The Body Remembers: Understanding and Releasing Stored Trauma

Mascari, Brooke - February 9th, 2025

Trauma is not just an event of the past—it can live within our bodies, shaping our physical health, emotions, and daily experiences. Dr. Bessel van der Kolk’s groundbreaking book, The Body Keeps the Score (a book we highly recommend!), delves deep into the ways trauma embeds itself in the body, influencing our nervous system, behavior, and overall well-being. Understanding how our bodies store trauma, recognizing its presence, and learning how to release it can lead to profound healing and transformation.

How the Body Stores Trauma

When we experience a traumatic event, our bodies go into survival mode, activating the fight, flight, or freeze response. While this response is essential for immediate survival, unresolved trauma can become trapped in the body when the nervous system is unable to fully process the event. Instead of dissipating, the energy remains stored in the muscles, fascia, and nervous system, often manifesting in chronic pain, tension, mental health issues, and emotional dysregulation.

Neuroscience research, as highlighted in The Body Keeps the Score, shows that trauma can alter brain function, particularly in areas like the amygdala (which processes fear), the hippocampus (which regulates memory), and the prefrontal cortex (which governs rational thinking and emotional regulation). When trauma remains stored in the body, it can lead to long-term health problems, including anxiety, depression, digestive issues, autoimmune disorders, and even cardiovascular disease.

Signs You May Be Storing Trauma in Your Body

Recognizing stored trauma is the first step toward healing. Here are some common indicators that trauma may be trapped in your body:

• Chronic Pain or Tension – Unexplained aches, tightness in the shoulders or jaw, or recurring headaches can signal unresolved trauma.

• Digestive Issues – The gut-brain connection means that trauma can manifest in irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), bloating, nausea, or food sensitivities.

• Emotional Outbursts or Numbness – Sudden anger, anxiety, or an inability to feel emotions could also indicate stored trauma.

• Unexplained Fatigue – Trauma can drain the body’s energy, leaving you feeling perpetually exhausted.

• Recurring Negative Thought Patterns – Feeling stuck in self-sabotaging behaviors or experiencing flashbacks and nightmares are common signs of unresolved trauma.

• Dissociation or Feeling Disconnected – A sense of detachment from your body, surroundings, or emotions often accompanies stored trauma.

Why Storing Trauma Is Unhealthy

Keeping trauma locked in the body can have serious consequences on both physical and mental health. Chronic stress caused by unresolved trauma keeps the nervous system in a constant state of hyperarousal or shutdown, leading to inflammation, weakened immunity, and an increased risk of disease. Emotionally, stored trauma can impact relationships, self-esteem, and the ability to experience joy and fulfillment. Without release, trauma can perpetuate cycles of pain and dysfunction, preventing true healing.

How to Release Stored Trauma and Heal

Healing from trauma requires addressing both the mind and body. Here are several effective methods for releasing stored trauma:

1. Somatic Therapy - Somatic Experiencing, bodywork, and trauma-informed yoga help release stored trauma by allowing the body to process and complete its survival responses.

2. Breathwork - Deep breathing techniques, such as diaphragmatic breathing or holotropic breathwork, can calm the nervous system and facilitate emotional release.

3. Movement and Exercise - Physical activities like dance, yoga, tai chi, and even walking can help process trauma by reconnecting you with your body and releasing pent-up energy.

4. Mindfulness and Meditation - Practicing mindfulness allows you to develop awareness of bodily sensations, emotions, and thoughts, helping to gently process trauma and release it.

5. Therapy and Emotional Processing - Trauma-informed therapy, including EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) and cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), can help rewire trauma responses and support emotional healing.

6. Expressive Arts - Creative outlets such as journaling, painting, or music therapy provide a safe way to express and process deep-seated emotions.

7. Safe Relationships and Community Support - Healing trauma often requires connection with others. Supportive relationships and community can provide the safety needed to process and release past wounds.

Trauma does not have to define us, nor does it have to remain stored in our bodies indefinitely. By understanding how trauma is held in the body and taking proactive steps to release it, we can move toward true healing and freedom.

The Body Keeps the Score emphasizes that healing is possible when we integrate body-based practices with emotional and psychological support. By engaging in holistic healing modalities, we can reclaim our health, resilience, and inner peace!