According to Bessel van der Kolk, the renowned trauma expert and author of The Body Keeps the Score, “When something reminds traumatized people of the past, their right brain reacts as if the traumatic event were happening in the present.” Let that sink in for a moment: the past can hijack our nervous system, dragging us back into the storm of what once was, even if our conscious mind is unaware.

I’ve witnessed this phenomenon countless times—both in others and in myself. When the echoes of old wounds resurface, our reactions can feel disproportionate, even baffling. We might snap at a loved one, spiral into anxiety, or find ourselves overwhelmed by an unexpected wave of sadness. Sometimes, the body speaks even louder than the emotions—an unexplained headache, a tightness in the chest, or a sudden flare-up of chronic pain.

The tricky part? Most of the time, we don’t consciously connect the dots. We’re left wondering, Why am I feeling this way? Why did I overreact to something so small? What’s really happening is that an unresolved thread from the past has been pulled, and our bodies are responding as though the trauma is unfolding all over again.

Understanding this can be a profound first step toward healing. By recognizing that our reactions may not always align with the present, we can begin to cultivate compassion for ourselves—and others—and start the journey of untangling those old threads.