The Language of Trauma, Part 8: Single-Incident Trauma
When the Shock Stays: Healing Single-Incident Trauma
Not all trauma comes from years of hardship. Sometimes, one moment changes everything. A car accident. A sudden medical scare. A natural disaster. An assault. A difficult birth. An unexpected betrayal.
These kinds of events, single-incident traumas, can leave a lasting imprint on the nervous system. Even if the danger is long gone, your body might still be reacting as if it’s happening right now.
You might think, It wasn’t that bad, or I should be over this by now. But trauma isn’t logical—it’s physiological. What matters most is how your body experienced the event, not how it looks on paper.
What Does Single-Incident Trauma Feel Like?
Here are some signs that your system might still be holding onto an unresolved trauma:
You feel jumpy or hyper-alert, even when things are “fine”
You avoid certain places, people, or activities without fully understanding why
You struggle with anxiety, panic, or intrusive thoughts tied to the event
You feel emotionally numb, disconnected, or “spaced out”
You replay the moment over and over in your mind
Your body tenses, aches, or feels frozen without a clear cause
You feel like a part of you is stuck in the past
Even long after the event, you may find yourself moving through the world with a kind of invisible armor. This is your psyche protecting you from something that already happened.
Why the Body Holds On
In the animal world, when a gazelle narrowly escapes a lion, it will often shake violently afterward. The movement releases survival energy and returns the body to balance. This instinctive process helps complete the stress response.
Humans have the same capacity, but our cultural conditioning tends to suppress it. We override the shake, push down the tears, go back to work, and try to act “normal.”
When that energy doesn’t get discharged, it stays stuck. The nervous system doesn’t register that the threat is over. That’s why trauma symptoms are often more about what didn’t get to happen (fleeing, fighting, crying, shaking) than about the event itself.
How Healing Happens: Somatic & Brain-Based Approaches
The good news is that your system still knows how to heal—especially when given the right support. At Rezak Therapy, I use two key modalities that help the body and brain complete what was interrupted:
Somatic Psychotherapy
Somatic therapy focuses on the body’s felt sense—gently guiding you to notice tension, movement, breath, and sensation. Through slow, attuned exploration, your body begins to release what’s been held. You don’t have to relive the trauma. We simply support your nervous system to do what it never got to finish.
Brainspotting
Brainspotting is a brain-body approach that helps access deep, non-verbal trauma stored in the subcortical brain. Using specific eye positions and relational presence, we help your system process what's been stuck. Healing happens without needing to talk through all the details. It’s especially effective for single-incident trauma, performance blocks, and panic symptoms.
Five Reflection Questions Regarding Single-Incident Trauma
If you’re wondering whether you’re still affected by a past incident, these questions may help.
Do I still feel tension, dread, or tightness when I think about what happened?
Are there certain situations or conversations I avoid because of this event?
Does part of me still feel frozen, helpless, or ashamed?
Have I tried to “just move on” without really processing it?
What would it feel like to have more freedom, ease, or closure around this?
Helpful Methods toward Healing Trauma
Whether you work with a trauma therapist or begin gently on your own, here are some approaches that can support healing.
Titrated exposure to body sensations and memories (slow, small doses)
Trauma-informed yoga or movement practices that emphasize choice, interoception, and breath
Creative expression: Writing, drawing, or sound can give voice to experiences that are hard to put into words
Nature-based practices: Time in nature can help regulate and orient the nervous system
Additional Resources
Here are a few resources that many or our clients have found helpful:
Waking the Tiger: Healing Trauma by Peter Levine
The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk
Find Support: You Don’t Have to Carry This Alone
Even if the moment has passed, your body might still be holding it. The good news? You don’t have to stay stuck there.
At Rezak Therapy, I offer a trauma-informed space in Pasadena for processing single-incident trauma gently and effectively. I incorporate Brainspotting, somatic psychotherapy, and relational attunement. Together, we can help your nervous system find its way back to balance.
Reach out for a free consultation if you’d like to learn more. Healing may not erase what happened—but it can change how it lives in you.
Other Services Offered at Rezak Therapy in Pasadena, CA
We're here to help you work through single-incident trauma and come back home to yourself. In addition to processing traumatic experiences with somatic psychotherapy, our holistic therapy approaches include talk therapy and depth therapy. We also offer services for couples seeking greater intimacy in their relationships, individuals searching for greater connection to purpose and passion, and The Artists Way Workshop which is a 12-week adventure of artistic discovery and personal exploration. Our services are available both in-person in Pasadena and online for clients in Los Angeles and throughout California. For more on trauma therapy and our other services check out our blog.
