Why Talk Therapy Didn’t Heal Your Trauma (And What Actually Does)

Nov 24

By Jennifer Goggin, LMHC, LPC, SEP — Somatic Trauma Therapist in Palm Beach , FL & Virtual Florida , Virtual Connecticut

If you’ve tried talk therapy—sometimes for years—and still feel stuck, you’re not alone. Talk therapy has its purpose, dont get me wrong, but if your feeling like you need something different, hear me out:

Many of my clients say things like:

“I understand my trauma, but I don’t feel any better.”
“I can explain everything that happened, but my body still reacts.”
“I’ve done therapy for years… why am I still triggered?”

This isn’t because you’re “broken”
It’s because trauma doesn’t live in the thinking mind.
Trauma lives in the body, the nervous system, and in survival responses that talk alone cannot reach.

Let’s break down why talk therapy often falls short—and what finally helps people feel safe, grounded, and whole again.

1. Trauma Is Stored in the Body, Not Just the Story

Trauma is not the event—it’s the imprint left on your nervous system.

Your body remembers:

the racing heart
the frozen muscles
the shutdown
the overwhelm
the chronic hypervigilance
Even if you can explain your trauma calmly, your body may still be living in a survival state. Talk therapy speaks to the mind. Trauma lives below the mind. To heal, you need a therapy that works directly with the nervous system (like Somatic Experiencing).

2. Talking About a Traumatic Memory Can Re-Activate It

For some people, traditional talk therapy can accidentally re-trigger the body.

You may leave sessions feeling:

exhausted
overwhelmed
anxious
disconnected
“emotionally hungover”
This happens because the brain is being asked to revisit something the body has not yet processed.

Somatic therapy slows everything down, allowing the body to release stored activation safely—without re-experiencing overwhelm.

3. Trauma Responses Are Automatic Survival Functions

Fight, flight, freeze, fawn—they’re not psychological concepts.
They’re physical states.

You can’t talk your way out of:

a panic attack
numbness
shutting down
spiraling thoughts
dissociation
difficulty setting boundaries
emotional flooding
Because these responses come from the lower brain and the autonomic nervous system.. Somatic work helps retrain these patterns so your body no longer reacts as if you’re in danger.

4. Insight Doesn’t Equal Regulation

Many clients come to me saying:

“I understand my trauma better than ever…
but I still can’t relax, sleep, or feel safe. It feels like I am …(Numb or I have my finger in an electric socket when I think about it”

Talk therapy gives insight.

Somatic therapy gives regulation.

Real healing happens when the body:

settles
unwinds
feels safe
integrates
is not operating in survival mode

Maybe you can even feel again

This is what allows your mind and emotions to finally shift.

5. Somatic Experiencing Works With Your Body’s Natural Healing Blueprint

As a Somatic Experiencing Practitioner (SEP) since 2007, I help your nervous system:

complete unfinished survival responses
release stored trauma
come out of chronic danger mode
rebuild capacity for stress
reconnect with safety and presence
Somatic Experiencing uses gentle, body-based awareness so healing unfolds without being re-traumatizing.. And unlike talk therapy, you don’t have to retell your story over and over.

6. Trauma Healing Is About Safety, Not Storytelling

You heal trauma when:

your body feels safe
you can stay present
you’re not constantly bracing for danger
your emotions move through without overwhelming you
your nervous system can “reset”
This is why so many high-functioning adults seek me out—because even if their life looks put together, their nervous system is exhausted.. Somatic therapy teaches your body how to relax from the inside out.

You Can Heal—Even If Talk Therapy Didn’t Work

Your system is not stuck; it simply needs a different approach.

I help clients in: