How to Heal Trauma Stored in the Body with Somatic Therapy
If You’ve Been Carrying a Heavy, Unnamed Hurt… You’re Not Alone
Let’s start here:
You’re not imagining it.
And no, you’re not being “too sensitive”.
Trauma isn’t always loud. Sometimes it’s silent.
It hides in plain sight. It’s the quiet moments where you were left to figure things out alone. The times your emotions weren’t welcomed. The days you had to smile through exhaustion.
It doesn’t always come from a dramatic, life-altering event.
Sometimes, trauma builds slowly,over months or years of pushing through, holding your breath, shrinking yourself, or waiting for permission to rest.
It’s the way your stomach drops when a door slams.
The way your throat tightens when you need to speak up.
The way your chest aches when everything seems “fine”, but something still feels off.
Maybe you’ve done all the “right things.” Therapy. Journaling. Meditation. You’ve read the books. You’ve tried to move forward.
And yet… part of you still feels stuck. Disconnected. Shut down. Exhausted.
You may not have had the words for what happened.
But your body has never forgotten.
It’s been holding it all for you! Quietly, patiently, protectively.
But now, maybe it’s time for a new way.
Not more pushing. Not more analyzing.
Healing.
Not through force.
But through reconnection.
That’s exactly what somatic therapy offers.
What Trauma Feels Like in the Body (And Why You’re Not Broken)
Can we be honest for a second?
Trauma doesn’t always show up the way people expect. It’s not always a flashback. AND by the way it's not always a panic attack as well. Sometimes, it’s much quieter, but no less real.
If you’ve ever thought:
“Why am I always so tense?”
“Why do I shut down when I need to speak up?”
“Why does it feel like something’s wrong even when everything looks okay?”
You're not crazy. You’re not broken. And you're definitely not alone.
You're probably feeling the effects of trauma stored in your body. The truth is that a lot of people are walking around with it and don’t even know.
Here’s the thing most of us were never taught:
Trauma doesn’t just live in your mind. It lives in your nervous system. In your muscles. In your breath. In the way your body prepares for danger, even when there’s none around.
Signs Trauma Might Still Be Living in Your Body
If you’ve ever wondered how to know if trauma is still affecting you, take a look at the list below. These are common, body-based signs of unresolved trauma, especially the kind somatic therapy helps with:
Chronic muscle tension (especially in the jaw, shoulders, neck, or back)
Trouble sleeping, waking up anxious, or never feeling truly rested
Shallow breathing or that feeling like you “can’t catch your breath”
Feeling disconnected or like you’re floating outside your body
Emotional numbness, or the opposite. Big feelings that feel overwhelming or out of proportion
Saying yes when you mean no, or freezing when you want to speak
That constant low-level feeling of dread, fear, or “something’s wrong”
If you’re nodding your head right now… that’s not in your head. Okay?
It’s your body trying to tell you: I’m still holding onto something.
And here’s the beautiful part:
Your body also knows how to let it go.
Why Talk Therapy Isn’t Always Enough
Let’s get one thing straight:
Talk therapy can be incredibly healing.
Sometimes, just saying things out loud, things you were never allowed to say, can be life-changing. Sometimes, being seen and heard in your truth is enough to start the healing process.
But what if you’ve already done that?
What if you’ve spent months, maybe even years, in therapy… and still feel stuck?
You’re not doing it wrong.
And you’re definitely not failing.
The thing that we don’t realize is that trauma doesn’t just live in your mind.
It lives in your nervous system.
It lives in your body.
You might understand what happened.
You might be able to explain your triggers or trace your patterns back to childhood.
But understanding isn't the same as healing.
Because trauma isn't just a story. It is basically a state your body gets stuck in.
Healing isn’t just mental.
It’s physical.
It’s emotional.
It’s cellular.
That’s where somatic therapy comes in.
So… What Is Somatic Therapy?
If you’ve ever searched “What is somatic therapy?” or “Why do I still feel stuck after therapy?”- you’re not alone. These are some of the most common questions people ask when talk therapy hasn’t gone deep enough.
At its heart, somatic therapy is about helping you come back home to your body.
It’s a gentle, body-based approach to healing that works not just with your thoughts, but with your felt experience. What’s happening inside your body, moment by moment.
The word somatic literally means “of the body.”
But in practice, it means so much more.
How Somatic Therapy Supports Trauma Healing
Somatic therapy helps you:
Slow down enough to actually notice what’s happening inside
Rebuild trust with your body, especially if it’s felt unsafe or unfamiliar for a long time
Reconnect with your inner sense of safety and calm
Release patterns and automatic responses (like tension, shutdown, or people-pleasing) that were once protective, but no longer serve you
And no…you don’t have to relive your trauma to heal it.
You don’t have to explain every detail or rehash every memory.
Instead, you're gently guided to notice:
What am I feeling right now?
Where do I feel it in my body?
What would it be like to stay with that feeling, just for a few seconds, with kindness?
That’s where true, lasting healing begins.
Not from the outside in, but from the inside out.
How Somatic Therapy Supports Healing from Trauma
Let’s talk about what trauma actually does to the body.
Even when the original event is long gone, your nervous system might still be acting like the danger is right here, right now. Trauma is more than “just what happened”. It's how your body remembers it.
You may feel like you’re constantly bracing for something.
You might shut down emotionally, or feel like you’re running on edge all the time.
This is called being stuck in fight, flight, freeze, or fawn, the survival states of the nervous system.
But I have good news for you!!
You don’t have to live like that forever.
Somatic therapy gives your body space to finally unwind.
Instead of trying to think your way out of trauma, this approach gently helps your body feel safe enough to release it.
Here’s how somatic therapy supports trauma recovery:
Regulates Your Nervous System
You begin to feel calm. That's not because you’re shutting down, but because your nervous system is learning a new way to respond. Somatic therapy helps shift your body out of survival mode and into regulation, gently and over time.
Helps Release Stuck Energy
Trauma can live in the body as tension, fatigue, numbness, or even unexplained pain. Through gentle movement, breath, and awareness, somatic practices help that stuck energy move, without force, and at your own pace.
Makes It Safe to Feel Again
If you’ve ever been afraid of your own emotions, or felt like you had to avoid them to stay safe, this work is for you. Somatic therapy builds your capacity to feel just enough, without flooding or shutting down.
Reconnects You to the Present Moment
So many trauma responses are about scanning for what might go wrong next. Somatic therapy helps you come back to now. This breath, this body, this moment.
And that’s where healing lives.
Your body is honest. It doesn’t lie. It holds your story. Yes, but it also holds the key to your freedom.
What Gentle Techniques Are Used in Somatic Therapy for Trauma?
Somatic therapy isn’t about pushing or digging up pain.
It’s about slowing down and listening. Because your body already knows what it needs.
Here are a few simple (but powerful) tools you might explore with a trained somatic therapist:
Grounding
Feeling your feet on the floor. Noticing the support beneath you. These small moments tell your nervous system: You’re safe now.
Breath Awareness
No need to control anything, just notice. How is your breath moving today? Is it shallow? Stuck? Can you soften it, even a little?
Body Scanning
You’ll learn to check in with your body from head to toe. Not to “fix” anything, just to become aware. Because awareness is the first step toward change.
Movement and Stillness
Your body might want to stretch. Shake. Sit in stillness. Cry. Laugh. All of it is welcome. Somatic healing honors what’s real for you.
Orienting
Looking around the room slowly. Noticing colors, textures, light. This helps your body remember: This moment is different. I’m here. I’m okay.
These might sound simple, but… don’t underestimate their power.
Over time, they help rewire your nervous system to feel safe, connected, and present.
You Deserve to Heal at Your Own Pace
I will be honest with you. Healing isn’t about “fixing” yourself.
It’s not about being strong all the time or pretending everything’s okay.
It’s about returning to yourself.
Relearning how to listen to your body.
Reclaiming a sense of safety, not just around you, but within you.
And if that feels scary? That’s okay too.
You’re not supposed to figure it all out alone.
That’s what somatic therapy is for. To offer a safe, steady space where healing doesn’t have to hurt.
Whether you're exploring somatic therapy in Plymouth, or you're just learning how to feel again, remember:
You’re not too much.
You’re not behind.
You’re healing, in the way your body needs to.
You’re Not Meant to Carry This Alone
If you take one thing from this, let it be this:
Your body isn’t the problem. It’s the pathway.
The tension, the overwhelm, the shutdown… it’s not a sign of weakness.
It’s a sign your nervous system has been working overtime to protect you.
And now, with the right support, you can teach it something new:
That safety is possible.
That rest is allowed.
That healing is real.
Somatic therapy doesn’t rush you.
It doesn’t push you to relive the past trauma.
It simply meets you where you are, and helps you come home to your body, one breath at a time.
You don’t have to know how to begin.
You just have to know it’s okay to start.
And maybe… that start is today.