Understanding the Heart's Role in Trauma Healing and Recovery
- Jennifer Kizer
- Aug 1
- 3 min read
By Jennifer Kizer, MA LPC | Trauma Therapist & Holistic Healer Glendale, AZ and online throughout Arizona
When we think of trauma, we often focus on the mind: the thoughts that race, the memories that replay, the anxiety that loops. But the HEART is our emotional and energetic center and holds an equally vital role in the healing process.
At Heart Wisdom Healing, I believe that true transformation occurs when we include the heart in our therapeutic work.
As Charles Dickens wrote, "A loving Heart is the Truest Wisdom" This truth is at the core of Heart Wisdom Healing.
The heart is not only a symbol of love and emotion, it is also the seat of wisdom, intuition, the soul, and the true self. It carries an innate intelligence that guides us toward healing and alignment. Science has even shown that the heart's electromagnetic field is significantly more powerful than that of the brain radiating out several feet from the body, it affects both our internal balance and our connection to others.
The Wounded Heart
Trauma can leave the heart feeling guarded, disconnected, or overwhelmed. You may notice:
A lingering sense of sadness or emptiness
Difficulty trusting others or letting love in
Emotional numbness or shutting down
A loss of connection to yourself or others
These heart wounds aren't just emotional, they're energetic. The heart chakra, the center of love, compassion, and connection, can become blocked or imbalanced as a result of trauma. When this happens, we may live in survival mode, cut off from our full capacity to feel, connect, or experience joy.
Healing Through the Heart
Heart-based healing invites us to reconnect with our inner world in a way that is safe, gentle, and empowering. In my work, I integrate traditional trauma therapy with holistic approaches that help reawaken the heart's wisdom:
EMDR to process and release painful memories
Reiki Energy Healing to clear heart-centered blockages
Trauma-informed Yoga to open the body and support heart-space connection
Somatic practices that invite presence and emotional release
Mindfulness and Meditation to soften inner resistance and nurture self-compassion
Specific somatic practices for opening and balancing the heart chakra include:
Gentle chest-opening yoga poses such as Cobra, Camel, and Bridge Pose
Placing a hand over your heart and practicing deep, rhythmic breathing while focusing on compassion
Heart-centered guided visualizations that involve imagining green light (the color of the heart chakra) radiating from your chest
Self-hugging or gently tapping the chest area to stimulate heart chakra energy
Expressive movement or dance focused on the chest and arms to release stored tension
These practices don’t just reduce symptoms, they help you come back to yourself.
The Power of a Heart-Centered Approach
The heart is where we carry our deepest longings, our grief, and our resilience. When we bring the heart into trauma healing, we:
Restore emotional balance
Deepen our capacity for connection
Cultivate compassion for ourselves and others
Reclaim our sense of wholeness
Healing the heart is not about being "soft" or "too emotional", it's about accessing the core of who you are. It's about honoring your sensitivity as a strength, and learning to feel safely again.
A Loving Invitation
If you feel closed off, disconnected, or numb, know that this is not who you are—it's a protective response your heart has learned to survive. And just as it learned to protect, it can learn to open again.
At Heart Wisdom Healing, I offer a sacred space for this unfolding. A space where your heart is safe to feel, to grieve, to trust, and to heal.
You don’t have to do it alone. Let’s walk this path together.
“The most powerful healing arises from the simple intention to love the life within you, unconditionally, with as much tenderness and presence as possible.”
With Heart,
Jennifer Kizer, MA. LPC
Founder, Heart Wisdom Healing, LLC
P.S. I have an email newsletter The Healing Path for you to receive continual inspiration and empowerment. If you are ready for direction and empowerment on your path click here to join me!
