The Biology of Trauma: How the Body Holds Fear, Pain, and Overwhelm, and How to Heal It

by Aimie Apigian MD

USA Today Bestseller Publishers Weekly Bestseller This groundbreaking book breaks down the latest research to reveal how trauma impacts our bodies on a cellular level and offers an empowering path to whole-body healing. Today, we know more about mental health than ever before, but traditional medicine still mistakes subtle signs of trauma for stress, anxiety, or chronic disease—sometimes even retraumatizing patients with outdated and misguided methods. Treatment plans that focus on the mind are only addressing the downstream effects. Likewise, common medical approaches to manage symptoms fail to explore root causes and promote genuine recovery. If we want to truly heal, we need to understand trauma as something happening inside of the body—not as a singular external event. Gaining clarity on how our bodies hold onto experiences, impacting both our physical health and our ability to maintain healthy behaviors and relationships, is crucial. That’s where Dr. Aimie Apigian’s integrative, revolutionary approach comes in. With a decade of clinical research, approachable storytelling, and real-life examples, The Biology of Trauma will show How the body absorbs scarring experiences and overwhelm Ways to identify commonly overlooked trauma symptoms like lethargy, fogginess, and unexplained worry Recognize how emotional pain stored in the body affects overall health on a cellular level, even for people with functionally successful lives Prevent trauma-induced changes in your biology that suppress the cycle of recovery Work with your nervous system to safely heal—without risk of retraumatization Perfect for both individuals seeking personal growth and health professionals improving their practice, The Biology of Trauma will help you gain deep insights into your own mind, body, and healing journey.

320 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 30, 2025

Reviews

[Nicole · Rating 1 out of 5]

I’m not sure why this book is listed twice, other than maybe an attempt to get some better reviews because the other listing has 3.5 stars. I’ll repeat my review here: this book contained very little “new” information when it comes to trauma, and felt like one big sales pitch for the authors courses and other work.

[Kristina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good research based information for someone new to trauma healing with concrete examples. However, I needed more text features throughout showing her recommendations & explaining her theories. Dr. Apigian reminded me that stress energizes & trauma depletes, which was helpful. She also uses a rock analogy that readers will find useful.

[Deborah Chelette-Wilson, · Rating 5 out of 5]

The World Needs This

Connecting the steps of how stress and trauma impact our biology and the way out of our survival loop is imperative for us all in this too much took fast overwhelming time.