Do you feel like your body is always on high alert? Does emotional stress lead to a racing heart, skin breakouts, or stomach problems? If you're an empath or highly sensitive person (HSP), you might be experiencing mast cell activation, and it’s more common than you think.

In this episode, Dr. Aimie explores the hidden biology behind why sensitive people get sick from stress. Here’s what’s happening: Your body has special immune cells called mast cells. They act like security guards. But after trauma or chronic stress, these cells can become overreactive. They can treat everyday experiences like threats, even normal conversations or emotional triggers.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• Why your body treats emotional stress like a physical emergency
• How your immune system gets stuck in “danger mode” (and why it’s not your fault)
• How to naturally calm an overactive nervous system
• Supplements for mast cell activation
• Dr. Aimie’s favorite technique that resets your nervous system
• How blood sugar levels affect emotional reactivity
• Simple daily habits to support nervous system healing

Whether you're someone who feels emotionally or physically drained after social interactions, a practitioner absorbing clients' trauma, or someone who seems to absorb energy from others, this episode will give you practical tools to feel safer in your body and break the cycle of overwhelm.

🎧 Want more support? Listen to Episode 131: Why Empaths Get Stuck in Grief and How to Move Through It for deeper guidance on trauma and emotional regulation.

Highly sensitive people and empaths often feel like they're drowning in grief while others seem to handle loss with ease. They absorb emotions from everyone around them, feel overwhelmed by everyday environments, and find themselves reaching for things they know aren't good for them just to numb the pain.

But what if that sensitivity is actually a person's greatest strength?

In this episode, Dr. Aimie reveals why highly sensitive people experience grief so differently and how understanding your nervous system's unique needs can transform your relationship with both sensitivity and loss. She shares her own vulnerable story of self-sabotage after her best day ever, showing how even those who understand trauma can still get hijacked by grief.

You'll find out about why being an empath isn't about becoming less sensitive, but learning to support your sensitive system so you can hold pain without being overwhelmed by it. Dr. Aimie explains how your sensitivities can either drain your energy or become your superpowers, and why energy management is actually the key to living your life's purpose.

• How to tell if you're a highly sensitive person
• Why empaths feel grief more deeply and get overwhelmed faster than others
• Simple ways to support your nervous system
• How to tell which sensitivities drain your energy and which ones are your strengths
• Why highly sensitive people numb emotional pain in self-sabotaging ways
• What to do when grief takes over and you feel out of control emotionally
• The biggest challenge for highly sensitive people and how to handle it
• Easy ways to support your nervous system before you get overwhelmed

Whether you’re someone navigating grief yourself or a practitioner supporting sensitive clients, this episode offers practical insights to help you understand and support sensitive systems through the grieving process, transforming sensitivity into a strength.

Resources/Guides:

• Biology of Trauma book - how the body experiences and holds fear, pain and overwhelm, and how to heal. Pre-order now and, at the time of this recording, you’ll get over $400 in bonuses included! Those bonuses are only for the pre-order window which goes until Sept 22, 2025. When you’ve already pre-ordered it on Amazon head over here to receive your bonuses.
• The Essential Sequence - Grab my free guide that shows you the difference between the stress and trauma states of our nervous system. In just 3 steps, it walks you through what your body needs when it has stored trauma or is in a freeze response.
• The Foundational Journey - a 6 week program as the place to lay the foundation for all the phases of the healing journey explained in The Essential Sequence guide. If you are looking for emotional and nervous system regulation and changes in your physical health without a pill, this is for you. If you are a practitioner - this is where it all starts with the year certificate training program to become a Biology of Trauma professional.
  

Related Podcast Episodes:

• Episode 22: The Role Trauma Plays In Highly Sensitive People with Dr. Natasha Fallahi
• Episode102: Strategies for Empaths: How to Navigate Sensory Overload, Shame & Trauma with Dr. Judith Orloff

Disclaimer:
By listening to this podcast, you agree not to use this podcast as medical, psychological, or mental health advice to treat any medical or psychological condition in yourself or others. This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult your own physician, therapist, psychiatrist, or other qualified health provider regarding any physical or mental health issues you may be experiencing. This entire disclaimer also applies to any guests or contributors to the podcast. Under no circumstances shall Trauma Healing Accelerated, any guests or contributors to The Biology of Trauma® podcast, or any employees, associates, or affiliates of Trauma Healing Accelerated be responsible for damages arising from the use or misuse of the content provided in this podcast.