Why Psychoeducation Isn’t Enough: Why We Start with the Hā

When it comes to healing trauma, many people assume that learning about it is the first step to recovery. And yes, understanding the way trauma affects our thoughts, emotions, and relationships is powerful. But there’s one big problem: if your body is still in survival mode, you can’t think your way to peace.

Here’s why we need to start with the Hā—not the head.

The Brain Can’t Learn in Fight or Flight

In moments of stress or perceived threat, our nervous system activates the fight, flight, or freeze response. The brain’s fear centre, the amygdala, takes over, and the prefrontal cortex—the part that helps us think clearly, make good decisions, and stay calm—goes offline.

In other words, no matter how great the workshop, therapy session, or self-help book is, if someone is stuck in a triggered state, they physically can’t absorb the information. This is why so many people say things like “I know all the tools, but I still fall apart.”

We don’t need more information. We need regulation.

Hā: The First Step in Healing

Hā (breath) is one of the simplest, most powerful ways to return to a state of calm. It slows the heart rate, soothes the nervous system, and gently shifts the body out of survival mode. Breathwork activates the vagus nerve, part of the parasympathetic system that helps us feel safe, grounded, and present.

From a Māori lens, Hā isn’t just biology. It’s whakapapa. It’s wairua. It’s the breath of Tāne passed into Hineahuone—the first sacred connection to Īo, to whenua, to te taiao, and to each other.

When we return to Hā, we return to ourselves.

Trauma Lives in the Tinana

Many trauma survivors feel stuck in cycles of overwhelm, panic, or shutdown. That’s because trauma doesn’t live in the mind—it lives in the body. Science now backs this: research shows trauma gets “trapped” in the nervous system. That’s why body-based practices like breathwork and movement are essential. They give us a way to release what talk therapy alone cannot reach.

At Hā Habit, we believe in starting with tinana-first tools. Teach people how to ride out the biochemical wave. Help them survive the unbearable moments. Then, when their body is calm, they can reflect, learn, and grow.

Culturally Safe, Simple, and Self-Led

For many Māori, Pasifika, and Indigenous people, whakamā or stigma around mental health can stop them from asking for help. That’s why we’re passionate about creating self-help tools rooted in our ways of knowing.

You don’t have to talk about your trauma to start healing. You can begin by breathing.

Even one breath is a pattern interrupt. And each time you choose Hā over reaction, you’re rewiring your brain, creating new pathways—and remembering who you truly are.

Arohanui
Julia Wikeepa