How To Release Trauma Stored in the Body

Reliving painful memories, fear and anxiety, sadness, agitation, and emotional numbness are all common signs of trauma—an emotional response to harmful or life-threatening circumstances. However, trauma isn’t purely mental or emotional. In fact, you might feel like you’ve completely moved on from a traumatic experience, all the while your body is telling a different story. 

That’s because trauma also causes physical, or somatic, symptoms. Sometimes, these symptoms can last longer than the mental or emotional symptoms because they can be easy to overlook. In many cases, trauma survivors experience a mixture of mental, emotional, and physical symptoms.

In this article, you’ll learn about how trauma is stored in the body, what that looks like, and how you can release trauma stored in the body. 

How Does Your Body Hold Trauma?

When you are in danger, the amygdala triggers the release of stress hormones like cortisol. The release of cortisol prepares the mind and body to deal with danger, activating the fight, flight, or freeze response. This is necessary for survival. However, trauma occurs when you have not fully processed the overwhelming experience. The release of cortisol continues, making you feel tense and emotionally reactive, and can negatively affect your body in several ways. 

What Are the Effects of Stored Trauma on the Body?

Trauma is not truly “stored” in the body. What happens with trauma is you continue to feel the effects of the danger you once experienced, even for many years after the event occurred. Your mind and body reacts just as it did during the initial trauma, including releasing cortisol. Effects of trauma on the body can include:

• Muscle Tension
• Headaches
• Tightness in the Chest
• Feeling Shaky or On Edge
• Difficulty Sleeping or Sleeping Too Much
• Memory Issues or Brain Fog
• Chronic Muscle and/or Joint Pain

How Can You Release Stored Trauma in the Body?

While trauma symptoms can be difficult to deal with, to say the least, there are some things that you can try to help you relax mentally, emotionally, and physically:

• Let yourself feel. Bottling up your emotions is not only harmful mentally but also physically. As difficult as it can be, take some time to let yourself feel the sadness, anger, fear, and other negative emotions associated with the traumatic experience. 
• Practice mindfulness. When your thoughts and emotions become too much to handle, mindfulness can help you to refocus and gain control. 
• Take time out for yourself. Some people deal with trauma by keeping busy, and sometimes this can backfire, leading to exhaustion, sleep troubles, and other physical problems. Try to take a break and don’t feel bad about a little pampering to help you loosen up. 
• Get some exercise. Exercise is great for releasing stored cortisol. Go for a walk, take an aerobics class, or turn on your favorite music and dance your heart out. 
• Try Journaling. Journaling is a great way to release pent-up emotions, and it can also help you to process jumbled-up thoughts and feelings. 

Trauma Counseling Can Heal Somatic Symptoms

As mentioned earlier, your amygdala is responsible for releasing cortisol. When the amygdala is activated, the prefrontal cortex slows. The prefrontal cortex is responsible for logical thought and reason. That’s why trauma often leads to strong emotions and can make you feel like you’re “out of control.”

The goal of Trauma therapy is to activate the prefrontal cortex so that your brain can fully process and heal from the trauma. As this occurs, the physical or somatic experiences of trauma are released. Here are some common, proven therapies for releasing trauma in the body:

• Cognitive Processing Therapy: This helps with identifying and redirecting unwanted thoughts related to the traumatic event. It also provides a tool for calming emotional dysregulation and its physical effects. 
• Prolonged Exposure Therapy: Trauma-related memories are discussed and evaluated slowly over time, so the person can learn how to deal with these memories without feeling endangered by them. 
• EMDR Therapy: Eye Movement Desensitization and Processing Therapy helps to lessen and eventually release emotional charges and physical sensations related to specific traumatic memories. 
• Somatic Experiencing: This therapy focuses on the body’s responses to traumatic events to help the person process and heal. 

Connect with Trauma Christian Therapists in Raleigh, NC

Are you concerned that you or a loved one is struggling to move forward after trauma? Whether you’re dealing with emotional, mental, or physical symptoms—or all of them at once—trauma counseling can help. 

Sojourner Counseling offers trauma Christian counseling in Raleigh, NC for children, teens, and adults. We provide a blend of proven therapies like those mentioned above with faith-based tools for healing, like scripture reading and prayer. Let us know if you’re interested in learning more.