hypervigilance

Hypervigilance is a state of chronically heightened alertness in which the nervous system is constantly scanning the environment for threat. It is a common feature of post-traumatic stress, complex trauma, and anxiety disorders—a nervous system that once had to stay on guard to survive and hasn't yet learned that it's safe to relax.

Lived experience of hypervigilance can include trouble sleeping, startling easily, reading danger into neutral situations, feeling unable to rest in your own body, and exhaustion from being "always on." In trauma recovery, work with hypervigilance focuses on gently teaching the nervous system to tolerate safety—through grounding practices, somatic therapies, attuned relationships, and making the present environment as predictable and calm as possible.