Trauma-Informed Movement for EDS and Hypermobility: Regulating the Nervous System with the Integral Movement Method

Estimated reading time: 6 minutesWhen we talk about trauma, we often imagine emotional pain or difficult memories.

When we live with conditions like Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS) or Hypermobile Spectrum Disorder (HSD), we also may face recurrent injuries, surgeries, medical gaslighting, and more that further compound that trauma.

I believe this needs to be addressed when we start rehab or exercise our bodies. We need to address and support the nervous system in a trauma-informed way. I found this was crucial when working with my own body and with thousands of movement therapy clients in my clinic.

My Integral Movement Method takes all of this into account.

Before we go further, it’s important to note that trauma-informed movement is just one aspect of trauma recovery. Movement can help you reconnect with your body, but it doesn’t replace the support of a mental health professional.

If you are processing trauma or need emotional support, I encourage you to seek help from a qualified mental health professional, such as a counsellor, psychologist, or therapist. Talking therapies and professional guidance can be an essential part of recovery.

How Trauma Impacts the Body

When I first read The Body Keeps The Score by Bessel Van der Kolk many years ago, it made so much sense with how I was feeling. This was my pre-EDS aware life – I had no idea about the stresses involved in living with a chronic condition.

The book theorizes that trauma does not just affect the mind, but it also changes the body’s physiology. Van der Kolk states that the body still remembers what the mind may have forgotten.

The body can remain locked in protective responses that have often been there since childhood. This can cause tight muscles, shallow breathing, altered posture, and hypersensitive responses.

Importantly, what really resonated with me was the importance of restoring safety in the body. This is something I had not felt, and I believed this was holding me back, causing me to have painful movement experiences and disordered breathing.

I started researching and studying trauma and realised how much overlap there was with living with a chronic condition.

If we add a condition like EDS or HSD into the picture, this trauma connection can be strong.

Years of injury, surgery, gaslighting, or stress can leave the nervous system stuck in survival mode — always alert, bracing, or shutting down. Not being heard or validated can be traumatic for many patients.

Trauma will have different responses in different people. I think it is really what your nervous system decides is traumatic for you.

A constant state of protection can cause muscle tension, fatigue, poor proprioception, and chronic pain.

Healing begins not with pushing harder, but with helping the body start to feel safe again. 

I knew this was where I had to start with my own body.

How Trauma Affects the Nervous System

When we experience a threat or overwhelm, our nervous system reacts automatically to protect us. We can go into a Fight or Flight or Freeze state when our body is on constant alert.

This threat can come from our sense of instability, fear of pain, fear of movement, bad medical experiences, chronic pain, dysautonomia, and more.

We also know from the research by Dr Jessica Eccles that people with hypermobility do experience greater anxiety (1). Further studies have shown that beyond anxiety, we are more likely to report symptoms of depression and a lower health-related quality of life (2).

Others point to the experiences of medical trauma being common in people with EDS/HSD. Trauma symptoms are reported by people who have undergone long-term inpatient treatment. But they are also reported by people experiencing chronic illness and repeated difficult medical visits. That chronic mistreatment and compounding negative experiences can lead to traumatization (3).

Not to mention the understandable psychological impact of diagnostic delays (Rochetti et al)

How trauma impacts movement

From a movement therapy perspective, I find in people that I work with that a nervous system that is trying to protect us might look like:

• Muscles tightening to guard joints – also caused by hypermobility
• Breath holding or rapid breathing – also caused by hypermobility or POTS
• Feeling disconnected or numb – also caused by Neurodivergence and sensory issues
• Constant fatigue or tension – also caused by Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS), ME/CFS, dysautonomia, and hypermobility

You can see there is an overlap between the symptoms of trauma and the symptoms of EDS and comorbidities. Perhaps this is why we are told our symptoms are ‘all in our head’ much of the time.

These are not “bad habits” — they are survival responses. Over time, they can become our default state, keeping us locked in fight, flight, or freeze, even when the danger has passed.

For most of my life, I had lived in sympathetic overdrive. Learning that there was another way to live was a revelation.

What Is Trauma-Informed Movement?

Trauma-informed movement recognises that everybody carries a story. Instead of forcing the body to perform, we listen and offer information. Trauma-informed movement aims to create safety first, then build stability and strength.

I call this the three S’s – Safety, Stability, Strength. I believe they should be addressed in that order.

This approach is grounded in nervous system regulation, helping the body shift from fight, flight, or freeze back into a more balanced state. Through slow, mindful movement, the body learns to trust itself again. It learns to feel safe in movement.

How the Integral Movement Method (IMM) Facilitates Nervous System Regulation for Hypermobility

The Integral Movement Method (IMM) was designed specifically for people with hypermobility, EDS, and chronic pain patients in mind.

Over my 17 years of clinical practice, I saw these trauma responses in so many of the people I worked with. The IMM helped with the trauma of living with a chronic illness and unrelated traumatic events.

Each of its six principles offers a pathway to nervous system healing.

IMM Principle 1: Breath

Breathing slowly and deeply activates the vagus nerve and calms the stress response. It’s the first step in signalling safety to the body.

IMM Principle 2: Relaxation

We learn to gently release tension through mindful movements and the breath. Relaxation doesn’t just mean collapse; it is about letting go of unnecessary effort so the nervous system can reset.

IMM Principle 3: Proprioception

Reconnecting with body awareness helps rebuild trust. Many with trauma or EDS feel “disconnected” from their body — proprioceptive work re-establishes orientation and control.

IMM Principle 4: Stability

Stability arises from safety, not stiffness. IMM retrains the deep stabilising system so movement feels supported and predictable. Stability cannot come from more bracing and guarding.

IMM Principle 5: Balance

Balance exercises restore physical and emotional equilibrium. They are essential for everyday life and help us keep mobile and functional.

IMM Principle 6: Posture and Integration

All elements come together — breath, awareness, and movement — to create calm, confident patterns that the body can sustain in daily life. We reprogram the system to move with ease rather than fear.

Movement as Nervous System Therapy

Movement is one of the most direct ways to regulate the nervous system.  Done appropriately, it can really help build trust in our own ability to move.

When we move gently and intentionally, the brain receives new information: “I am safe to move.” It is important that we receive these messages of safety to allow that to happen.

This lowers muscle guarding, reduces pain sensitivity, and supports recovery from trauma.

People using the IMM approach often report:

• Reduced pain and tension
• Greater emotional stability
• Renewed confidence in their body
• Physical and emotional benefits (5)

These are all signs that the nervous system is returning to balance.

A Safe, Trauma-Informed Space for EDS and Hypermobility Movement Therapy

Being trauma-informed means pacing, not pushing. As I often say, “Less is More.” What I mean by this is we can often go further with movement and exercise if we reduce the intensity, the time, the repetitions, and slowly build up once we have found some safety in movement. This can help lead to less pain and fewer and shorter flare-ups.

We give the body choice and compassion.

In The Zebra Club, the IMM principles are at the heart of every class, and we are helping members build safety, strength, and connection through movement. I would love to have you join us and try it out!

Exercises to Nourish the Parasympathetic Nervous System Video

Start unwinding some tension in this gentle parasympathetic movement class. This helps you shift out of fight or flight (sympathetic) and into rest and digest (parasympathetic).

FAQ

How can movement therapy help regulate the nervous system in people with EDS or hypermobility who have experienced trauma?

Movement therapy, especially when trauma-informed, helps your nervous system learn to shift out of fight, flight, or freeze states. For people with EDS or hypermobility, it can reduce muscle guarding, improve body awareness, and build gentle stability.

Is it safe to do movement or exercise if I have hypermobility, chronic pain, or past medical trauma?

Yes — when movement is guided by trauma-informed principles. This means prioritizing safety, pacing, and listening to your body, rather than pushing through pain. Gentle, mindful movements that focus on breath, stability, and proprioception are usually safest.

What is trauma-informed movement for hypermobility or EDS?

Trauma-informed movement is an approach that considers both physical and emotional safety. It prioritizes restoring a sense of safety in the body first, then builds stability and strength gradually. It helps the body trust movement again while acknowledging past injuries, chronic pain, or emotional trauma.

What types of exercises are safe for someone with hypermobility and trauma?

Safe exercises focus on gentle, controlled movements that support joint stability and nervous system regulation. Examples include breathwork, proprioception-focused movement, slow stability exercises, balance work, and mindful postural integration. Avoid high-impact or forced-range movements until you’ve built tissue tolerance.

Jeannie Di Bon

Jeannie Di Bon is a movement therapist, educator and author specializing in hypermobility, Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome and chronic pain. She is the founder of The Zebra Club app and the creator of the Integral Movement Method.