As Self-Care Month arrives in September, many people will engage in familiar rituals: meditation, exercise, and journaling. But for those who find themselves repeating the same emotional or behavioral patterns despite these efforts, the question arises: Why do we stay stuck when we genuinely want to change?
Judith A. Swack, Ph.D., author of "Clear Trauma Now: The Powerful Solution for Getting Unstuck," suggests that the answer lies in understanding how trauma operates below conscious awareness. According to Dr. Swack, trauma is not merely a psychological event but a physiological one, imprinted in the body's nervous system. This imprinting means that even when we intellectually understand our triggers and responses, the body may continue to react in old, ingrained ways.
Dr. Swack, a biochemist and immunologist, has spent decades researching the structure of trauma. Her original research indicates that trauma is not a single entity but is layered, with each layer requiring specific attention. Most conventional approaches, she argues, do not address these layers, which is why insight alone often fails to produce lasting change.
"Until trauma is cleared at the body level, it keeps repeating and you keep reacting," she explains. "That's why you can understand your trauma, and still feel stuck in it."
To address this, Dr. Swack developed the Healing from the Body Level Up (HBLU™) methodology, a comprehensive system designed to clear trauma at the conscious, unconscious, body, and soul levels. This approach integrates neuroscience with energy psychology techniques, offering a path to release trauma that goes beyond cognitive understanding.
The implications of this perspective are significant for self-care. Traditional self-care often focuses on managing stress and creating balance, but if trauma is stored in the body, then true self-care must include practices that address this physiological storage. Dr. Swack's work suggests that without this deeper level of care, individuals may continue to experience emotional and physical reactions even when they know they are safe.
One of the key insights from Dr. Swack's research is that unconscious patterns, formed in response to past trauma, can lead to self-sabotage. These patterns are not simply bad habits; they are the body's attempt to protect itself based on outdated information. By clearing the trauma at the body level, these patterns can be resolved, allowing for more adaptive responses.
Dr. Swack's book, "Clear Trauma Now," was recently named the 2026 Silver Medal Winner for Grief Books by the Coalition of Visionary Resources (COVR). The book details the practices she pioneered, offering readers a step-by-step guide to clearing trauma. For those interested in experiencing this work live, Dr. Swack will present a "Clear Trauma Now Live Healing" webinar on Thursday evenings in September: Sept. 3 from 7 to 9 p.m. and Sept. 10, 17, and 24 from 7 to 8:30 p.m. EDT. More information is available at hblu.org/live-healing-experience.
The conversation around trauma and self-care is evolving. Dr. Swack's work highlights the importance of addressing the body's role in emotional well-being, a concept that may reshape how we approach personal growth and healing. As she notes, deeper self-care involves not just calming the mind but also releasing the trauma that keeps us from moving forward.
