How Trauma Gets Stored in the Body and How to Release It Naturally

When you’ve been through something overwhelming, you might have noticed that talking therapy helps your mind, but deep down your body still feels like it’s holding on. That’s because trauma doesn’t just live in your memories it gets stored in your nervous system.

What is Trauma?

Trauma occurs when your nervous system experiences more than it can process in the moment and is unable to return to balance afterwards. What feels traumatic to one person may not feel the same to another it depends on your resilience, past experiences, and your nervous system state at the time.

If the nervous system can’t return to balance, the body holds on to the stress.

The Body’s Natural Release Mechanism

In the animal kingdom, trauma is released through shaking or tremoring. Humans have the same mechanism; think of the way you might shake after slamming on the brakes in a near-miss while driving.

But when we’re trapped in overwhelming situations, that natural release can’t complete. The nervous system gets “stuck” in survival mode:

• Fight/Flight – the body tries to escape danger.

• Freeze – the body goes still, waiting for the threat to pass.

• Shutdown (Fawn/Collapse) – heart rate slows, body begins to shut down.

If you don’t rise back through these states to balance, the trauma remains stored in the body.

Why Safety is Essential for Trauma Release

The key to releasing trauma is safety. Many people don’t feel safe in their own bodies, so the process begins with co-regulation; finding safety in a trusted person or environment. Once the body feels safe, it can begin to release through:

• Gentle somatic exercises that invite natural tremoring

• Specific breathwork techniques that quiet the part of the brain that blocks release

  
  

The Cost of Unreleased Trauma

When trauma isn’t released, it often shows up as chronic stress or illness, including:

• chronic fatigue and burnout

• migraines and headaches

• IBS and digestive issues

• overwhelm and emotional flooding

  
  

A Somatic Approach to Healing

Trauma stored in the body can be released. Through breathwork, somatic coaching, and nervous system regulation, it’s possible to restore balance, ease chronic symptoms, and build resilience.

✨ If you’d like to learn more, explore my free Nervous System Reset mini course: https://andrealakemanford.substack.com/or book a discovery call to see how we can work together.