Soulful Sunday: Crossing Over To Calm For The Busy Fall Ahead

As Summer Winds Down, Learn How To Conquer Stress For More Happiness

By Mary Schneider Photography by Pexels

We’ve all heard of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), the heavy term that conjures images of soldiers returning from war or survivors of harrowing events. But what if “disorder” isn’t the whole truth? What if, instead of a lifelong label, trauma could be reframed as an injury, something that, like a broken bone or a deep cut, can be identified, treated, and ultimately healed? That’s where Post-Traumatic Stress Injury (PTSI) enters the conversation.

Here, Resonance Repatternist Mary Schneider unpacks the important distinction between PTSD and PTSI, and why that shift in language matters. More than semantics, it’s a gateway to self-compassion, resilience, and recovery. By understanding whether you’re dealing with a “disorder” or an “injury,” you can begin to recognize trauma’s fingerprints in your own life, and take the first steps toward healing, empowerment, and lasting transformation.

Recently, while watching a YouTube video, an interviewee introduced the concept that stopped me in my tracks. It was about changing the term Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) to Post Traumatic Stress Injury (PTSI), particularly concerning victims of violent assault. She stated that PTSD may label individuals as having something inherently wrong with them or as being disabled, whereas PTSI acknowledges the experience as an injury that can be addressed.

What is particularly meaningful here is that it becomes difficult to blame the victim. A ‘disordered’ person implies a challenged mental state as existing before the shocking and painful event, whether this is true or not. It suggests some aspects of responsibility or even culpability. Approaching a stressful event like an assault from the standpoint of an injury is empowering. You have been harmed. You have been hurt. It was not your fault, and you have the power to heal without being weighed down with a mental diagnosis in addition to the trauma. 

Having to face the healing process after the ordeal itself is overwhelming enough. In victimization, people can feel as though they do not deserve help. Being injured changes the dynamic and opens the space for more compassion, especially for oneself. I am injured; I can get the assistance I need.

Exploring the physiological aspects of PTSI is useful here. Perhaps the most essential characteristic is the presence of a consistent fight-or-flight stress response. I recently experienced a PTSI event and was fascinated by what occurred in my body. Because I was in a controlled environment with professionals present, I was in a unique position to watch my physical, emotional, and mental reactions.

Waves of kinetic energy flowed up and down from head to toe. Also present was a constant tingling sensation and ringing in my ears. Most prevalent was an intense fear response. My vision narrowed, and my head was fuzzy. Having experienced PTSI as a young adult, I could well imagine why it was so difficult for me to concentrate as a student in college. Significantly, this was not at all my fault. It was not a disorder – it was much more akin to an injury.

Recent studies show that 80% of Americans experience chronic fight-or-flight responses. Given the prevalence of these stress symptoms, it is surprising that society does not face even greater challenges. Many people are affected by heightened anxiety, mental fog, and persistent fear – much of the time.

This fight-or-flight response has served us well for millions of years. Whether we believe or imagine we are threatened, our Sympathetic Nervous System (SNS) is triggered. Initially, this part of our Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) was designed to deal with saber-toothed tigers. When an imminent danger appears, the SNS is activated, and we stand and fight or flee to safety. Chemical responses are activated, and within seconds, adrenaline and cortisol flood the bloodstream.

The ANS regulates involuntary bodily functions such as heart rate, digestion, and respiratory rate, ensuring that our bodies respond appropriately to various internal and external stimuli. It consists of two main components. In addition to the SNS, it also contains the Parasympathetic Nervous System (PNS), which promotes ‘rest and digest’ activities. The ANS processes 30 billion bits of information a second. It knows it’s a bit faster than the average brain…..

In the case of the saber-toothed tiger, after successfully escaping or fighting, the PNS activates, quickly relaxing and restoring the body. The person rests and recovers fully, effectively preventing trauma when this process works as intended.

This system and its manifestation in society today are pretty intriguing. What is particularly challenging is the obstruction of 80%. When the SNS fight-or-flight response is continually activated, significant problems arise. The individual can no longer access the involuntary PNS response. It goes away. We are then, unfortunately, stuck in a permanent state of fight-or-flight.

What to do? A wide range of behaviors is employed to simulate the PNS relaxation reaction. We are all intimately familiar with them. Alcohol and drugs, sexual and gambling addictions, the list is long. In many instances, engaging in these endeavors can be life-threatening. Numerous activities, often passed down through generations, endeavor to trigger the PNS “rest and digest” response. For example, generations of alcoholics within family systems are common.

When we encounter situations that remind us of past stress, our brain activates neural circuits associated with reactive behaviors, such as fear or anger. Repeated stressful thoughts reinforce these patterns, making them habitual. As a result, we often act automatically, disconnected from clear thinking and conscious choice, which can make us feel out of control—the 80%.

Additional aspects of what can be described as the “Cultural Malaise” continue to emerge. When individuals experience SNS Overdrive, their bodies release stress-related hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol. These chemicals play a role in the human stress response and, under certain circumstances, can temporarily increase physical strength during intense situations. Together, they can give a woman enough strength to lift a car that has run over a child.

However, once adrenaline and cortisol are released, no enzyme deactivates them; their effects last until they naturally subside, which can take a few minutes or up to six hours. And adrenaline and cortisol, designed to be released in a successful fight or flight, when not used, are highly toxic. If we don’t use up our adrenaline-cortisol through movement of our large arm and leg muscles, it is deposited in joints and muscles, causing inflammation, acidity, and health problems.

This extended flood of stress hormones doesn’t simply dissipate without consequence. Over time, the residue of unresolved adrenaline and cortisol can crystallize into chronic pain, autoimmune responses, or mental health struggles. For instance, cortisol deposited in the joints caused them to become stiff and arthritic. When it is lodged in the muscles, they become stiff and painful. Additionally, when deposited in the muscles, adrenaline, which appears under a microscope as sharp, razor-like structures, causes them to become hard, tight, and painful.

Exhaustion and constant fatigue are the result of adrenals being overtaxed through constant fight-or-flight stress. Digestive troubles, acid reflux, irritable bowel syndrome, etc., can occur because adrenaline alters the acid secretions of the digestive tract. As a result, we cannot digest and assimilate our food correctly. High cortisol levels break down the immune system. The result is the cold and flu, or worse.

The body, in its wisdom, tries to adapt, sometimes by raising the threshold for what triggers the fight-or-flight reaction, other times by becoming hypersensitive to even minor stressors. The result is a population walking through life in a state of subtle, simmering distress, never quite at rest, never quite at ease.

If you experience a near-miss occurrence in traffic, your body may shake, your head might feel foggy, and your breathing will quicken; this is the SNS stress response working to release excess stress hormones. Instead of trying to suppress it, let your body shake until the response naturally subsides.

Moreover, these patterns are not confined to isolated individuals; they extend outward into communities, shaping social norms and interpersonal dynamics. Entire cultures can become attuned to a low hum of anxiety, with collective behaviors reflecting an underlying urgency or mistrust. Productivity may surge, but so too does exhaustion, alienation, and the ubiquitous hunger for numbing distractions.

Breaking this cycle requires conscious intervention. Practices that encourage mindful movement, like yoga, dance, or even brisk walking, can help physically metabolize lingering stress hormones. Deep, slow breathing signals safety to the nervous system, inviting the PNS to re-engage. Community connection, creative expression, and time in nature provide additional pathways to balance.

With this in mind, here are a few simple and effective modalities that can be performed anywhere. These modalities were taken from Chloe Faith Wordsworth’s book, Spiral Up: 127 Energizing Options To Be Your Best Right Now. These profoundly effective healing processes help reduce stress by calming down the Central Nervous System and activating the PNS…

Calming Cross-Overs

Sometimes referred to as ‘Cook’s Hook-Ups’, the goal of this modality is to release emotional and environmental stress and bring coherence to both hemispheres of the brain. A great position to do while lying in bed in the morning, in preparation for getting up, and when you return from work in the evening. They are particularly helpful for children returning home from school or whenever they feel upset, worried, or stressed, especially before taking tests. The Calming Cross-Overs help dissipate the stresses and strains of the day. If couples try it during an argument, things can immediately calm down.

Cross one ankle over the other (it doesn’t matter which one). Place your hands back-to-back in front of you, arms stretched out. Next, place one wrist on top of the other, with your palms facing each other. Now interlock your fingers. Bring the two clasped hands down and in a half circle towards your chest so your crossed hands rest on your chest, and your elbows are relaxed against your ribs.

Place your tongue on the roof of your mouth, close your eyes, and breathe slowly. Relax deeply and allow the layers of tension to let go. Often, within fifteen seconds, you will feel a profound sense of release.

The final part of The Calming Cross-Overs is to uncross both ankles and wrists and place your fingertips together. Allow them (along with your hands) to move in any way they are drawn to: up-down, left-right, or out-and-in. These movements have a synchronizing effect on your brain.

Sympathetic Nervous System Balancing

This contact helps to balance the SNS and has a calming effect on the whole system. It is essential to use this contact after any shock, accident, or stressful situation.

Place the tip of your right middle finger under your coccyx and the tip of your left index finger at the top of your spine in the dent under the occipital ridge of the skull. Rest and breathe until you feel completely at ease.

Parasympathetic Nervous System Balancing

This contact is essential after any shock, accident, or stress that has upset you, if you need to calm yourself down, or if you have insomnia. It supports balancing of the PNS, which allows for bonding, safety, calm, and relaxation.

Lie on your left side with your upper, right knee bent and your left leg straight. Bend your left arm and place your left hand on the right side of your neck. Place your right hand on your buttocks. Your fingers curl gently under your sitz bone. Relax and breathe deeply until you feel completely at ease.

These are just a small sample of what are easy, accessible remedies for possibly one of the most prevalent problems of our time. Perhaps most crucially, it is the willingness to pause and notice, to ask, “What am I feeling right now? Is this reaction truly essential?” that begins to loosen the grip of the habitual fight-or-flight response. As we learn to witness our patterns with compassion, new neural pathways can emerge, slowly restoring access to the restorative power of the parasympathetic state. In healing ourselves, we may begin to heal the broader cultural malaise, one calm breath at a time.

When trauma is understood this way, the experience becomes less about blame and more about biology. It highlights the fact that survivors are not “weak” or “flawed,” but instead living with the natural consequences of a system overwhelmed by shock. And importantly, it points toward strategies for recovery, approaches that soothe the nervous system, metabolize stress hormones, and allow the PNS to reassert its calming influence.

Seen through this revised lens, trauma is not a permanent identity but a wound that can mend. By naming it an injury instead of a disorder, we open the door not only to healing but also to compassion, for ourselves, for others, and perhaps for a culture that is only beginning to grasp how widespread chronic stress and trauma truly are.

For more information on connecting with Mary Schneider and Resonance Repatterning, visit here.

Note: The information provided in this story is for educational and informational purposes only. It should not be considered as advice. Readers should consult with a professional advisor before making any decisions. All opinions expressed in this blog post are solely those of the author and do not reflect the views of any affiliated organizations. Readers are encouraged to conduct their own research and due diligence.