My Body Won't Stop Bracing: Hypervigilance Signs & Therapy
- ✓I scan every room for exits and potential threats without even thinking
- ✓My shoulders and jaw are permanently tense—I don't remember what relaxed feels like
- ✓My partner sent me this because I flinch at every unexpected sound
Your nervous system learned to keep you safe. This isn't a flaw—it's a pattern that can shift with the right support.
Research shows hypervigilance affects up to 90% of people with trauma histories. You're not alone in this exhausting state of watchfulness.
That constant scanning, the startle response, the inability to relax—these are signs your nervous system is stuck in threat mode, not signs of weakness. Many trauma survivors describe feeling like they're 'always on' even in safe spaces. This pattern often overlaps with [other trauma responses](/topics/trauma/trauma-responses/), especially when your system is primed to react to any hint of danger.
Why Hypervigilance Happens: Your Nervous System on High Alert
Trauma isn't only the memory—it's how your nervous system learned to protect you afterward. Hypervigilance is a state of chronic hyperarousal where your threat detection system stays activated long after danger has passed. Your amygdala keeps signaling 'danger,' releasing stress hormones that keep muscles tense and senses on high alert. According to trauma research, this isn't a conscious choice but a learned protection strategy. [Somatic-Informed Care](/topics/trauma/trauma-therapy-overview/) works directly with this body response, helping your nervous system slowly recalibrate so you can distinguish real from perceived threat.
Signs Your Body Won't Stop Bracing
- •**The Scan is Automatic:** You check exits, scan faces, and assess threats without thinking—it's exhausting and you can't turn it off, even at home.
- •**Your Body Stays Locked:** Shoulders tight, jaw clenched, ready to move. Relaxation feels unsafe, like letting your guard down would be dangerous.
- •**Startle Response on Overdrive:** You jump at sounds others barely notice—a dropped fork, a car door—then feel embarrassed or foolish for overreacting.
- •**The Exhaustion is Deep:** You're tired of being 'on' all the time, but letting go feels dangerous, creating a cycle of fatigue you can't escape.
Something to try
The Slow Orienting Reset (Somatic Trauma Technique)
Turn your head slowly to the left and right, taking 10 seconds each direction. Name 3 neutral things you see in each direction—like colors on the wall, the shape of a lamp, or a book on a shelf. This physical movement combined with visual scanning tells your brain you're here in the present, not back in danger. It helps regulate an overactive threat response by engaging your orienting reflex.
This is a pause button—it creates space in the moment, but lasting change requires working with someone who can map your specific threat patterns.
What to expect in therapy
Therapy for hypervigilance starts with stabilization—learning to regulate your nervous system before processing. Modalities like Trauma-focused CBT, EMDR, and Somatic-Informed Care are effective when paced safely for your system.
With support matched to your pattern, your body can learn to rest without fear.
Ready for support that fits?
If you've tried therapy before but felt overwhelmed or like it moved too fast, you're not alone. We match you with clinicians who understand nervous system patterns and work at the pace your body actually needs, not the pace a manual suggests.