How Trauma is Stored in the Body: The Mind-Body Link You Need to Know
Hello, beautiful soul
Have you ever noticed a heaviness in your chest when you're overwhelmed, or maybe a tightness in your shoulders after a hard day? These feelings aren’t random. They’re your body’s way of whispering or the body’s voice—sometimes even shouting—that there's something unresolved beneath the surface.
You see, trauma and emotions don’t disappear just because we want them to. When we suppress them or try to move forward without addressing them, they stay with us, quietly settling into the body. Over time, this unexpressed energy can show up as chronic pain, emotional numbness, or even fatigue and in many other ways. By understanding how our mind, body, and spirit work together, we can begin a healing process that releases the weight of the past and allows us to feel lighter, liberated and at our best.
Let's explore how trauma comes to rest in our body, what it means for our whole self, and how we can create space for healing.
1. How Trauma Gets Trapped in the Body
Trauma isn’t just a memory or a feeling; it’s an experience that impacts every part of you—physically, mentally, and spiritually. When you go through a traumatic or highly stressful event, your body automatically shifts into survival mode.
Your nervous system activates what’s known as the fight, flight, freeze, or fawn response, your body’s built-in way of protecting you from harm.
Fight: You feel tension in your muscles, your heart pounds, and your body prepares to defend itself.
Flight: Your legs might feel restless, or you sense the need to run, to escape whatever danger might be there.
Freeze: You feel numb or stuck, unable to move forward or take action.
Fawn: You feel compelled to please others, setting aside your own needs to avoid conflict or create safety.
This response is natural, but sometimes the energy created during these moments doesn’t leave the body. Instead, it becomes trapped, showing up later as physical pain, tight muscles, digestive issues, headaches, or even autoimmune conditions. These aren’t just random aches and symptoms—they’re your body asking for care and attention, calling you back to the present to release what no longer belongs.
2. Where Trauma and Emotion Are Held in the Body
The body is wise, carrying emotional imprints in different places, often aligned with the type of emotion you’re holding onto:
Neck and Shoulders: The weight of the world often sits here—responsibilities, stress, and words left unspoken.
Chest and Lungs: This is where grief and sadness settle, making it feel hard to breathe in or exhale fully.
Stomach and Gut: Anxiety and fear often live here, twisting into knots or creating unease.
Hips and Lower Back: Long-held emotions like shame or anger can find refuge here, quietly lingering until they’re ready to be released.
Jaw and Throat: When we suppress emotions or hold back from saying what we truly feel, the tension can sit here.
These signs aren’t flaws; they’re clues. They’re our body’s way of mapping out where healing needs to happen.
3. The Power of Mind, Body, and Spirit Connection
We’re not just a physical being—we’re a multifaceted, vibrant combination of thoughts, feelings, sensations, and energy. When trauma affects one part of us, it ripples through the others.
Our Mind might replay negative thought patterns, creating cycles of overthinking or leaving us feeling stuck in fear or shame.
Our Body holds the memory of unresolved trauma, leading to tension, pain, and even illness.
Our Spirit may feel disconnected, leaving us unsure of our purpose or unable to trust the flow of life.
True healing is holistic—it honors the connection between our mind, body, and spirit. When we approach healing from this perspective, we allow the wisdom of our whole self to guide us back to balance, freedom, and joy. Because all of these are corelated—when our mind is overthinking, it may be a feeling problem. If we feel any emotion that is feeling heavy in our body, our mind is going to be going because this emotion is like the fuel.
4. Steps to Release Trauma and Begin Healing
Healing can feel like a big, overwhelming task, but it doesn’t have to be. It starts with one intentional moment. Then another. And another. Here are some gentle ways to begin reconnecting and releasing what’s been holding you back.
1. Listen to Your Body
Your body speaks to you in whispers, through tension or discomfort. By paying attention, you’ll likely begin to notice patterns and feelings you may have overlooked.
Practice deep, intentional breathing to calm your nervous system and create space for heightened awareness.
Try a body scan. Sit quietly and notice how each part of your body feels. Allow yourself to feel whatever comes up. Here’s a guided body scan for you to try.
If memories or emotions surface, reflect by journaling—it’s a safe, private space to explore your inner world. Write down what body parts you are feeling sensations in, describe it and reflect on what you learned above by writing what you feel it may be trying to tell you and try to tune in to those emotions and see what they have to say to you.
2. Move the Energy
Unresolved trauma often lingers as stuck energy. Gentle movement can help release it in a way that feels safe and empowering.
Stretch or practice yoga to unlock areas like your shoulders, back, or hips.
Dance, shake, or take a mindful walk—any form of movement that feels freeing.
Trust your body’s rhythm. You don’t need a perfect routine—just move in ways that feel good.
3. Explore Somatic Healing
Somatic healing recognizes that your body holds the key to releasing trauma. Exploring these practices may help you feel a deep sense of release and relief.
Breathwork can help you release blocked energy and soothe your nervous system. One of my favourite breathwork apps is called Othership. You can explore their app here.
Reiki or other energy modalities invite harmony and balance back into your body’s energetic field. Find a Reiki Practitioner near you with a quick google search or come into Studio 32 if you’re near Peterborough and book a session with our practitioners.
Emotional Clearing, guided by a trained professional, provides gentle ways to process stored trauma through connection with your body.
4. Reconnect with Your Spirit
Your spirit is the anchor of healing, guiding you back to wholeness. To nurture this connection, spend time on what brings you peace and joy.
Try meditating or practicing mindfulness to quiet your mind and connect inward.
Spend time in nature. The earth itself has a grounding and restorative energy.
Explore your creativity—whether it’s through painting, singing, journaling, dancing, or simply playing.
5. Lean Into Support
The healing process isn’t meant to be a solitary one. Surround yourself with people who uplift you and create spaces where you feel safe. Seek guidance from holistic practitioners, trauma-informed therapists, or support groups. You are never alone in this.
5. Why Healing Matters
Unprocessed trauma shapes how you move through the world, and it can leave you feeling heavy, disconnected, or stuck. But when you choose to heal—when you dare to feel, release, and trust in your ability to move forward—you transform more than your body. You reclaim your vitality, your joy, and your sense of freedom.
You don’t have to carry the weight of the past any longer because there are so many ways for us to heal. Healing is always possible, and your body, mind, and spirit are ready to guide you there with love.
6. Your Next Step Forward
Start where you are. Even reading this is a step toward healing. If you’re ready to go deeper, download our meditations that we have available, which provide you some resources to be able to use. You can also book in an Emotional Clearing session or Reiki session.
Together, we’ll walk this path toward reconnecting with yourself, releasing what no longer serves you, and creating space for a life of freedom, joy, and wholeness.
This healing is your birthright. And it’s time to reclaim it.
You are not alone. You are worthy of healing, love, and light. Let's take this one step at a time, together.
