Healing Through Dance After Infant Loss: A Story of Grief, Movement, and Medical Trauma
When Allison Thomas lost her son Indie just three days after birth, her world changed forever. In the episode of the Medical Trauma Support Podcast I recorded with her, we explored her journey through the heartbreak of infant loss, the trauma of navigating medical intervention, and the healing power she found in dance, movement, and connection.
As a dancer, choreographer, and yoga teacher, Allison turned instinctively to her body in the aftermath of her loss. “Three days postpartum, all I could do was dance,” she shared. “It wasn’t pretty. It was messy and raw, and it was the only thing that made sense to me.” Dance became her way of expressing what words couldn’t hold—grief, longing, rage, and eventually, hope.
But her trauma didn’t begin with loss—it began in the hospital. After giving birth at home, complications led to an emergency hospital transfer. The trauma of alarms, machines, well-intentioned but overwhelming encouragement, and clinging to hope during Indie’s final days left lasting scars on her nervous system.
Through this conversation, we explore:
The unique impact of infant loss and medical trauma
The wisdom of the body in processing grief
How dance can offer a somatic path to healing
The importance of nervous system flexibility after trauma
How to support someone grieving—not with grand gestures, but with presence and remembrance
Allison reminds us that healing doesn’t have a linear path—and sometimes, we just need to move. “Nobody could fix me. Nobody could get me out of it. But movement helped,” she says. “It’s okay, Mama. You have forever.” These words, which she heard in her heart from her son, became a mantra for slowing down, finding breath, and allowing the body to grieve and heal.
Whether you are navigating your own loss, supporting someone in grief, or recovering from a traumatic medical experience, this conversation offers tenderness, validation, and a reminder that healing lives in the body—and in connection.
Listen to the full episode here
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