Trauma in the Body: Where it is Stored and How to Heal
January 2021. I was elated.
Although we were in the middle of the pandemic, I was a full week into entrepreneurship full-time, building The Driven Yogi. I was working with Emma Stern, finalizing the virtual presentation on trauma we were giving to a large group of yoga teachers the next day.
That’s when it happened.
At first, I thought what flew past my living room window was a firework gone astray. Fruitvale, in Oakland, CA, is known for fireworks going off at any time. I jumped away from the window, terrified, because it was so close. Then came the expletives. Naturally.
Once I calmed down, I got back to work for several hours until it was time to close up for the night. I went through my bedtime routine, walked into my room—and noticed the spider-crack pattern across my window.
More expletives.
Looking closer, I realized what I thought was a firework had actually been a bullet. It hit and went through my window frame, continued its path across my bedroom, tore through my closet, and finally dropped to the floor.
I. was. stunned.
My initial anger turned to panic and my body and brain immediately went into shock. My legs gave out underneath me, I started shaking uncontrollably, I couldn’t form a thought, and I was completely frozen. Once I got off the floor, I called my loved ones. I was so grateful for the support of my college best friend and boyfriend at the time, who came over to comfort me.
In addition, Emma—my co-lead for the presentation and a licensed mental health therapist— warned me about what might arise in my body as a result of this sudden shock trauma. (It’s not lost on me that I was about to lead a presentation on trauma-informed care in yoga spaces while I was deep in the midst of my own trauma. Thanks universe.)
Like many of us do, I compartmentalized the experience to get through the presentation, fighting my body and brain to push through to the next task—rather than giving the trauma space to surface and release. Performance mode kicked in and I pushed it all down. As a result, this traumatic event—alongside others from earlier in life—remained stuck in my body. And it took years for me to move through it all.
How Trauma Gets Stuck in the Body
When we experience trauma—whether sudden or long-term—our body responds instinctively to protect us. Muscles tighten, breath shortens, and a cascade of hormones flood the system. Trauma doesn’t always process through the rational brain. In fact, much of it bypasses conscious thought and embeds itself into the nervous system, muscles, and fascia—waiting for a safe moment to be released. This is exactly how trauma is stored in the body—not as just a memory, but as an incomplete survival response frozen in time. This is why a sound, a smell, a bodily sensation, or a comment can suddenly trigger us long after the trauma has passed. The body remembers.
The phrase “the issues live in the tissues” isn’t just poetic—it’s physiological.
If we didn’t have the time, support, or safety to complete our trauma response (like running, shaking, or crying), that cycle remains incomplete. Over time, this can manifest as chronic pain, emotional numbness, physical tightness, or the sensation of being “stuck” in life.
Physical Symptoms of Unresolved Trauma
Unresolved trauma doesn’t just live in the past—it lives in the body. It often shows up in ways that seem unrelated. For example:
Persistent fatigue ✅
Tension headaches
Digestive issues ✅
A racing heart that appears out of nowhere ✅
Chronic pain ✅
Inflammation and flareups (hives in my case!) ✅
Overreactions to stimuli and even under reactions to it ✅
and more
These are not random symptoms. They are often signals from the body that stress, survival energy, and trauma are unresolved.
Where is Trauma Stored in the Body?
One of the most common physical signs of trauma is chronic muscle tension—especially in the shoulders, jaw, and hips—places the body instinctively braces when it feels unsafe. For others, trauma can manifest as digestive issues like IBS, constipation, or bloating due to prolonged nervous system activation affecting gut function. This is how trauma is stored in the body—through patterns of chronic stress, tension, and dysregulation.
Over time, this stored trauma can increase inflammation and raise the risk for chronic illness, including autoimmune conditions, cardiovascular disease, and chronic pain. Research also connects trauma to imbalances in the endocrine and immune systems, potentially leading to hormone disruptions, thyroid issues, and lowered immunity.
When we begin to understand how trauma is stored in the body, these symptoms begin to make sense. They aren’t signs of weakness or imagination, it’s our body imploring us to begin healing.
Somatic Healing: The Body’s Path to Completion
While talk therapy and cognitive methods are valuable, they often don’t access the deeper layers where trauma is held. This is where somatic and integrative healing practices come in—they invite us to feel, move, and safely reconnect with our bodies in the present moment.
Not to relive the trauma, but to complete it. To release protective patterns that are no longer necessary. To build internal safety and resiliency.
These approaches work directly with how trauma is stored in the body—through sensation, movement, and breath.
Supportive Body-Based Healing Practices
There are various practices that can help unprocessed trauma and tension move through the body, including:
Somatic experiencing: A gentle, body-first practice that supports completing the stress response through felt sensation.
Breathwork and pranayama: Techniques that shift the nervous system from sympathetic (fight/flight) to parasympathetic (rest/digest).
Polyvagal-informed tools: Approaches that strengthen vagal tone and help shift the body from defense to connection.
Ayurvedic self-care: Grounding rituals and dietary changes that bring stability and healing from the inside out.
All of these approaches help us connect with how trauma is stored in the body, and more importantly—how to safely and gradually release it.
Healing Is Not About Fixing, It’s About Being
Healing is not about fixing what’s broken—it’s about listening to the body with compassion, honoring what it has carried, and giving it permission to finally let go and create space for something new. Because the only way out of trauma… is through.
If you're ready to begin the work of holistic, body-based healing, I’d be honored to be your guide. Book a free consultation to find out how yoga therapy can be a complimentary approach to your healing journey.