Dawn breaks, rousing consciousness,

the world pulses to life around me,

a familiar rhythm, now a distant hum,

slipping through my fingers like water.

The heart is a gateway, capable of transforming pain into something bearable, and sometimes even beautiful. But it is one of the first things that shuts off in response to trauma.

After experiencing acute or prolonged trauma, particularly in conditions like PTSD, the brain and body become locked in survival states…