The Biology of Trauma® With Dr. Aimie

Dr. Aimie Apigian
  • 4.7 (229)
  • MENTAL HEALTH
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

People are done dancing around the topic of trauma. They're ready to face this square-on. None of the current systems are getting to the root of the issue in the current model. Their biology has been affected on a cellular level, and that is now what's preventing the important work that they're trying to do. The Biology of Trauma® podcast is the missing piece to that puzzle. It's a practical living manual for the human body in a modern, traumatizing world. Join your host, Dr. Aimie Apigian—a medical physician and expert in attachment, trauma, and addiction—as she challenges outdated trauma paradigms and introduces a new model for healing.

  1. FEB 10

    How Creativity Rewires Your Nervous System with Adam Roa

    ➡️ Get the full episode breakdown at Biology of Trauma® Podcast - Episode 160: How Creativity Rewires Your Nervous System with Adam Roa What if the key to healing isn't more therapy—but creativity? Adam Roa's poem "You Are Who You've Been Looking For" reached over 250 million people. But before that poem existed, Adam spent 25 years emotionally shut down. He didn't remember his childhood sexual abuse until age 30. His journey reveals why creativity creates neurological safety for emotions that were once too overwhelming to feel. Creativity isn't about talent—it's about pattern disruption. When you turn pain into a poem or painting, you force your brain to view that experience differently.  This episode explains why safety must come before expression and how the creative process rewires neural pathways when talk alone can't reach what's stored in the body. In This Episode You'll Learn:  (01:00) What poetry has to do with your nervous system's capacity to heal (03:45) Why Adam's viral poem reached 250 million people (05:30) How childhood trauma stayed hidden for 25 years (08:00) Why acting became Adam's first safe space to feel emotions (12:00) The moment poetry became a survival mechanism after heartbreak (17:00) How creativity rewires neural pathways associated with traumatic events (22:00) Why one poem can play multiple roles in your healing journey (27:00) What happens when you write for yourself but release for others (32:00) Dr. Aimie shares her song "Letter to the Me" publicly for the first time (47:00) Adam performs "You Are Who You've Been Looking For" (54:00) The journey from viral success to learning what self-love actually means Resources/Guides: The Biology of Trauma book — Get your copy here Adam Roa's New Book — Crazy Love explores the journey of learning to truly love yourself. Available May 2025. Adam's Websites — adamroa.com Dr. Aimie's Music Channel — Songs of the Inner World on YouTube Free Guide: The Chronic Freeze Response — Understanding why your body stays stuck even when you want to move Related Podcast Episodes: Episode 82: Using Biological Rhythms to Recover From Trauma with Dr. Leslie Korn Episode 119: Transforming Trauma Into Joy & Purpose with Gregg Ward

    56 min

  2. FEB 3

    Can Stem Cells Accelerate Trauma Healing?

    ➡️ Get the full episode breakdown at Biology of Trauma® Podcast - Episode 159: Why Trauma Blocks Your Stem Cell Repair System What if we knew how to repair cellular damage from stress and trauma? Stem cells are your body's repair system—replacing 50-70 billion cells every day. But chronic inflammation from trauma creates what Dr. Dan Pardi calls a "noisy neighborhood" where repair signals can't get through.   Dr. Pardi is the Chief Health Officer at Qualia Life Sciences, where he researches what actually allows cellular healing to happen. In this episode, we explore why trauma accelerates biological aging and what creates the conditions for repair.   In This Episode You'll Learn: (01:00) Why understanding the Biology of Trauma® matters for cellular health (03:00) What "capacity" actually means—and how resilience changes across the lifespan (08:00) How Dan's own injury led him to study health optimization (15:30) Why Dean Ornish's lifestyle intervention worked when single interventions fail (19:30) What's missing from healthcare for trauma recovery (24:00) How stem cells function as the body's repair mechanism (28:00) Why inflammation from trauma blocks stem cell activity (32:00) How sleep and biological rhythms affect stem cell repair (36:00) Why college athletes needed 5.5 months to recover from extreme fatigue (43:00) What makes trauma recovery take longer than we expect (47:00) How to support stem cell health naturally   Resources/Guides: The Biology of Trauma book — Get your copy here Foundational Journey — Six weeks to clean up your internal environment so repair becomes possible. This is where we create the conditions for cellular healing. Qualia Life Sciences — Learn more about stem cell wellness at www.qualialife.com/draimie  Coupon Code: DRAIMIE  (listeners get an additional 15% off any Qualia order) Related Podcast Episodes: Episode 84: Cellular Resilience And Post-Traumatic Growth with Ari Whitten Episode 82: Using Biological Rhythms to Recover From Trauma with Dr. Leslie Korn

    51 min

  3. JAN 30

    The Biology of Dopamine: Why We Can't Stop What Isn't Good for Us

    You know it's not good for you. You do it anyway. Then you ask yourself why. Late-night scrolling when you promised you'd sleep. Sugar after dinner when you said you'd stop. The fight you picked that you didn't need to pick. We call it lack of willpower. But willpower isn't the problem. This is the biology behind the main episode this week with addiction policy expert Dr. Kevin Sabet. He shared what we've been getting wrong about marijuana and addiction. Now I'm taking you deeper into what's actually happening in your brain when you can't stop doing what you know is harming you. In this episode you'll hear more about: (01:00) Why "why am I doing this to myself" is a dopamine question. (02:30) The truth about dopamine — it's not just high or low. It's both. (03:00) How drama and interpersonal chaos become dopamine sources. (04:30) Why the more you push the lever, the less dopamine you get. (05:00) Dopamine isn't about pleasure. It's about remembering what's important. (07:00) How early attachment wires dopamine to connection — or to danger. (09:00) The definition of addiction: going somewhere other than safe human connection to feel okay. (10:30) The three biochemical imbalances common in addictive patterns. (11:00) How brain inflammation lowers dopamine and raises glutamate — the double whammy. (12:30) Why bribes actually work for dopamine-driven behaviors. The craving isn't a character flaw. It's a signal. When dopamine is low at baseline, your nervous system will find ways to get it. The question is whether we repair the biology or white-knuckle through life. Resources/Guides: Download the 3 Most Common Biochemical Imbalances Guide — The biochemical imbalances Dr. Aimie mentions that disrupt normal dopamine activity.  Biology of Trauma book — Available everywhere books are sold. Get your copy → Watch the video version on YouTube → Check out the main episode -  Episode 158: Marijuana, Addiction, and the Body: What We've Been Getting Wrong with Dr. Kevin Sabet Try this practice this week: Notice when you're reaching for something to take the edge off. Before you act, pause. Ask: "Is my baseline dopamine low right now? What is my body actually looking for?" Awareness interrupts the automatic loop. Leave a review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or YouTube. It helps others find trauma-informed care.

    14 min

  4. JAN 27

    Marijuana, Addiction, and the Body: What We've Been Getting Wrong

    ➡️ Get the full episode breakdown at Biology of Trauma® Podcast - Episode Marijuana, Addiction, and the Body: What We've Been Getting Wrong If you've watched a family member struggle with addiction, you know how helpless it can feel. Treatment programs that don't work. Policies that seem disconnected from reality. Debates about legalization versus criminalization that never address what actually helps someone recover. Dr. Kevin Sabet has spent decades advising three presidential administrations on drug policy—watching decriminalization debates, marijuana legalization, and the opioid crisis unfold. He started asking a different question: What if we looked at what actually works? His book One Nation Under the Influence examines why current addiction policies are failing—and what Iceland, Portugal, and Hawaii figured out that we're missing. In This Episode You'll Learn: [01:00] Why marijuana is the most misunderstood drug in America [04:00] How today's marijuana is genetically bred to be far more potent [08:00] The critical difference between decriminalization, legalization, and commercialization [12:00] Why the promises of marijuana legalization haven't materialized [17:00] How addiction responds to incentives unlike any other brain condition [20:00] What "harm reduction" actually means—and why there's so much confusion [24:00] Why some addiction physicians recommend marijuana for opioid recovery—and what the research shows [30:00] What Iceland's prevention model actually did differently [33:00] How Portugal's system works—and why it's not legalization [35:00] Hawaii's HOPE program: why 2 days in jail changed behavior when years of probation didn't

    38 min

  5. JAN 22

    The Biology of Brain Fog: Why Your Body Still Feels Unsafe

    Can you do all the therapy and still have brain fog? Yes. Can you talk through your past and still have chronic fatigue? Absolutely. Here's the tension. We've been told that processing trauma means talking about it. That resilience means surviving hard things. But what if your body is still holding what your mind thinks it released? I go deeper into this with Marie Demasio in Episode 157. She shared how she'd done so much work after losing her son. She thought she was past it. Then she visited our mutual friend, Dr. Bryce Applebaum. He told her that her vision was a mess. Her brain was inflamed. This was never just about the mind. It's about what the body holds. In this episode you'll hear more about: (01:45) Why brain fog is one of the most common blocks to living from safety. (03:22) What neuroception is and how your body's dashboard works. (04:48) How brain inflammation sends ongoing cues of danger. (06:15) Why dissociation and fog are survival strategies, not dysfunction. (08:30) The cycle of caffeine, sugar, and pushing through brain fog. (10:05) Why I assess brain inflammation first in my program. (11:42) The specific supplements that reduce brain inflammation. The body holds what the mind thinks it released. When we address brain inflammation, we remove a cue of danger. Then the nervous system has a chance to believe it's safe. Resources/Guides: Get Dr. Aimie's Brain Inflammation Supplement Protocol — The exact supplements mentioned in this episode including N-acetylcysteine, Neuro-Mag, turmeric, resveratrol, and apigenin. Access the protocol Download the Brain Inflammation Assessment Biology of Trauma book — Available everywhere books are sold. Get your copy Free Guide: The Essential Sequence - Discover why doing the right things in the right order is key to releasing trauma.  → Watch the video version on YouTube  → Check out the main episode this follows: Episode 157: Soul Contracts and the Biology of Grief with Marie Demasio Try this practice this week: Notice your brain fog. Before reaching for caffeine or sugar, pause. Ask: "Is my body sending me a danger signal right now?" That awareness is the first step. Leave a review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or YouTube. It helps others find trauma-informed care.

    14 min

  6. JAN 20

    What Do Soul Contracts Have to Do With Healing Trauma?

    ➡️ Get the full episode breakdown at Biology of Trauma® Podcast - Episode 157: Why Spiritual Insight Alone Can't Heal Trauma with Marie Damasio She understood her grief completely. After her son Tristan died from brain cancer, Marie Damasio dove deep into spiritual work—soul contracts, Akashic records, the meaning behind her loss. She found peace. And her body stayed stuck. You'll hear more on: [00:00] Soul contracts and capacity for resilience [01:12] Cellular energy and critical line of overwhelm [03:32] When spiritual insight arrives but the body stays stuck [10:34] Why we stay frozen in identities that no longer serve us [18:47] Why understanding alone doesn't create change [20:03] Dr. Aimie's five agreements for trauma work [27:13] Viktor Frankl on meaning and struggle [35:05] For practitioners: Insight without embodiment [40:16] The alchemy of transmuting pain into purpose [46:30] Vision therapy and integrative care Resources/Guides: Free Guide: The Essential Sequence - Discover why doing the right things in the right order is key to releasing trauma. If you've tried therapy, spiritual work, and self-help but your body stays stuck, this guide explains why sequence matters—and what to do about it. The Biology of Trauma book - Get your copy here  Foundational Journey - The 6-week program to lay the foundation of safety and skills for self-regulation to do the deeper work. Related Podcast Episodes: Episode 46: 5 Agreements to Keep Group Trauma Work Safe with Dr. Aimie Apigian Episode 134: The Biology of Overwhelm: Why Small Demands Feel Impossible

    55 min

  7. JAN 13

    Can't Get Off Antidepressants? Ask for These Lab Tests

    Why do so many people with depression struggle to stop their antidepressants? What if the answer isn't about willpower — but about missing nutrients your brain needs to function?  Dr. James Greenblatt has spent 30 years in inpatient psychiatry. He watched patients go from one medication to two, then three, then five. Suicide rates kept climbing. And he started asking: What if the brain is simply missing what it needs? His new book Finally Hopeful explores the biological causes of depression most doctors never test for. → Get the full episode breakdown at Biology of Trauma® Podcast - Episode 156: Can't Get Off Antidepressants? Ask for These Lab Tests In This Episode You'll Learn: [04:09] Why Dr. Greenblatt wrote Finally Hopeful after 30 years in psychiatry [12:50] Vitamin D as the foundation: Why nothing else works without it — not meds, not therapy [14:35] How vitamin D deficiency affects serotonin production in the brain [12:50] Dr. Aimie's personal story: vitamin D levels of 12, then only 20 with supplementation [17:06] Why vitamin D deficiency is one of the most common factors in people who can't stop antidepressants [18:48] The gut-serotonin connection: 90-95% of serotonin is made in the gut [21:00] The building blocks your brain needs: iron, B12, folate, zinc, magnesium [24:57] Brain inflammation and its connection to suicide risk [26:14] Why sleep deprivation creates inflammatory markers within hours [32:07] The simple labs to ask your doctor about — and why testing is the only path forward Resources/Guides: Free Guide: Top 3 Biochemical Imbalances That Affect Mood - a starting point for understanding the most common nutrient imbalances connected to depression The Biology of Trauma book - Available now everywhere books are sold. Get your copy Foundational Journey - The 6-week program to create inner safety and shift your nervous system. Build the foundation that allows your body to actually use the nutrients and support you give it. Dr. James Greenblatt - Get a copy of the Finally Hopeful book and find more resources at https://www.jamesgreenblattmd.com/ Related Podcast Episodes: Episode 41: Solutions for Low Serotonin and GABA in Trauma with Trudy Scott Episode 101: Brain Inflammation: Addressing The Overlooked Gatekeeper To Trauma Release with Dr. Austin Perlmutter

    36 min

  8. JAN 9

    The Body Trauma Loop: Why Time Doesn't Heal Chronic Illness

    What if the slogans we've trusted about healing are actually in conflict? "The body keeps the score." "Time heals all wounds." We've heard both. They can't both be true. Here's the tension. If time heals all wounds, staying busy should eventually work. Decades of pushing through should land us somewhere good. But that's not what happens. The body keeps the score whether we acknowledge it or not. I go deeper into the research from my conversation with Dr. Karestan Koenen in Episode 155. She followed 100,000 women over twenty years. What she found confirms what I see clinically. Unresolved experiences don't fade with time. They become biology. That background sense of danger we can't quite name? That's our nervous system still on guard. This was never about time. It's about what happens when we ask the nervous system to stay alert indefinitely. In this episode you'll hear more about: Why staying busy creates allostatic load: When we push through without processing, we ask the nervous system to sprint forever. Dr. Hans Selye mapped what happens next. The body reaches a point where it cannot maintain that response. Then things fall apart. The difference between stress and trauma: Stress is a sprint. Trauma is what happens when we've sprinted as far as we can but the danger is still there. The terminology matters. Calling it all "chronic stress" doesn't capture the truth of breakdown. The body trauma loop: The cycle between activation and shutdown sits at the core of every chronic health condition. Stressed out, then breakdown. Activated, then burnout. This loop can never contribute to health. Where the body actually holds trauma: People ask if it's in their liver or pinky toe. The answer surprises them. The body holds trauma in patterns. The glass of wine. The procrastination. The exhaustion that won't lift. What I'm actually assessing: I don't ask for a checklist of how bad your childhood was. I ask what's going on now. How reactive are you? How adaptable? How long before you hit shutdown? Those patterns tell me what your body is still holding. Why there's hope in this science: When we recognize the body trauma loop, we know what to do. We untangle piece by piece. Step by step. We create a biology of healing. The body holds trauma through its patterns of surviving. When we understand this, we work with our biology. Not against it. Resources/Guides: Biology of Trauma book — Available now everywhere books are sold. Get your copy Free Guide: How Trauma Shows Up in the Body — A comprehensive starter guide to understanding the physical manifestations of trauma 🎙️ Check out the main episode this follows: Episode 155: Time Doesn't Heal—It Becomes Biology with Dr. Karestan Koenen 💭 Try this practice this week: Notice when you reach for your go-to survival strategy. Wine, scrolling, ice cream, overworking. Before you do, pause. Ask: "What am I feeling in my body right now? What am I trying to soothe?" That awareness is the first step. Leave a review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or YouTube. It helps others find trauma-informed care.

    18 min
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About

People are done dancing around the topic of trauma. They're ready to face this square-on. None of the current systems are getting to the root of the issue in the current model. Their biology has been affected on a cellular level, and that is now what's preventing the important work that they're trying to do. The Biology of Trauma® podcast is the missing piece to that puzzle. It's a practical living manual for the human body in a modern, traumatizing world. Join your host, Dr. Aimie Apigian—a medical physician and expert in attachment, trauma, and addiction—as she challenges outdated trauma paradigms and introduces a new model for healing.

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