A fall can leave an imprint long after the body has healed: the fear of falling again, the avoidance of certain movements or places, the feeling of no longer being able to trust one's own body. This is not fragility or an exaggeration \u2014 it is a response of the nervous system, and it is sometimes called post-fall syndrome.<\/p>\n
Contrary to a widespread belief, a fall is not a psychologically trivial event. It can be experienced as a genuine shock trauma, in the same way as a car accident or an assault.<\/p>\n
We often minimise a fall \u2014 \"it's nothing\", \"I was just scared\". Yet the scientific data tells another story.<\/p>\n
A prospective study of older adults admitted to the emergency department after a fall found that 30.5% of them showed a significant level of anxiety, and that 26% showed signs of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) two months after the fall. Another study, published in General Hospital Psychiatry<\/em>, found PTSD symptoms in 27 out of 100 people over 65 hospitalised after a fall.<\/p>\n These studies focus mainly on older adults, but the mechanism they reveal is universal: a fall can trigger a trauma response in anyone, at any age. The suddenness, the loss of control, the helplessness of the moment \u2014 these are exactly the ingredients of a traumatic shock.<\/p>\n Here is what makes a fall so particular. According to Peter Levine, founder of Somatic Experiencing, trauma occurs when a survival response cannot run its course.<\/p>\n During a fall, everything happens too fast. The body begins protective movements \u2014 reaching out to catch itself, turning, grabbing hold of something \u2014 but the suddenness of the event interrupts them. These defensive impulses, thwarted, remain inscribed in the body as unfinished actions. And the energy mobilised in a fraction of a second to protect itself could not discharge.<\/p>\n From the nervous system's perspective, something never reached its completion. This is precisely what explains why fear can persist long after the physical injuries have healed.<\/p>\n Post-fall syndrome is not simply passing nervousness. It is a state where the fear of falling again becomes disabling in itself, even in the absence of any lasting injury.<\/p>\n There is an important distinction between healthy caution and pathological fear. Being careful, using a handrail, choosing a better-lit path \u2014 this is a reasonable adaptation. But avoiding entire rooms, refusing to go out, giving up activities one used to enjoy \u2014 this is the sign that fear has taken over.<\/p>\n And this fear creates a vicious circle: the less we move, the more our muscles and balance weaken, which actually increases the risk of falling again. Fear, in trying to protect us, ends up making us more fragile.<\/p>\n Somatic Experiencing does not try to reason with fear. It works with what the body feels now, to allow the nervous system to complete, in safety, the defensive responses that were interrupted at the moment of the fall.<\/p>\n This is what Somatic Experiencing calls renegotiation<\/em>. Rather than plunging back into the memory, we help the body rediscover the protective impulses that could not run their course \u2014 the movement of catching oneself, reaching out an arm, avoiding the obstacle. By allowing these gestures to take shape and finally complete, in small doses and at the person's pace, the nervous system can come out of the state of alert in which it had remained stuck.<\/p>\n As these responses complete, the energy mobilised at the moment of the fall can finally release \u2014 often through slight trembling or a gradual relaxation. The body understands, little by little, that the threat has truly passed. Fear loosens its grip, and confidence in the body can return.<\/p>\n This is not a question of willpower or courage. It is physiological work \u2014 and this is precisely why it can untangle what words alone are not enough to soothe.<\/p>\n If since a fall you have been living with a fear that doesn't pass, know that it is not in your head, and that it is not inevitable. Your nervous system did then what it had to do to protect you. It is now possible to help it find its balance again.<\/p>\n Would you like to know more or book an appointment? Contact me here.<\/a><\/em><\/p>\nWhy a fall marks the nervous system so deeply<\/h2>\n
When the fear doesn't pass: post-fall syndrome<\/h2>\n
How Somatic Experiencing helps<\/h2>\n
Do you recognise yourself in all this?<\/h2>\n
Sources<\/h2>\n
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