In Into the Fading Twilight, the process of recovering from intense emotional trauma is not confined to the mind. Nova’s year of brutal captivity leads her to dissociate from her body, and her recovery involves instinctive forms of somatic therapy, including high-risk behaviors such as cliff jumping and mountain biking, which function as a way to reconnect with her body, feel viscerally alive, and regain a sense of mastery over her fear response. Alongside these mostly solitary, thrill-seeking pursuits, she explores the healing power of physical touch through equine therapy and through her romantic relationship with Kol. These experiences are essential for Nova to learn to live fully in her body again, highlighting the deeply embodied nature of trauma and recovery. 

Nova’s private cliff-jumping ritual is a therapeutic tool she discovers on her own. She describes the shock of the ice-cold water as “the kind of slap that assured me I was most definitely alive” (6). For her, the jump is a multisensory experience that grounds her in the present moment, offering a rare reprieve from the internal chaos of her trauma. It is the one place where “the world went quiet” (6), allowing the overwhelming physical sensation to override her psychological pain. Though Kol later worries that her cliff jumping endangers her life, she views it as a way to affirm her existence. When she is confronted with a fresh wave of emotional distress, such as the discovery of Reese Gatlin’s invasive article, her immediate impulse is to seek out the cliff, reinforcing the jump’s function as her primary method for processing acute psychological pain and reminding herself that, as per Kol’s mantra, “You’re alive. You’re breathing” (6).

This unconventional therapeutic method is validated through her connection with Maverick Archer, who shares a similar history of trauma. When he finds her contemplating a dangerous mountain bike trail, he doesn’t judge her recklessness. Instead, he understands her underlying need for an adrenaline outlet. He explains his own reliance on such activities, telling her, “Sometimes, the world gets too loud […]. This helps. And it reminds me that I’m still here” (108). Like Nova’s cliff jumping, mountain biking offers a controlled form of danger that paradoxically makes Maverick feel more alive even as it places his life at some risk. By offering to teach Nova a safer but still thrilling way to ride, Maverick provides kinship and affirms that her impulse to chase adrenaline is a legitimate and understandable response to trauma. His perspective reframes her behavior not as self-destructive but as a powerful tool for survival and self-regulation.

The equine therapy Nova undertakes with Aster and Marly offers her another way to reconnect with her body. Initially tentative and frightened, Nova quickly builds an emotional bond with the horse Twilight—one grounded in physical touch as a mode of non-verbal communication. When first approached by Twilight, Nova instinctively pulls back in fear. This reaction shows her the fearfulness she has been carrying as a result of her trauma, as she tells therapist Marly, “I thought she was going to bite me because I’m always waiting for the bite. The slap. The hurt. The pain” (313). As Nova gently strokes Twilight’s face, both human and horse read each other’s body language and respect each other’s boundaries, establishing a trust that is therapeutic for both of them: “Twilight pressed into my touch, a silent request for more. So I gave it to her. Stroke after stroke until we found our rhythm” (313). The trust between Nova and Marly mirrors the trust she builds with Kol. Initially afraid of his touch, she learns to trust him as he shows his respect for her boundaries and autonomy. Through these relationships, Nova learns how to inhabit her body again as a site of loving connection, a vital step in her healing process.