Understanding How Trauma is Stored in the Body

Trauma is a complex and pervasive experience that can profoundly impact our physical, emotional, and psychological well-being. While traditional approaches to trauma therapy often focus on the mind and cognition, body psychotherapy takes a holistic perspective, recognizing that trauma is stored not only in our minds but also in our physical bodies. My personal experience working with trauma as a clinical psychologist also trained in theory and techniques of body psychotherapy, emphasizes the importance of embodied practices within the journey towards recovery.

Body psychotherapy embraces the notion that the mind and body are inextricably connected, constantly influencing and communicating with one another. Trauma, whether acute or complex, can disrupt this delicate balance, leaving imprints on both the psyche and the soma. The body becomes a living record of challenging and overwhelming experiences, storing unresolved emotions, sensations, and energetic imbalances, often associated with self-protective physiological patterns or coping mechanisms. 

What does this all mean? It’s helpful to look at the somatic experience of trauma to understand this phenomenon. Note that these are general guidelines and processes, with each trauma survivor’s experience being entirely unique. 

1. Sensations and Body Memories:
When we experience trauma, our bodies can respond instinctively, activating the fight, flight, or freeze response. These intense physiological reactions leave imprints in the form of sensations and body memories, which can manifest over time as pain, tension, numbing, or a heightened sensitivity to certain stimuli. This is classically described by some trauma survivors and the experience of being “triggered”.

2. Chronic Muscle Tension:
Trauma can cause chronic muscle tension as a protective response. The body braces itself, creating a shield against potential threats. Over time, this tension can become habitual, leading to physical discomfort, restricted movement, and a constant state of hyper vigilance. It is important to recognize that the pattern of muscle tension experienced can vary from person to person, with each individual developing a “protective armor” that reflects the challenging emotions they faced and their specific coping mechanisms (e.g. acute trauma such as a car accident can cause tension in the iliopsoas muscle in the pelvic region, repressed anger can cause mandibular and jaw tension, and repetitive experiences of a freeze response can cause stiffness or heaviness in the limbs).      

3. Breath and Respiration Patterns:
In a relaxed and harmonious physiological state, our breathing pattern is deep and slow, often located in the belly. However, traumatic experiences often disrupt our natural breathing patterns, reducing our breath to a more thoracic and shallow breath, as moving away from the “feeling body” which may be experiencing overwhelm, into the safer space of the intellectual or brain body, can often bring emotional relief. As a result of trauma, we may hold our breath, breathe superficially, or even hyperventilate during moments of distress when the body is triggered into an intense emotional state. These altered breath patterns can persist long after the traumatic event, contributing to anxiety, panic attacks, and a sense of “ungroundedness” or disconnection from the body.

4. Body Image and Dissociation:
Trauma can distort our perception of our bodies, leading to body image issues and disconnection. Dissociation, a common response to trauma, can involve a detachment from physical sensations and a disconnection from the body. This dissociation can hinder the integration of traumatic experiences and contribute to feelings such as disembodiment, disconnection from one’s emotions and lack of bodily autonomy. It is common in my practice with trauma survivors to hear descriptions of feeling “far from” oneself or observing one’s own behavior from an outsider’s perspective. 

What is the  value of a body psychotherapeutic approach to trauma? In this approach a general focus is placed on supporting recovery of the body’s original harmony, self-regulation, flexibility (the capacity to act as opposed to react), and vitality. 

The breadth and depth of body psychotherapy offers an integrative or holistic perspective to trauma recovery, where cognitive or talk therapy is accompanied by somatic work that promotes recovery not only on a mental level, but also at the embodied emotional and somatic level. It provides many resources, all rooted in a deep understanding of the physical and physiological marks trauma can leave on the body and the mind-body connection. As such, by integrating somatic approaches into trauma therapy, individuals can embark on a transformative journey towards reclaiming their bodies, releasing stored trauma, and restoring their overall well-being. Through the profound wisdom of the mind-body connection we can unlock the potential for healing, resilience, and embodied empowerment.