Medical trauma is unique because the threat often comes from the inside or from people we are supposed to trust. When you undergo an invasive procedure or face a sudden health crisis, your nervous system floods your body with adrenaline and cortisol. It triggers your stress response (fight, flight, freeze, or “caretake”). Normally, once a stressful event ends, your brain processes the memory and files it away. But when a medical event is overwhelming, that processing system