Kareena Kapoor Khan recently opened up about the attack on her husband, Saif Ali Khan, which took place in January this year. “I am still struggling with what it does to, kind of, see someone there in your child’s room, because in Mumbai, you never really hear. In Mumbai, we have never heard that somebody walks in and attacks your husband, and he gets stabbed. So, I think we have still not come to terms 100 per cent. At least, I haven’t because of just the fear,” the Singham Again actor said.
Admitting that she was “very anxious for the first couple of months,” Kareena continued, “It was difficult to, kind of, sleep, it was difficult to find normalcy. I realised that the memory fades…it’s there in the gut. That’s when the healing sets in. I don’t want to live in fear for my children because that’s also to put that stress on them. It’s been a tough journey to maneuver from fear and anxiety to balancing the fact that I am a mother and I am a wife, because at the same time, my husband gets stabbed. It was an understanding of what I had to deal with.”
She also expressed gratitude and shared that the incident has made the family stronger. “I am just happy, blessed, and thank god that we are safe. We are definitely stronger as a unit because we have seen it. I hope that my two boys will be a different kind of resilient because they have kind of seen their father being attacked. My little one still says, ‘My father is Batman, and Iron Man,’ and he can take on anyone. That’s the way he looks at it. The good thing is that in our eyes, he is Iron Man because he took that beating. Thank God that my children are safe. They have seen blood, they have seen everything. But that trauma will make Taimur and Jeh different kinds of men,” Kareena, 44, told Mojo Story.
She added, “They (children) have also been so sheltered. They suddenly saw this. I somehow feel that this is an experience that has brought them out of the shelter and a little closer to reality, showing them that this can happen. Of course, they should not have seen it at their age, but I have to look at something that has to come out of it, and I am hoping that this is what is going to come out of it.”
She said that she is constantly trying “to not put my stress and anxiety on to them, but as a person, it has shaken me to the core”. “It’s happened. I have to kind of move with it. Saif said, ‘We can’t live in that fear’. It’s happened, it’s gone. Also, Punjabiyon me bolte hai…ki bala tal gayi…(the bad is over)…so we are thinking that it’s over. We are all trying our best. It was very unfortunate and I don’t think any father, any husband, any unit or family should ever see what they had to…it’s truly been an uphill task…I am hoping that there is a silver lining…I am hoping for that…”
What trauma leaves behind, and what helps to heal gently?
When something terrifying happens — be it a personal accident, a loved one in danger, or witnessing a traumatic event — what remains is not always visible. “Long after the wounds are stitched, and the world has moved on, the body and mind can carry an unseen burden,” said Delnna Rrajesh, psychotherapist, energy healer, and life coach.
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Delnna shared that she often meets individuals who appear perfectly fine on the outside, but are silently unravelling within. “They can’t explain why their heart races without warning, why loud noises make them flinch, or why they can’t sleep despite exhaustion. This is trauma. And it doesn’t need your logic. It needs your listening,” she said.
According to her, trauma doesn’t always arrive with a label. It shows up as sleepless nights and recurring nightmares, sudden anxiety or panic in crowds or confined spaces, feeling emotionally numb or disconnected from loved ones, overreacting to minor stress or getting unusually irritable, avoiding places, conversations, or even memories linked to the incident. “It also shows up as difficulty focusing, remembering, or making decisions with a constant sense of doom or restlessness. There could be stomach pain, fatigue, and body aches with no medical cause. And often, there’s one unspoken feeling underneath it all: “Why can’t I just get over it?”
Because healing doesn’t come from pushing through, it comes from pausing, feeling safe again, and allowing the body to exhale what it never got to release,” shared Delnna.
It’s all about emotional healing (Photo: Freepik)
What can help?
“The nervous system remembers everything. To truly feel better, we must support both the mind and the body. Here are some powerful therapeutic and practical methods,” shared Delnna.
Mild exposure therapy
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Start gently reintroducing elements that trigger fear, only in safe doses. If a car accident occurred, for example, sitting in a stationary car while focusing on breathing may be the first step. “It’s not about ‘facing fears head-on.’ It’s about rewiring safety, one small step at a time,” shared Delnna.
Somatic healing and breathwork
You can’t think your way out of anxiety. You feel your way back to safety. Breathwork calms the vagus nerve. “Somatic practices like body scanning, gentle shaking, or trauma-informed movement help discharge stored fear trapped in muscles and fascia,” mentioned Delnna.
Grounding rituals
Use sensory tools like holding ice cubes, walking barefoot on grass, or the 5-4-3-2-1 technique (naming 5 things you see, 4 you can touch, etc.). These anchor the body in the now, pulling you out of trauma loops, shared Delnna.
Reiki and energy healing
Often, trauma creates subtle energetic imprint blocks that traditional therapy might not reach. Delnna noted that Reiki allows for energetic release and emotional restoration in a non-verbal, deeply calming way.
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Emotional regulation techniques
Journaling and therapy can help reduce emotional intensity and bring back a sense of choice and control.
Sleep hygiene and nutrition
Trauma interrupts circadian rhythms and digestion. “Prioritise routine, magnesium-rich foods, warm teas, and screen breaks. Deep rest is not a luxury-it’s where trauma begins to soften,” shared Delnna.