Applications of Mindfulness to Working with Trauma (2025)

We all wish to move forward in life, but trauma holds many of us back. Traumatic experiences are undeniably painful, but much of the real damage to trauma survivors happens after the inciting incident when trauma alters a survivor’s mind and body, causing posttraumatic stress. According to psychiatrist and trauma specialist Bessel van der Kolk, “after trauma the world is experienced with a different nervous system. The survivor’s energy now becomes focused on suppressing inner chaos, at the expense of spontaneous involvement in their life”. Being trapped in a traumatic experience of the past can make it difficult to live one’s life in the present, and manifest in not only unwanted behaviors, but physical symptoms such as fibromyalgia or chronic fatigue (van der Kolk 53). Thankfully, mindfulness of the present moment, including compassionate and nonjudgmental acceptance of one’s past and present circumstances, can remind survivors of trauma that they are not actually trapped in the past, and that healing, change, and moving forward are possible for them in the here and now. Buddhist psychology speaks of mindfulness at length, but the psychological benefits of mindfulness are becoming increasingly accepted in the world of Western science as well. A review of empirical studies suggests that “mindfulness and its cultivation facilitates adaptive psychological functioning” (Keng et al.), establishing that mindfulness is an essential, evidence based practice for healing from traumatic experiences. According to the literature reviewed within, trauma can cause people a seemingly intolerable amount of stress, and mindfulness and radical acceptance can help people living with trauma to bring themselves back to the present moment and regain control of their lives. Literature also suggests there is a risk of retraumatization through meditation, and that being aware of trauma when implementing mindfulness practices such as mindfulness meditation (i.e. practicing trauma-sensitive mindfulness), which carry risks for individuals living with trauma, is of utmost importance to ensure safety.

Traumatic stress is a common phenomenon that can make it difficult for survivors of trauma to move on with their lives after the traumatic event that incited the stress is long over. In 1941, a psychiatrist named Abram Kardiner who worked with World War I veterans reported that “his patients were overtaken by a sense of futility; they became withdrawn and detached, even if they had functioned well before” (van der Kolk 11), forming with his observations the beginnings of the diagnosis that we now call PTSD (posttraumatic stress disorder). Awareness of the prevalence of trauma is ever increasing. Although it is well known that extremely dangerous scenarios such as a war or accident can cause PTSD, clinicians now recognize that posttraumatic stress can and does happen as a result of much more than obvious physical trauma. According to research conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 1998, one in five Americans was sexually molested as a child; one in four was beaten by a parent to the point of a mark being left on their body; one in three couples engages in physical violence (Felitti et al.), and actual counts including unreported instances of violence are likely much higher. The prevalence of trauma is difficult to understate, especially as more and more potential sources of trauma come to light. Although many experience potentially traumatizing situations without accruing posttraumatic stress, those who suffer from trauma have an experience characterized by intolerable stress (van der Kolk 1). In other words, trauma is defined not by the event, but by the survivor’s emotional responses to it, and their difficulty in moving on and integrating the experience after it has occurred.

According to physician and author Gabor Maté, trauma “is not what happens to you; it is what happens inside you as a result of what happens to you. It is not the blow on the head, but the concussion I get”, going on to provide an example: “If my trauma was that my mother gave me to a stranger, that will never not have happened. But if the wound was that I decided as a result that I wasn’t worthwhile as a human being, I wasn’t lovable, that’s a wound that can heal at any time” (Maté). In the aforementioned example, the traumatic event of being given away is long gone and cannot be changed, but it would be inaccurate to say the event itself is an ever constant source of stress; it is rather the lessons that the survivor took from the event that make their life difficult. Having decided that they are not worthwhile as a human, or worthy of love, they may move through their life truly believing these things regardless of their lack of truth. While this belief would be related to being given away as a child, the belief could be changed, whereas the event could not. If this individual were able to cultivate more mindfulness of the present moment, they may see that their idea of being unlovable developed as a result of their past, and does not necessarily need to be adhered to moving forward. Healing from trauma involves altering an individual or group’s responses to their own emotions; if one’s reaction to traumatic stress ceases to be intolerable, then trauma is no longer controlling their life. 

Although people may feel shame at their inability to overcome trauma as fast as they would like, survivors may find some comfort in knowing that there are physiological factors of trauma that make it objectively difficult to overcome. Research indicates that the brain and nervous system are chemically altered by trauma, and triggers can cause trauma survivors to experience “the loss of executive functioning. When something reminds traumatized people of the past, their right brain reacts as if the traumatic event were happening in the present. But because their left brain is not working very well, they may not be aware that they are re-experiencing and reenacting the past–they are just furious, terrified, enraged, ashamed or frozen” (van der Kolk 45). Trauma effectively keeps traumatized people from experiencing the present for what it is by dysregulating them physically and emotionally. According to psychologist and leading trauma researcher Judith Herman, “traumatic events produce profound and lasting changes in physiological arousal, emotion, cognition, and memory”, but cause even further damage in their potential to “sever these normally integrated functions from one another” and “overwhelm the ordinary human adaptations to life”. In other words, “trauma tears apart a complex system of self- protection that normally functions in an integrated fashion” (Herman). Trauma not only damages multiple parts of the brain and body, but makes it more difficult for said parts to work together as they would in a non-traumatized individual. When the body’s synergy falters, even just regular everyday functioning can become quite difficult.

People may naturally wish to move on from traumatic experiences, but posttraumatic stress complicates the process of moving on by making it difficult to accurately assess what is happening in the present moment. According to van der Kolk, “traumatized people are often afraid of feeling. It is not so much the perpetrators (who, hopefully, are no longer around to hurt them) but their own physical sensations that are now the enemy… Even though the trauma is a thing of the past, the emotional brain keeps generating sensations that make the sufferer feel scared and helpless” (van der Kolk 210-211). Even if a traumatic experience has ended long ago, a trauma survivor’s brain will continue to secrete stress hormones, causing intensely unpleasant, overwhelming emotions and aggressive, impulsive actions that cause the survivor to not feel that their life is damaged beyond repair, but potentially cause harm to other people in their lives as well (van der Kolk 2). When it comes to moving forward and living a healthy, authentic and congruent life, the importance of managing trauma cannot be understated. Everyone is prone to overreacting to negative emotions, but managing this is especially important for trauma survivors. Due to the way “trauma interferes with… awareness”, survivors may have a harder time being aware of what is occurring in their nervous system and owning up to their reactions (van der Kolk 45). In essence, trauma often manifests as a lack of awareness, and said lack of awareness causes rippling difficulties in survivors’ lives as they struggle to understand what happened to them, where they are in the present, and how they can feel safe.

Practicing mindfulness can be a way to remind oneself that the present and future need not be dictated by traumas of the past. Authors Shapiro and Carlson define mindfulness as a combination of mindful awareness, “an abiding presence or awareness, a deep knowing that manifests as freedom of mind (e.g. freedom from reflexive conditioning and delusion)” and mindful practice, “the systematic practice of intentionally attending in an open, caring, and discerning way, which involves both knowing and shaping the mind”, going on to provide a definition of mindfulness that captures both aspects: “the awareness that arises through intentionally attending in an open, caring, and nonjudgmental way”. Particularly relevant to dealing with traumatic stress is the aforementioned freedom from reflexive conditioning and delusion, as well as attending to oneself with care, which involves being aware of one’s present sensations, “simply [knowing and accepting] what is here, now”, also terming it a “natural human capacity” (Shapiro and Carlson 4-5), affirming that mindfulness is an accessible form of healing. According to Bessel van der Kolk, traumatized persons’ reactions to present feelings comprise the basis of their struggles (rather than the event itself), which makes remaining mindful and open to one’s present sensations highly important; it is attention to present physical sensations that helps to heal trauma and break conditioning: “body awareness puts us in touch with our inner world… Mindfulness puts us in touch with the transitory nature of our feelings and perceptions, [eventually increasing] our control over them”. While nobody can be free of stressful experiences, being mindful of the present moment can help survivors of trauma assess and respond to situations in a way that is measured and accurate, rather than allowing trauma to exacerbate stress. While mindfulness meditation is perhaps the most commonly known mindfulness practice, there are a variety of different established mindfulness practices. When one is aware of the present moment and the sensations they are experiencing, they can then work to bring compassion towards themselves with a practice known as radical acceptance.

With radical acceptance, a combination of “seeing clearly and holding our experience with compassion” (Brach 27) one can start to resist reactive trauma responses that leave them feeling stuck in the past and behave more congruently with present circumstances. Psychologist Tara Brach invokes an example of a tiger who was held in a cage all its life, who when finally given a larger home in which to roam freely, confined itself to a corner of its new environment, unable to imagine anything else for itself; the tiger’s past experiences effectively kept it caged long after leaving its literal cage. Relating this phenomenon of self-restricted movement to a common pattern experienced by humans, she claims that “the biggest tragedy in our lives is that freedom is possible, yet we can pass our years trapped in the same old patterns. Entangled in the trance of unworthiness, we grow accustomed to caging ourselves in with self-judgment and anxiety, with restlessness and dissatisfaction”. She goes on to argue that “the way out of our cage begins with accepting absolutely everything about ourselves and our lives, by embracing with wakefulness and care our moment-to-moment experience… It means feeling [something] without judging ourselves for the feeling or being driven to act on it” (Brach 25-26). Although this is not only relevant to those with a formal PTSD diagnosis, we have established that a trauma is rooted in reactivity to strong negative emotions that arise in response to triggers, so it is easy to see why seeing the present for what it is is a conduit to handling negative emotions and reducing the intolerability of traumatic stress.

Healing from trauma is difficult, but mindful attention makes it possible to observe one’s (possibly maladaptive) automatic emotional responses to trauma and assess whether or not they are appropriate, creating the possibility of making more conscious decisions. According to ordained Buddhist nun and writer Pema Chödrön, “as human beings we have the potential to disentangle ourselves from old habits, and the potential to love and care about each other. We have the capacity to wake up and live consciously, but… we also have a strong inclination to stay asleep” (Chödron 1). Posttraumatic stress can create habits that are incredibly difficult to disentangle from. However, despite the tendency for our minds to want to stick to old habits, disentanglement is not impossible. Chödron’s approach to maintaining presence centers around awareness of one’s own emotions. She suggests that “when we’re feeling resentment or any strong emotion, we can recognize that we are getting worked up, and realize that right now we can consciously make the choice to be aggressive or to cool off” (Chödron 3). In seeing our emotions clearly we can prevent ourselves from reacting to them maladaptively. For example, if someone who suffers from PTSD behaves aggressively towards themselves or loved ones in response to a minorly stressful incident, it is likely because they have not made the choice to consciously recognize what is happening, and have fallen into reflexive behavioral patterns conditioned by traumatic stress. The importance of being aware of the present moment when it comes to trauma cannot be understated, as awareness makes it more possible to resist conditioned patterns and to consciously choose an alternative course of action.

Despite how helpful and essential mindfulness practice can be to healing from trauma, practicing mindfulness as a traumatized person is not without its risks. Thus it is important to be aware of these risks when introducing mindfulness practices to anyone, as it is not possible to know whether any individual is traumatized or not. In a book about trauma-sensitive mindfulness practices, author and trauma professional David Treleaven details how seemingly harmless mindfulness practices like meditation can plunge traumatized individuals deeply into a triggering place, claiming that even though mindfulness can be an invaluable resource for healing, “for people who’ve experienced trauma, mindfulness meditation can exacerbate symptoms of traumatic stress. This can include flashbacks, heightened emotional arousal, and dissociation… While meditation may appear to be a safe and innocuous practice, it can thrust trauma survivors directly into the heart of wounds that require more than mindful awareness to heal” (Treleaven). He invokes several examples of adverse reactions to mindfulness, including a friend’s experience being “flooded with images from her violent past” to say that mindfulness can “generate problems for people struggling with traumatic stress. When we ask someone with trauma to pay close, sustained attention to their internal experience, we invite them into contact with traumatic stimuli… As my friend experienced, this can aggravate and intensify symptoms of traumatic stress, in some cases even lead to retraumatization–a relapse into an intensely traumatized state” (Treleaven). It is worth noting that although mindfulness helps many trauma survivors through valid clinical applications and personal practice, some trauma survivors who practice mindfulness may face the risk of retraumatization, which is opposite of the presence mindfulness intends to cultivate. Treleaven names mindfulness meditation as particularly risky compared to mindfulness at large, specifying that mindfulness “doesn’t cause trauma—it’s the practice of mindfulness meditation, offered without an understanding of trauma, that can exacerbate and entrench traumatic symptoms.“ (Treleaven) For this reason, in all of its seeming harmlessness, mindfulness meditation is safest with an understanding of trauma and is potentially unsafe for trauma survivors to practice flippantly or without proper preparation. 

The circumstances surrounding mindful meditation practice necessitate as much mindful attention as the practice itself. Treleaven names “trauma-sensitive mindfulness” as a necessary approach due to the high prevalence of trauma and increasing popularity of mindfulness. Treleaven posits that clinicians and other mindfulness instructors have a responsibility to “stay responsive to the unique and ongoing needs of the trauma survivors we work with“. Furthermore, an understanding of not only the physiological origins of trauma, but its social origins as well, is necessary for a grounded approach to healing trauma through mindfulness. Not only is this relevant to individual work with trauma survivors, but to larger communities as well; for example, a town that experienced a massacre would likely suffer from collective trauma after the fact. Understanding the context and prevalence of trauma necessitates an understanding of social factors and oppression that can be frequent causes of trauma, including an understanding of trauma as a social phenomenon for oppressed individuals and groups, as people are often conditioned “to think about trauma as an individual tragedy instead of an event that’s interconnected to larger systems of domination that shape our world… trauma is both prevalent and political”. A sufficient understanding of trauma, the factors that cause it, the symptoms it causes in survivors, and its social context, are essential to teaching mindfulness with sensitivity to trauma. Treleaven names five main principles (or suggestions) for trauma-sensitive mindfulness: “stay within the window of tolerance… shift attention to support stability… keep the body in mind… practice in relationship… [and] understand social context” (Treleaven). It is worth mentioning that these are helpful practices for people who both do and do not suffer from trauma and/or PTSD, but are even more important for trauma survivors practicing mindfulness. The well-documented benefits of mindfulness for trauma survivors can be safely accessed with adequate preparation and understanding. 

Engaging with trauma using mindfulness practices has the potential to be healing not only for trauma survivors and individuals who are diagnosed with PTSD, but for everyone around them and for society at large by bettering public health and emotional well-being. We have established that trauma is a reaction to traumatic events, rather than just the events themselves, and that it often manifests as physical health problems, maladaptive behavioral patterns or conditioning that is extremely difficult for many survivors and communities to break. We have also seen how trauma is a prevalent phenomenon that affects many individuals and groups worldwide regardless of whether or not they have a PTSD diagnosis. A review of relevant literature suggests that mindfulness can be and is essential for survivors to heal from trauma by bringing themselves to the present moment and recognizing their sensations in order to gain more control over their mental state. Radical acceptance, i.e. mindful, nonjudgmental and compassionate acceptance of one’s circumstances, is one mindfulness practice that can help survivors and communities to understand and integrate what has happened to them. The most common mindfulness practice, mindfulness meditation, necessitates a degree of precautionary practices, including prior education about trauma and its various contexts in order to be practiced safely by and for trauma survivors. If retraumatization can be prevented, mindfulness is a safe, reliable and healthy practice for trauma survivors that can improve their well-being.

Works Cited

References

Brach, T. (2003). Unfolding the wings of acceptance. Radical acceptance: embracing your life with the heart of a Buddha. New York: Bantam Books.

Bramley, E. & Maté, G. (2023). The trauma doctor: Gabor Maté on happiness, hope and how to heal our deepest wounds. The Guardian. 

Chödrön, P. (2009). Taking the leap: Freeing ourselves from old habits and fears. Shambhala Publications.

Herman, J. L. (1992). Trauma and recovery: The aftermath of violence—from domestic abuse to political terror. Basic Books.’

Keng, S. L., Smoski, M. J., & Robins, C. J. (2011). Effects of mindfulness on psychological health: a review of empirical studies. Clinical psychology review, 31(6).

Shapiro, S. L., & Carlson, L. E. (2017). The Mindful Therapist. The Art and Science of Mindfulness. American Psychological Association.

Treleaven, D. A. (2018). Trauma-sensitive mindfulness: Practices for safe and transformative healing. W. W. Norton & Company.

van der Kolk, B. A. (2014). The body keeps the score: Brain, mind, and body in the healing of trauma. Viking.

V. Felitti, et al. (1998) “Relationship of Childhood Abuse and Household Dysfunction to Many of the Leading Causes of Death in Adults: The Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Study.” American Journal of Preventive Medicine 14, no. 4: 245-58