The Biology of Freeze & Overwhelm
6 Steps, 6 Weeks
Restore your capacity to be resilient, energized, and fully engaged.
Starts Monday, January 5th
Start Your Energy Restoration
Experiences from Professionals Who Have Taken The Course
"I'm a psychotherapist. I always felt put together, but I never put myself first... because I was running after success and people pleasing and helping others in order to feel worthy of being loved. ....so I feel like the freeze, while it has greatly disrupted my life, it's given me the opportunity to do the work, to heal my most vulnerable part and actually have an opportunity in my life to experience true self-love and compassion."
– Shari
"...for my own benefit has really been over and above anything professionally, I could really have gained. I mean, it's been a real gift. And it's a gift because I can recognize when I'm in the freeze, I can recognize when others are. And I can help help people out myself, and help others through that."
– Kathy Truslow
"I think I am such a more understanding, compassionate, empathetic practitioner now than I was before I did this work because before I was fighting it, but knowing there was something different for myself and for my clients because I'm on the same journey as them. And now there is really true hope for healing because I am experiencing that too."
– Jinji Dissanayake
"I now have a method, a systematic way of dealing with things for myself and for my clients. Now, I know also after being, after having done the work for me, this gives me much more confidence to work with my clients."
– Natalia Gutierrez
"I didn't know was I in freeze or was I calm and alive, I had no idea. I knew stress very well, but I didn't know, the calm state and my calm state was overwhelmed.
...the understanding of the different levels of freeze...That's very useful. And now I feel, I'm not afraid of going into trauma conversation with people, with my clients"
–Rita
"It totally changed the way I approach people even approached myself... I start to say, "Oh, I am in freeze. You know, let me honor that. And let me reduce all my activity instead of trying to push through."
I love this module is so beautifully done... incorporating that somatic exercise... I also feel more equipped, and more confident now."
– Nancy Chang
“When we learn to recognize these patterns in ourselves, it gives us deeper insight—so we can better support our clients, or those we’re working and sharing with, in recognizing these subtle cues in themselves. It’s those small, often overlooked things that can be the starting point for meaningful change”
– Cassandra O'Neal
"I've been in the freeze pretty much all my life and just struggling to stay above it. And I came in a year and a half ago and I could not figure out why I couldn't do things and will my way... use mindset and willpower. It was just futile.
...now I'm able to say yes to things that I couldn't before. I have new adventures, I'm launching in the world and be able to help more people. So I feel so grateful. I got my freedom and my life back."
– Geri Portnoy
This an integrative & holistic training
A blending of several fields and modalities for an effective approach
The 6 Steps
My commitment: I will guide you through the 6 essential steps to thaw freeze—from overwhelm to resilience. You'll learn the somatic, parts, and biological tools that restore energy and regulation.
Here Is The Step-By-Step Curriculum
This course maps the biology of freeze—how overwhelm drains energy, inflames the brain, and dysregulates immunity. You'll learn to identify freeze in your own system, restore capacity through the three-level approach, and recognize how this understanding naturally transforms how you show up in your work.
WEEK 1: Trauma as an Energy Problem
WEEK 4: Keeping Primed Microglia in a Resting State
WEEK 2: Supporting Energy Levels
WEEK 5: Patterns in the Immune System of a Biology of Trauma
WEEK 3: The Role of The Brain In The Freeze Response
WEEK 6: Recognizing Patterns of the Freeze Response
What's All Included in this Training
Below is the weekly schedule of live sessions. Please note that time are listed as Pacific Standard Time zone.
Guided Somatic & Parts Work Sessions
Mondays at 10:00 am PST
Approximately 60 minutes, you will be guided through somatic and parts work to thaw your freeze response and restore energy.
In these sessions, you'll learn to recognize freeze patterns in your body and work with the parts holding them. Each week builds your capacity to shift from overwhelm to regulation. You'll develop the skills to support your own nervous system first—embodying the work before bringing it to others.
Implementation Meetings
Wednesdays
- January 14th at 8:00 am PST and 4:30 pm PST
- January 28th at 8:00 am PST and 4:30 pm PST
- February 11th at 8:00 am PST and 4:30 pm PST
Discuss and learn ways to implement the course concepts to your own freeze patterns first, then discuss how this framework shows up in your work with others. You will need to attend at least one of these sessions to complete the course requirements for your certificate of completion.
Live Q&A's
Wednesdays
- January 14th at 8:00 am PST and 4:30 pm PST
- January 28th at 8:00 am PST and 4:30 pm PST
- February 11th at 8:00 am PST and 4:30 pm PST
These sessions are approximately 60 minutes long wherein you will get the opportunity to ask questions about the module. These are hosted by a panel of The Biology of Trauma® Mastery Level Professionals.
Integration Sessions
Thursdays at 2:00 pm PST
These 60-minute sessions bring everything together for the week. Dr. Aimie and/or other Biology of Trauma® faculty review the key concepts, connect the somatic, parts, and biological work, and help you see how freeze operates across all levels. It's a space to clarify, integrate, and apply what you're learning to your own healing.
Final Oral Presentation
Friday, February 13th
- 8:00 am or 4:30 pm PST
These session are approximately 60 minutes long where you practice explaining the course concepts to a patient/client. You will need to attend one of the two session times to complete the course requirements.
A 55-minute discussion with Licia Sky, co-founder of the Trauma Research Foundation, somatic educator, artist, and bodyworker specializing in trauma healing. Licia trains mental health professionals and works with survivors using mindful movement, theater, writing, and voice to foster embodied healing. An instructor at Cape Cod, Kripalu, and Esalen institutes, she explored how trauma lives in the body and the necessity of self-compassion in healing. She emphasized creating safe, attuned spaces to work with collapse and shutdown states through grounded, embodied awareness, urging practitioners to prioritize their own embodiment and self-care.
A 50-minute discussion featuring Ian Macnaughton MBA, PhD, FEA, SEP, a seasoned teacher and practitioner of trauma resolution, mind-body, and family systems psychotherapy for five decades. As a Bodynamic Analyst and trainer, he has employed Somatic Experiencing since the early 70s and is part of the Levine Legacy faculty with the Ergos Institute of Somatic Education. Dr. Macnaughton provides valuable insights into recognizing and addressing the freeze response, highlighting the subtle indicators present in individuals' nervous systems.
A 40-minute session with Dr. Stephen Porges, Distinguished University Scientist at Indiana University and originator of Polyvagal Theory, which links physiological states to trauma-related behavioral, mental, and health issues. With over 400 peer-reviewed papers and author of Polyvagal Safety, Dr. Porges examined the freeze response in trauma and chronic trauma's physical effects. He discussed how early medical interventions like NICU experiences affect infant nervous systems and shared approaches to treating eating disorders through social engagement and nervous system regulation. Dr. Porges offered practical strategies for applying Polyvagal principles to trauma recovery, emphasizing safety, connection, and holistic healing.
Who Is This Training NOT For?
This training is not a good fit for those that:
- Only interested in professional but not personal growth
- Do not enjoy online learning
- Dislike working in a group environment
- Do not have 3 hours weekly to invest in yourself and your practice
- Will need but not willing to pay for one-one support
- Are wanting to receive therapy or medical care
Your Biology of Trauma® Instructor,
Aimie Apigian, MD, MS, MPH
A Preventive and Addiction Medicine physician with Master’s degrees in both biochemistry and public health, Dr. Aimie Apigian is the national bestselling author of The Biology of Trauma. She hosts her podcast, leads online nervous system healing courses and a practitioner certificate training program. Bridging the worlds of functional medicine, attachment and trauma, she is a leading expert on how the body holds fear and overwhelm from the past to make one sick today.
What is the Biology of Freeze & Overwhelm Module?
What is the schedule?
Are sessions prerecorded or live?
What if I miss or can't make a session? Will they be recorded?
What are the prerequisites?
I heard it is a part of the Biology of Trauma® Track. Can you explain this more?
What are the different tracks?
Can I change tracks?
Are the recordings available only to participants or are participants allowed to share the course material with outside people?
Can you tell me more about the two installment payments?
Do you provide references for your course materials?
How does this build on the 21-Day Journey?
Do you accept late submissions of homework assignments?
Disclaimer: This is not a course that gives you a license as a provider nor is it a health or trauma recovery coach credentialing program. At the completion of each module, you will receive a Certificate of Completion indicating you have achieved competency on that specific topic of Biology of Trauma®. At the completion of all 6 modules of the Certificate Course, you will receive a Certificate of Completion from Trauma Healing Accelerated. This is a certificate that you will be adding to your professional work capacities.
You are still held to the restrictions, responsibilities, and privileges of your primary license and board.
Medical Disclosure: The information and programs presented on or through this website are made available to equip you with knowledge and tools. All the materials in this course are intended for educational purposes. This information or any programs that are offered are not (nor are they a substitute for) medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. For any physical or mental health issues, I recommend you work with a qualified health provider who will also support your desire to address the effects of trauma.
