As National Grief Awareness Day approaches on Aug. 30, trauma expert Judith A. Swack, Ph.D., whose book Clear Trauma Now: The Powerful Solution for Getting Unstuck was recently named a 2026 Silver Medal Winner for Grief Books by the Coalition of Visionary Resources (COVR), is shedding light on why traumatic loss can keep people stuck in grief and how they can begin to heal.
According to Dr. Swack, unresolved trauma can cause grieving individuals to relive the pain of their loss repeatedly, preventing them from accessing joyful memories of their loved ones. “During a traumatic loss, the body’s fight-flight-freeze response gets conditioned to remember and react to anything that happened at that time,” she explains. This automatic reaction can make every reminder of the deceased trigger the shock of the moment they died or left.
Healing, she says, begins by calming this trauma response so the nervous system no longer perceives the loss as happening in the present. To help those struggling, Dr. Swack outlines five first steps toward healing.
First, she advises separating the trauma from the person you loved. Many grieving people fear that letting go of the trauma means losing their connection to the deceased. Dr. Swack asserts the opposite is true: trauma can become fused with the memory of a loved one, causing remembrance to trigger pain instead of love. Healing the trauma allows positive memories and gratitude to return without giving up the relationship.
Second, she encourages identifying the “hidden layers” beneath grief. Grief is rarely just sadness; it often includes shock, fear, anger, hurt, guilt, shame, and helplessness, according to her research.
Third, she suggests listening for limiting beliefs that loss may have created. Traumatic loss can leave unconscious conclusions like “It’s my fault,” “People always leave me,” or “I’m powerless,” which can affect relationships, work, and self-confidence long after the loss. Awareness of these beliefs is a crucial step toward healing.
Fourth, Dr. Swack highlights the importance of paying attention to the feeling of emptiness. A hallmark of unresolved loss trauma is a deep sense of a “hole” in the chest or stomach. People often try to fill this void with work, food, relationships, or compulsive behaviors. Recognizing that the emptiness is part of the trauma response can guide individuals toward healthier healing methods.
Finally, she emphasizes that healing trauma is not about forgetting someone or “moving on.” A major barrier to recovery is the fear that healing means leaving a loved one behind. Resolving the trauma surrounding a loss does not erase the relationship; instead, it allows people to stop reliving the worst moment of their lives and begin remembering the love, joy, and meaning that came before.
“Healing trauma at all levels allows people to easily recall special memories of loving connection and appreciate the ways in which their lives were enriched by having known that person,” Dr. Swack says.
Dr. Swack’s book details practices she pioneered as part of her Healing from the Body Level Up™ (HBLU™) methodology, a comprehensive system designed to clear trauma at the conscious, unconscious, body, and soul levels. She will present a “Clear Trauma Now Live Healing” webinar on Thursday evenings in September: Sept. 3 from 7 to 9 p.m. and Sept. 10, 17, and 24 from 7 to 8:30 p.m. EDT. Those interested can visit hblu.org/live-healing-experience for details.
Dr. Swack, a biochemist and immunologist, combines scientific research with decades of clinical experience to help individuals resolve trauma, anxiety, and chronic conditions. Her work focuses on identifying and clearing root patterns that drive emotional and physical distress. More information is available at HBLU.org.
