“I’m Not Broken”: How Identity Can Physically Shape Your Body

There’s a moment many of us face when life shakes us so deeply, our body begins to speak for us. Fatigue that won’t lift. A rash that lingers. A hip or knee that suddenly gives out. And often, we don’t link these physical symptoms to a story our nervous system quietly stored away long ago.

But what if that story was: “I’m broken.”

This is more than a thought. It’s an identity that can take root during intense, traumatic events—especially when our nervous system is overwhelmed and unsupported. In these moments, our brain makes meaning to protect us. And sometimes that meaning gets embedded not only in our beliefs, but in our cells.

Science backs this up. The psychoneuroendocrine system connects our thoughts, hormones, and body in a constant loop. A moment of high stress can rewire our physiology to act as if we are broken… even when we’re healing.

But here’s the empowering truth: if your story shaped your symptoms, a new story can support your healing.

The shift begins by identifying the identity you unknowingly created. Maybe it’s “I’m not enough,” “I’m too much,” or “I’m broken.” Once you name it, declare it, and challenge it, you can create a new story that fits who you are now—not who you had to be when you were surviving.

And that’s not just psychology—it’s biology.

Want to hear how a single identity shift helped one man resolve lingering physical symptoms and rebuild his trust in his body? Tune into Episode #15 Facing Your Shadow: How to Transform Your Subconscious Patterns of What’s My Body Telling Me?** – Shadow Work, Healing Trauma & Owning Your Wholeness with Pete Isaia.