Understanding Overwhelm as a Trauma Response with Dr. Aimie Apigian

The Healing Trauma Podcast

In this conversation, Monique Koven and Dr. Aimie Apigian discuss the topic of overwhelm and how it relates to trauma and our nervous system. They explore the concept of overwhelm as a trauma response and the ways in which our body tries to protect us from it. They also discuss the role of parts work in addressing overwhelm and how to work with the protector parts that prevent us from accessing the younger, overwhelmed parts. Amy emphasizes the importance of collaboration and building trust with these parts. They also touch on the integration of biology, somatic work, and parts work in the healing journey
takeaways

• Overwhelm is a trauma response that is different for trauma survivors compared to those who do not have a history of trauma.
• Our body remembers past experiences of overwhelm and tries to protect us from experiencing it again.
• Parts work is a tool for addressing overwhelm and involves working with the protector parts that prevent us from accessing the younger, overwhelmed parts.
• Collaboration and building trust with these parts is essential in the healing process.
• The integration of biology, somatic work, and parts work is important in addressing overwhelm and building a foundation of regulation.

Aimie Apigian, MD, MS, MPH, is a Board-Certified Preventive Medicine physician with a Masters in Biochemistry and a Masters in Public Health. She is an author, speaker and founder of Trauma Healing Accelerated, LLC and Family Challenge Camps, and host of Bio-Optimize Summit. She now has founded Trauma Healing Accelerated to bring information and personal empowerment through online courses. She hosts summits on how to optimize the biology in those who want the next level to their health and performance. She has an active medical practice in California in Addiction Medicine and Concierge Functional Medicine.

In addition to her medical training, she is also a Functional Medicine physician and has training and certifications specifically in neuro-autoimmunity, nutrition and genetics for addictions, mental health, and mood and behavioral disorders.

Aimie has a number of certifications in various trauma therapies including Instinctual Trauma Response Model (an art trauma therapy), Somatic Experiencing (developed by Dr. Peter Levine), and NeuroAffective Touch (Dr. Aline LaPierre). Dr. Aimie enjoys bridging the gap between what she sees happening in these trauma therapies and a person’s biology and nervous system.

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