Where Is Trauma Stored in the Body? A Somatic Perspective on Healing
- Rebecca Rinnert
- May 27
- 4 min read
Have you ever felt anxiety in your chest, a lump in your throat, or unexplained tension in your shoulders — even when nothing seems wrong? These physical sensations may be more than stress — they may be signs of trauma stored in the body.
The Body Remembers
For many of us, trauma isn't just a memory. It's a physical imprint, lodged in our nervous system and tissues. Understanding how trauma is stored in the body can be the first step toward deep, lasting healing. This post explores how somatic therapy for PTSD and other trauma-related symptoms can help you reconnect with your body, release stored stress, and restore balance.
If you've tried talk therapy and still feel stuck, this might help you understand why.
What Does It Mean for Trauma to Be Stored in the Body?
Trauma doesn’t only live in the mind. When we go through overwhelming events — whether it's a car accident, medical trauma, sexual boundary rupture, or childhood neglect — our nervous system reacts.
If we can’t process the experience in the moment, the body keeps the score.
How Trauma Affects the Nervous System
Your body’s fight, flight, freeze (and fawn) responses are automatic. When danger passes but the body doesn't fully complete the survival cycle, residual energy stays trapped.
This stored trauma shows up as:
Chronic tension (shoulders, jaw, hips)
Digestive issues
Insomnia or hypervigilance
Dissociation or numbness
Chronic pain or autoimmune conditions
Somatic trauma healing invites these incomplete responses to finish — slowly, safely — helping the nervous system return to balance.
Where Trauma Is Stored in the Body
Everyone’s trauma story is unique, but there are common physical places where trauma is often held:
1. Muscles & Fascia
Muscle memory is real. Chronic tightness in the psoas, shoulders, neck, or jaw can reflect years of bracing, shrinking, or defending.
2. The Vagus Nerve and Gut
The vagus nerve connects brain and body. Trauma often disrupts this connection, leading to gut issues, anxiety, and emotional dysregulation.
3. The Breath and Diaphragm
Shallow or held breathing is common in people with trauma histories. Restoring breath can help release tension and bring calm.
4. Pelvic Floor and Core
For many — especially after sexual trauma or medical trauma — the pelvic area holds shame, fear, or disconnection.
A Gentle Path to Releasing Trauma Through the Body
Somatic therapies don’t require you to relive the traumatic event. Instead, they help your body complete the story it never got to finish.
Tools I Use in My Practice:
Somatic Experiencing (SE): Tracking sensations and allowing survival energy to move out safely.
Tension & Trauma Releasing Exercises (TRE): Facilitates natural body tremors that release stored tension.
Trauma-Informed Yoga: Grounding, breathwork, and mindful movement to restore connection.
Curious how my approach to body-based trauma healing might support you?
What Healing Can Look Like:
Feeling safe in your own skin
Releasing chronic muscle tightness
Reduced anxiety or panic attacks
Sleeping better and breathing more freely
Download your free nervous system regulation cheat sheet
A Short Case Example
One of my clients came in after years of digestive issues, tightness in her belly, and a lingering sense of being “on edge.” Through a combination of SE and TRE, she began to feel sensations again — warmth, tingling, movement.
What surprised her most wasn’t the emotional catharsis. It was the small, safe shifts: sleeping more deeply, saying “no” with more ease, and finally feeling her feet on the ground.
Learn more about what a session with me looks like
Reflection: Start Listening to Your Body
Take a moment. Close your eyes. Where do you feel tension? What happens if you breathe into that space — without needing to fix it?
These small acts of noticing begin the journey.
If this post resonates, know that you're not alone. Healing trauma through the body is possible, and you don’t need to do it all at once.
Free Download: Reconnect With Your Body
Free Workbook: “5 Simple Somatic Tools to Release Trauma From the Body”
Includes:
Grounding practices
Breathwork for vagus nerve support
Body scans and micro-movements
Perfect for people new to somatic therapy or those looking to deepen their self-healing.
FAQ: Trauma in the Body
Q: Where is trauma stored in the body?
A: Often in the muscles, fascia, nervous system, gut, and breath patterns. Each person is different — but chronic tightness, numbness, or pain can signal stuck survival energy.
Q: What is somatic therapy for PTSD?
A: It’s a body-based approach that helps gently release trauma through physical awareness, movement, and nervous system regulation.
Q: Do I have to talk about my trauma in detail?
A: Not at all. Somatic healing focuses on what’s happening in your body now. You stay in control throughout the process.
Q: How do I know if this is right for me?
A: If talk therapy hasn't helped, or if you feel stuck in your body, somatic tools might support you in a new way. Feel free to reach out.
Sources & Resources
These are some of the references and resources used to inform this blog:
Van der Kolk, B. (2014). The Body Keeps the Score.
Levine, P. (1997). Waking the Tiger: Healing Trauma.
Ogden, P., & Fisher, J. (2015). Sensorimotor Psychotherapy.
Porges, S. (2011). The Polyvagal Theory.
Somatic Experiencing International – traumahealing.org
TRE Global Certification – traumaprevention.com
Yoga for Trauma: www.yogafortrauma.com
Want to Go Deeper?
Check out other blog posts:
How Autoimmune Disease and Trauma Are Linked
Domestic Violence and Somatic Recovery
And remember — healing doesn't have to be linear. It's okay to go slow.
Contact me if you’re curious or want support. You don’t have to walk this alone.
Comments