The article recounts the author’s harrowing experience of being thrown from a galloping horse named Compadre during a desert ride in Chile’s Atacama Desert. Initially excited and calm, the ride took a dangerous turn when the horse suddenly bucked, causing the author to fall hard onto the ground. Despite physical bruises and scratches, the author was miraculously unharmed but emotionally shaken, experiencing intense fear, anxiety, and panic in the aftermath. The incident triggered the body’s fight-or-flight response, heightening awareness and reflexes during the fall, followed by a crash phase marked by exhaustion and emotional vulnerability.

The author reflects on the psychological impact of the fall, exploring how trauma can arise not only from past experiences but also from sudden, instinctive fears triggered by unexpected events. Psychotherapist Ruthie Arbit explains that trauma is often tied to one’s perception of an event and that the body can physically react to traumatic memories even when the mind struggles to process them. Ultimately, armed with knowledge about the body’s stress responses and time to recover, the author finds a sense of calm and gratitude, viewing the experience as a challenging story rather than a life-defining trauma.