Running from Lions: Trauma-Informed Care

Most of us have seen a documentary about a lion hunting. The lion moves low through tall grass, quiet and focused, inching closer to a grazing gazelle. The gazelle eats, ears flicking, alert but not yet alarmed. Then the lion lunges. The gazelle bolts. For less than a minute, both animals run at full speed. It is brief, but intense—pure survival.

Then the chase ends. The lion stops. The gazelle stops. And something essential happens next: the gazelle’s entire body begins to shake.

As a child, I thought the gazelle was shaking because it was afraid. Now, as a trauma-informed therapist, I understand something different. The shaking is not fear—it is physiology. The gazelle is discharging the intense activation that built up during the chase. Its body is completing a stress response, releasing the energy mobilized for survival. Once that discharge is complete, the gazelle returns to grazing.

Humans are not so efficient.

We also experience moments of intense activation—fear, danger, overwhelm—but we often do not complete the stress cycle in the same way. Instead of discharging that energy, we suppress it, override it, or carry it forward. The body remains partially activated, even after the event has ended. In this sense, trauma is not only what happened; it is what remains unresolved in the nervous system. It is as if the chase is still happening internally, even when the external threat is gone.

This helps explain why anxiety and posttraumatic stress can persist. Trauma can narrow what clinicians call the “window of tolerance,” the range of emotional intensity within which a person can remain present, think clearly, and respond effectively. When someone is pushed outside of this window, they may become hyperaroused (anxious, reactive, overwhelmed) or hypoaroused (numb, shut down, disconnected). In either state, the nervous system is organized around survival, not reflection.

This is where trauma-informed care begins, and it may not begin where people expect. The first stage of trauma-informed care is stabilization.

Many people assume that healing starts by talking through what happened. For some, that can be helpful, but when the nervous system is dysregulated, immediate processing can overwhelm rather than resolve. Phase-oriented models of trauma treatment consistently emphasize that work with traumatic memories is preceded by a stabilization phase focused on safety, emotional regulation, and coping capacity.

Stabilization is the process of building the ability to stay present in the face of distress. It involves helping a person move out of persistent states of hyperarousal or shutdown and into a more regulated range—where emotions can be experienced without becoming unmanageable. Within this range, the brain can integrate experience. Outside of it, survival responses take over.

After trauma, the nervous system often becomes biased toward protection rather than reflection. A person may feel constantly on edge, flooded with emotion, or disconnected from themselves and others. Intrusive memories, strong physical reactions, and avoidance are common. These responses are not signs of weakness; they are adaptive attempts to prevent further harm. But when they persist, they interfere with the ability to heal.

Stabilization shifts the focus from processing the past to regulating the present. This begins with the body. Learning to calm physiological arousal—through breathing, grounding, or other regulation strategies—can help signal safety to the nervous system. These approaches are effective because they work directly with the body’s stress response, rather than relying on cognitive insight alone. As the body settles, the mind becomes more capable of reflection and choice.

Stabilization also involves developing awareness of internal experience. Many individuals who have experienced trauma struggle to identify what they are feeling or to recognize early signs of escalation. Emotions may feel sudden, overwhelming, or confusing. Part of the work is learning to notice these shifts as they begin—recognizing subtle cues in the body and mind before they intensify.

Over time, this awareness creates predictability. What once felt chaotic becomes more understandable. And with understanding comes a greater sense of control.

Another important component of stabilization is understanding the relationship between thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. Trauma often shapes how people interpret their experiences. A neutral situation may feel threatening. A past event may lead to beliefs such as “I am not safe,” “This was my fault,” or “It will happen again.” During stabilization, the goal is not to fully resolve these beliefs, but to begin noticing them and understanding their influence. This creates the foundation for more flexible thinking later in treatment.

Stabilization is not only internal, it is also relational. Safety is reinforced through connection. Supportive relationships help regulate the nervous system in ways individuals often cannot achieve alone. When another person remains calm, present, and attuned, it sends a powerful signal of safety. This is especially important for children, whose capacity for regulation is closely tied to the adults around them. A regulated caregiver or therapist can help bring a dysregulated system back into balance.

Environmental stability also plays a role. Predictable routines, clear expectations, and consistent surroundings reduce the need for constant vigilance. When the external world feels less chaotic, the internal world often follows.

It is important to clarify what stabilization is not. It does not mean eliminating distress or achieving constant calm. Healing does not require the absence of difficult emotions. Instead, stabilization means that when distress arises, it can be recognized and managed. A person has tools, awareness, and support that allow them to move through activation rather than becoming stuck in it. This capacity is what makes deeper trauma work possible.

Research suggests that trauma-focused interventions are most effective when individuals can remain within a manageable range of emotional activation. When this capacity is in place, a person can approach traumatic material, step back when needed, and re-engage without becoming overwhelmed or shutting down.

This is why stabilization is not a step to rush through. It is a critical phase that determines whether the rest of therapy will be safe and effective.

Returning to the image of the gazelle, the difference is not that humans are incapable of completing the stress cycle. It is that our environments, histories, and cognitive processes often interrupt that natural completion. We suppress responses, remain in chronic stress, or carry unresolved experiences forward. As a result, the body holds onto what it was never able to release.

Stabilization helps restore that capacity. It creates the conditions in which the nervous system can begin to settle, the body can release stored activation, and the person can reconnect with a sense of safety. Only then can the story move forward.

Understanding stabilization as the first stage of trauma-informed care shifts the focus of healing. Instead of pushing for immediate insight or emotional release, it emphasizes building regulation, resilience, and safety. This approach does not avoid the past; it prepares the individual to face it in a way that is sustainable.

Stabilization is not separate from healing, it is the beginning of it.

References

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

Ogden, P., Minton, K., & Pain, C. (2006). Trauma and the body: A sensorimotor approach to psychotherapy. W. W. Norton.

Siegel, D. J. (1999). The developing mind: How relationships and the brain interact to shape who we are. Guilford Press.

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