The Biology of Trauma® With Dr. Aimie

Latest Episodes:

Stuck in Functional Freeze? Start With Small Doses of Safety Nov 03, 2026

Show notes

You push yourself through every day, and the push never gets easier.

What will surprise you is that the way out of functional freeze starts smaller than you think, and that safety itself can feel scary at first.

➡ Full show notes + resources

In this solo episode, Dr. Aimie explains why the body holds on to a freeze response, why we cannot think our way out of it, and the order the body follows to come back out: safety, support, then expansion.

She walks you through a one-minute microdosing safety practice, explains why too much safety too fast can bring rebound anxiety, and shares how to give your freeze short, planned time instead of fighting it.

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN:

00:00 How do you get out of functional freeze?
00:59 What is functional freeze?
03:02 Why doesn't the freeze go away on its own?
05:32 Safety, support, then expansion
07:15 A microdosing safety practice
11:44 Why feeling safe can feel scary
15:31 Stop fighting the freeze
19:21 How to practice a full collapse

"For a nervous system that has been in fear its whole life, bringing it a moment of safety can feel scary." ~ Dr. Aimie Apigian

If you are always pushing through and can't seem to rest, this episode is for you.

RESOURCES:

Take the free 2-Minute Assessment for Stored Trauma and find out which pattern of stored trauma your body has been running.
Get The Biology of Trauma book. Chapter 12, "The Map and Framework for the Journey."

This episode is educational and is not medical advice. Please work with your own qualified healthcare provider for decisions about your care.

Grab your copy of The Biology of Trauma

How Do I Get Out of Freeze When I'm Afraid of It? Oct 27, 2026

Show notes

You push through every day, and an exhaustion stays underneath.

What will surprise you is that the fear of the freeze is often what keeps you in it, and that the way out starts with letting the body move through it.

➡ Full show notes + resources

In this solo episode, Dr. Aimie answers a question she hears nearly every week: how do I get out of freeze when I'm afraid of it? She explains functional freeze, a trauma response that never completed, and how we override it with caffeine, busyness, sugar and stress.

She shares how she lived in functional freeze as a resident physician, why pushing through drains the tank, how she learned to stop fearing her own freeze, and what to do if you are in a shutdown right now.

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN:

00:00 How do I get out of freeze when I’m afraid of it?
01:33 How to recognize functional freeze
03:17 The gas pedal and the emergency brake
07:22 Why we push through
09:00 How pushing through leads to chronic illness
10:54 The fear of the freeze
15:10 How I stopped fearing my own freeze
19:37 Uncoupling the fear from the freeze
24:32 What changes when you stop pushing
25:57 If you are in a shutdown right now

"Freeze is one layer. The fear of the freeze is a second layer. And that second layer is often what keeps us stuck." ~ Dr. Aimie Apigian

If you are always pushing through and always exhausted underneath it, this episode is for you.

RESOURCES:

Take the free 2-Minute Assessment for Stored Trauma and find out which pattern of stored trauma your body has been running.
Get The Biology of Trauma book. Chapter 12, "The Map and Framework for the Journey."

This episode is educational and is not medical advice. Please work with your own qualified healthcare provider for decisions about your care.

Grab your copy of The Biology of Trauma

Why Am I Lonely but Too Tired to Socialize? Oct 20, 2026

Show notes

You can feel lonely and still not want to be around anyone.

What will surprise you is that inflammation itself can create a feeling of disconnection, and loneliness feeds that inflammation back.

➡ Full show notes + resources

In this solo episode, Dr. Aimie answers a question from a participant in her practitioner training: why do I feel lonely, but also not want to be around people? She explains the difference between being alone and feeling lonely, why healthy habits did not offset the health cost of loneliness in a study of 277,489 adults, and how stored trauma creates a part that hides and a part that craves connection.

She walks through the loop between loneliness and inflammation, and what to do as the holidays come closer, whether you are with family, with friends or on your own: blood sugar, sleep, a containment hug and words of support for the lonely part of you.

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN:

00:00 – 03:12 Being Alone vs Feeling Lonely
03:12 – 06:19 Why Healthy Habits Don’t Offset Loneliness
06:19 – 08:56 Stepping Back From Family
08:56 – 11:58 Low Energy, Inflammation and Disconnection
11:58 – 14:39 The Loneliness-Inflammation Loop
14:39 – 18:15 Blood Sugar and Comfort Foods
18:15 – 20:56 Sleep and the Containment Hug
20:56 – 24:23 What to Say to the Lonely Part
24:23 – 26:01 Stress Loneliness or Trauma Loneliness?

"I'm not trying to make the loneliness go away. I'm trying to make the loneliness know that it actually isn't all alone." ~ Dr. Aimie Apigian

If you feel lonely but too tired to be around people, or you have stepped back from family on your healing journey, this episode is for you.

RESOURCES:

Get the free Stress or Trauma Guide and learn whether your nervous system has been running a stress response or a trauma response.
Get The Biology of Trauma book. Chapter 9 describes the pattern of disconnection.

This episode is educational and is not medical advice. Please work with your own qualified healthcare provider for decisions about your care.

Grab your copy of The Biology of Trauma

Can Early Life Stress Show Up in My Gut? Dr. Emeran Mayer Oct 13, 2026

Show notes

A hard start in life can still be shaping your gut decades later.

What will surprise you is that your gut microbes can sense when you are stressed, and they change how they treat your gut wall.

➡ Full show notes + resources

Dr. Aimie speaks with Dr. Emeran Mayer, gastroenterologist, neuroscientist and Distinguished Research Professor at UCLA, about how early life stress reaches the gut, the immune system and the brain. He explains increased stress responsiveness, his term for how a difficult birth or childhood becomes biology, and why it does not mean you are doomed.

They also talk about why brain fog may start in the gut, the mucus layer that protects the gut wall, and the foods that help it, from diverse fiber to fermented foods.

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN:

00:00 – 00:38 Introduction
00:38 – 02:44 The First 1,000 Days
02:44 – 06:31 Early Stress Doesn't Mean You're Doomed
06:31 – 08:44 Hard Births and Stress Responsiveness
08:44 – 10:56 How Early Stress Shows Up in the Gut
10:56 – 14:27 Your Gut Microbes Can Sense Stress
14:27 – 17:28 From Gut to Brain: LPS and Brain Fog
17:28 – 19:17 The Gut's Protective Mucus Layer
19:17 – 21:42 The Interconnected Plate
21:42 – 24:01 Why Food Diversity Matters
24:01 – 26:46 Foods That Protect the Mucus Layer
26:46 – 30:13 Dr. Mayer's Key Message
30:13 – 31:12 Closing Reflection and Stress or Trauma Guide

"When a gut microbe is exposed to the stress hormone norepinephrine, it changes its genes and becomes more aggressive toward the bowel wall." ~ Dr. Emeran Mayer

If you had a difficult birth or a stressful childhood and have lived with gut symptoms or brain fog for years, this episode is for you.

RESOURCES:

Get the free Stress or Trauma Guide and learn the physical difference between a stress response and a trauma response in under two minutes.
Get The Biology of Trauma book. Chapter 11 explains how early life shapes the filter through which the body meets every later stress.
The Mind-Gut Connection by Dr. Emeran Mayer.

This episode is educational and is not medical advice. Please work with your own qualified healthcare provider for decisions about your care.

Grab your copy of The Biology of Trauma

Can I Safely Feel Emotions I Buried? Dr. Howard Schubiner Oct 08, 2026

Show notes

Emotions held down for decades are still shaping your body.

What will surprise you is that the way back can start very small, even with one finger.

This is Part 2 of a two-part conversation. Part 1 is here.

➡ Full show notes + resources

➡Trauma Pattern Quiz: https://draimie.co/4jIXc9V

Dr. Aimie continues her conversation with Dr. Howard Schubiner, internist, Clinical Professor at Michigan State and an early mentor of hers. He describes what changes in the body when an emotion held down for decades is finally felt and expressed, and why safety and self-compassion make that possible.

They talk about why neuroplastic symptoms are reversible, how compassion, curiosity and calm answer the question pain is asking, and where to start when your capacity is very low.

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN:

00:00 What changes when buried emotions are finally felt?
01:14 What does it mean that neuroplastic symptoms are reversible?
03:36 How does the nervous system learn its default response?
04:31 What changes in the body when emotions are expressed?
07:15 How do you make it safe to feel buried emotions?
10:37 How can compassion, curiosity and calm change pain?
13:49 Where do you start when capacity is very low?
18:23 How do you train the nervous system with patience?
20:45 Why ask whether your symptoms are neuroplastic?
22:29 How can you see your own patterns of stored emotions?

"Sadness turns right into compassion. Anger gets expressed, and you let it go." ~ Dr. Howard Schubiner

If you have held your emotions down for years and wonder whether it is safe to feel them, this episode is for you.

RESOURCES:

Take the free 2-Minute Assessment for Stored Trauma and see which patterns of stored trauma are most active for you.
Get The Biology of Trauma book. Chapter 3 explains capacity and the critical line of overwhelm.
Unlearn Your Pain by Dr. Howard Schubiner.
The Foundational Journey, a clear path for stabilizing your internal state and nervous system.

This episode is educational and is not medical advice. Please work with your own qualified healthcare provider for decisions about your care.

Grab your copy of The Biology of Trauma

Is My Pain Coming From My Brain? Dr. Howard Schubiner Oct 06, 2026

Show notes

➡ Full show notes + resources

➡Trauma Pattern quiz:

Pain that no test has fully explained is still real pain.

What will surprise you is that the brain decides whether to turn on pain, and it treats emotional danger from childhood or from an unjust world as danger.

This is Part 1 of a two-part conversation

Dr. Aimie welcomes back Dr. Howard Schubiner, internist, Clinical Professor at Michigan State and author of Unlearn Your Pain. He describes how a child who learned to keep the peace grows into an adult whose brain still reacts to everyday stress as danger, and why he sees racism and injustice as sources of pain.

They talk about why chronic pain, fatigue and POTS keep rising while the body has not changed, why neuroplastic symptoms are real and reversible, and how someone with rheumatoid arthritis can carry both structural and neuroplastic pain.

Trauma Pattern quiz:

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN:

00:00 Why would the brain create pain?
02:02 Can emotional pain cause physical pain?
04:23 How does a childhood without safety become pain later?
07:32 Can racism and injustice cause chronic pain?
10:08 Why are chronic pain, fatigue and POTS becoming more common?
14:37 Can rheumatoid arthritis pain be neuroplastic?
18:27 How can the nervous system learn it is safe?

“Not all pain is due to injury. It’s our job to sort it out because emotional pain can cause physical pain, and that’s a fact. And that’s how we’re wired.” ~ Dr. Howard Schubiner

If you live with pain that no test has fully explained, this episode is for you.

RESOURCES:

Take the free 2-Minute Assessment for Stored Trauma and see which patterns of stored trauma are most active for you.
Get The Biology of Trauma book.
Unlearn Your Pain by Dr. Howard Schubiner.
The Foundational Journey, a clear path for stabilizing your internal state and nervous system.

This episode is educational and is not medical advice. Please work with your own qualified healthcare provider for decisions about your care.

➡ Full show notes + resources

Grab your copy of The Biology of Trauma

Where Do I Start With Flaring Mast Cells? Dr. Bruce Hoffman Oct 01, 2026

Show notes

➡ Full show notes + resources

You react to everything. You want to find the cause and get rid of it.

What will surprise you is that the most common place people start, binders, chelation or a mold detox, may be the very thing that makes a reactive body worse.

This is Part 2 of a two-part conversation. Part 1 is here: Apple · Spotify · show notes.

Dr. Aimie and Dr. Bruce Hoffman talk about where to start when the body reacts to everything. Dr. Hoffman shares the order he used for 30 years with his most complex patients: safety first, then daylight and natural rhythms, self-regulation, POTS, and then calming the mast cells, with binders, chelation and mold treatment much later.

They also cover which medications calm mast cells, why supplements alone rarely do, how to tell a Herxheimer reaction from a mast cell reaction, and why mast cell labs so often come back normal.

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN:

00:00 Where do you start when your body reacts to everything?
02:57 Why does safety come first for highly reactive patients?
04:03 What are the health cycle principles?
06:48 What order did Dr. Hoffman use with his most complex patients?
08:11 How do you stabilize mast cells beyond histamine?
10:50 Can supplements stabilize mast cells?
12:45 Why not start with binders or antibiotics?
16:19 Herxheimer or mast cell reaction: how can you tell?
19:29 What is a therapeutic trial?
21:11 Why wait 3 to 6 months before chelation?

"I never approached the toxic load until I've got them stabilized in the health cycle principles, self-regulation, POTS, and mast cells." — Dr. Bruce Hoffman

If you have tried detox after detox and your body only gets more reactive, this episode is for you.

RESOURCES:

Get the free Companion Guide to Mast Cell Reactivity. Every term and medication from this conversation explained in plain words, in the order it comes up. [Swap for the tracked Apple show notes link, campaign ep198-stabilize-mast-cells, needs a Lead Magnet Inventory row]
Get The Biology of Trauma book. Chapter 12 lays out the biology lens that follows this same sequence. [VERIFY chapter]
Dr. Bruce Hoffman’s website and his Substack, The New Medical Curriculum.
The Foundational Journey, a clear path for stabilizing your internal state and nervous system.

This episode is educational and is not medical advice. Please work with your own qualified healthcare provider for decisions about your care.

➡ Full show notes + resources

Grab your copy of The Biology of Trauma

Why Do My Mast Cells React to Stress? Dr. Bruce Hoffman Sep 29, 2026

Show notes

Full show notes + resources

[COMPANION GUIDE NAME]: Every term from this conversation explained in plain words, in the order it comes up.

First it was one food. Now it is smells, supplements, heat and stress, and the list keeps growing.

What will surprise you is that mast cells respond to your total load, and a sensitized system can react to the thought of a trigger alone.

This is Part 1 of a two-part conversation. [Part 2 is here: EP 198 LINK]

Dr. Aimie sits down with Dr. Bruce Hoffman, who spent 30 years treating highly reactive, complex chronically ill patients. He explains why stress, from early trauma or daily life, is the largest trigger of mast cell activation he sees, and why the trigger list grows as toxins, processed food and indoor living add to the load.

Dr. Aimie breaks down the cell danger response, the footprint childhood trauma leaves as oxidative damage, and the two-way loop that keeps mast cells and the nervous system setting each other off.

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN:

00:00 Why are so many people reacting to everything?
02:52 How does early childhood trauma load the mast cells?
05:39 What is the cell danger response?
09:16 Why does childhood trauma show up as oxidative damage today?
12:32 Why does the trigger list keep getting longer?
14:39 What sets the threshold for mast cell activation?
17:58 Can mast cells react to a threat that is only predicted?
22:19 How do mast cells keep the nervous system on alert?
24:10 Why do people react to the supplements meant to help them?
27:21 Why does a roadmap create safety?

"You don't even have to have the threat. You can just think about it and your mast cells degranulate." — Dr. Bruce Hoffman

If you react to more foods, smells and supplements every year and no one can tell you why, this episode is for you.

RESOURCES:

Get the free [COMPANION GUIDE NAME]. Every term from this conversation explained in plain words, in the order it comes up
Get The Biology of Trauma book. Chapter 4 covers the cell danger response
Never Bet Against Occam by Dr. Lawrence Afrin

Grab your copy of The Biology of Trauma

How long does it take to heal a dysregulated nervous system? Sep 22, 2026

Show notes

➡ Full show notes + resources:

2 Min Assessment:

In this solo episode, Dr. Aimie explains what dysregulation actually is and why it never exists on its own. She walks through the patterns of stored trauma that feed it, and the four questions you can use to tell whether your nervous system is healing.

She also shares why children's nervous systems change faster than adults', what a patient in the ICU taught her about changing slowly, and why biology is the most neglected piece of nervous system repair.

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN
00:00 Intro: How Long Does Healing Take?
02:06 How the Nervous System Responds to Change
03:52 Overreacting, Underreacting, and Responding
06:26 Why Dysregulation Can't Create Health
08:14 The Five Steps of the Body's Trauma Response
10:57 Stuck in the Body Trauma Loop
12:35 Dissociation and Immobilization
15:03 Energy Conservation and Depletion
16:58 Why Dysregulation Never Happens Alone
18:49 The Fifth Pattern: When Trauma Becomes Disease
21:48 The Time Factor: Why Healing Takes Longer for Adults
25:53 Why Change Must Be Paced: A Lesson from the ICU
27:37 The Biology Piece: How to Accelerate Healing
29:35 Free Assessment and Closing

"The longer that the nervous system has lived this way, the slower that change has to go in order for the nervous system to integrate that change over time." — Dr. Aimie Apigian

If you have been working on your healing for years and cannot tell whether any of it is working, this episode is for you.

RESOURCES:

Take the free 2-Minute Assessment for Stored Trauma. Get a picture of your patterns now, so you have something to measure your healing against.
Get The Biology of Trauma book. The fifth pattern, disease, is in Chapter 10, When Trauma Becomes Disease.

This episode is educational and is not medical advice. Please work with your own qualified healthcare provider for decisions about your care.

➡ Full show notes + resources:

Grab your copy of The Biology of Trauma

Why Are My Autoimmune Symptoms Worse in Perimenopause? Sep 15, 2026

Show notes

Your labs keep coming back acceptable. Your symptoms keep getting harder to hold. And you have probably landed on one of two conclusions: either something is wrong with you that nobody has found yet, or something is wrong with how you are handling it.

I want to offer a third.

Full show notes

Three things change at the same time in this decade, and each one is invisible on its own.

Your immune baseline was set decades before perimenopause. Estrogen, which your immune system has been reading as an instruction every day for years, stops declining in a straight line and starts swinging. And cortisol, which is one of the most powerful anti-inflammatory signals your body makes, stops being received even while your body is producing more of it.

That third one is why a normal lab result can be a false negative. The all clear is being sent. It is not landing.

In this episode I walk through all three, and I translate the research into language you can use with your own provider. I also tell you why I stopped calculating ACE scores, what a hazard ratio actually means when you read one about your own health, and what has to be stabilized before anything else will hold.

Perimenopause does not create the autoimmunity. It does not create the pattern either. It removes the margin that had been holding that pattern quietly, which is why it feels like it arrived out of nowhere.

In this episode: