As Self-Care Month unfolds in September, many are reminded of familiar advice: meditate, exercise, and make time for yourself. Yet, for those who find themselves repeating the same emotional or behavioral patterns despite their best efforts, Dr. Judith A. Swack, Ph.D., suggests a deeper issue at play. Her new book, "Clear Trauma Now: The Powerful Solution for Getting Unstuck," recently named the 2026 Silver Medal Winner for Grief Books by the Coalition of Visionary Resources (COVR), offers a science-based approach to understanding why we remain stuck.
Dr. Swack, a biochemist and immunologist, explains that trauma is not merely a mental construct but is imprinted in the body. "Until trauma is cleared at the body level, it keeps repeating and you keep reacting," she says. This is why intellectual understanding alone often fails to produce lasting change. Trauma is structured in layers that most conventional approaches do not address, and it cannot be released solely through insight. This insight is critical because it shifts the focus from cognitive processing to somatic healing.
The implications of this are profound. For individuals who have struggled with self-sabotage, anxiety, or chronic conditions despite years of therapy or mindfulness, Dr. Swack's work offers a new pathway. Her original research into the structure of trauma suggests that unresolved trauma creates unconscious patterns that drive behavior, often outside our awareness. These patterns can lead to physical and emotional reactions even in safe environments, as the body responds to past threats as if they were present.
Dr. Swack's methodology, Healing from the Body Level Up (HBLU™), is designed to clear trauma at the conscious, unconscious, body, and soul levels. This comprehensive system integrates evidence-based energy psychology techniques with clinical practice to address the root causes of distress. By releasing trauma from the body, individuals can break free from cycles that have kept them stuck, often in just a few sessions.
For those interested in experiencing this approach firsthand, Dr. Swack will host a "Clear Trauma Now Live Healing" webinar on Thursday evenings in September. The sessions, scheduled for September 3, 10, 17, and 24, offer a real-time demonstration of trauma healing and provide participants with techniques to apply themselves. Details are available at hblu.org/live-healing-experience.
This news is important because it challenges the conventional wisdom that self-care is sufficient for healing. It highlights a growing understanding in neuroscience and psychology that trauma is stored in the body, as noted by researchers like Bessel van der Kolk. Dr. Swack's work adds to this discourse by offering a practical, evidence-based method for clearing trauma, which could provide relief to millions who have not found success with traditional approaches. Her book and webinar represent a significant step forward in trauma treatment, emphasizing that true healing requires addressing the physiological roots of our patterns, not just their cognitive manifestations.
