📽 Q&A Video Transcript
👋 Introduction
Hey everyone—welcome back to our read-along Q&A for Chapter Six: When Bodies Rebel. I’m recording a bit early this week because I’ll be traveling, so I won’t be addressing specific reader questions this time. But if you have any, drop them in—we’ll circle back in next week’s post for Chapter Seven.
🧠 Why Bodies “Rebel”
Bodies break down when they’ve been asked to do too much for too long. That’s not failure—it’s physiology. Many of us hit a point (often in our 30s) where the accumulated stress, anxiety, or pressure we’ve been carrying finally catches up with us. Sometimes that tipping point is rooted in trauma history. Sometimes it’s straight-up genetics. Sometimes, it’s both.
🧬 Not All Bodies Start in the Same Place
One layer of nuance I want to add this week is that not all nervous systems are working with the same baseline. I’ve been learning more about conditions like Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome and hypermobility—where your joints are overly flexible, and your body has trouble knowing where it is in space. That physical instability can lead to heightened sympathetic nervous system arousal—your body constantly asking, “Am I safe? Where am I?”
Even without a single traumatic event, a body that’s already working harder just to feel grounded may accumulate overwhelm more quickly. In other words: you may have a higher baseline of activation before anything “bad” even happens.
🧠 Religious Trauma & Neurodivergence
In religious trauma recovery groups, I’ve noticed how common it is to find folks who are also neurodivergent. Some were born with neurotypes that made institutional religion harder to navigate. Others developed trauma-based neurodivergence over time. Either way, it’s often the mismatch between body and system that determines whether a faith context becomes harmful.
📚 From Body Breakdown to Body Curiosity
When your body starts to rebel, it can feel scary—but it can also be the invitation you didn’t know you needed. Instead of assuming “this is just how the world works,” your body’s signals can push you to ask new questions:
Is this how everyone experiences stress—or just me?
What’s unique about my body?
What support do people like me need?
That’s not just health work. That’s sacred text work.
📅 Next Up
Next week we’ll dive into Chapter Seven—a long one—so take your time. If you’re behind, no worries. These Q&As will be here when you need them.
Until then: Keep learning, feeling, and integrating. See you soon.
