconnected from what is happening in the room. The body may be responding to something it learned years ago.
Part of trauma-informed end-of-life care is understanding that behaviour is communication. Instead of asking, “Why are they acting this way?” we can ask, “What is their nervous system trying to protect them from?” We cannot change what happened, but we can change what the body experiences now. Safety, choice, consent, predictability and being truly witnessed can create a very different experience at the end of life. When the body understands that it does not have to fight anymore, is when it can truly start to heal, even if that is while someone is dying.