You might not remember every detail of what happened, but your body does.
Have you ever noticed your shoulders tense when someone raises their voice? Or felt a sudden wave of nausea before a difficult conversation? Or maybe your breath catches at the sound of a particular song or smell, even though you don’t know why. These aren’t coincidences. They’re somatic memories—your body’s way of holding onto trauma, long after your mind has tried to forget.
While we often think of trauma as a mental health issue—lodged in the brain as painful memories or flashbacks—science now confirms that trauma lives in the body just as much as the mind. According to renowned trauma expert Dr. Bessel van der Kolk, author of The Body Keeps the Score, unprocessed trauma can alter our physiology, from our nervous system to our breath, muscles, and digestion.
This means that trauma is not just something we think about—it’s something we feel, often without realizing it.
Trauma can also disrupt the body’s natural rhythm of safety and recovery. Instead of responding to danger and then returning to calm, your body might stay stuck in survival mode—alert, tense, and exhausted. This chronic activation can happen even if your trauma was years ago or you can't fully remember it.
The most frustrating thing about body-based trauma responses is how invisible and confusing they can be. You may look “fine” on the outside—getting through work, showing up for family—but inside, your body is constantly sounding the alarm. And you’re not sure why.
This can show up as:
What’s worse is that many trauma survivors begin to distrust their own body. If your body constantly feels tired, tense, or triggered, it can feel like the enemy. But the truth is: your body isn’t betraying you—it’s trying to protect you. These patterns were adaptive once. The problem is, they’ve become stuck.
Healing from trauma requires more than just talking about it. It requires listening to the body, honoring its signals, and gently helping it feel safe again.
The good news? What’s been held in the body can also be released through the body. This is where somatic healing comes in—approaches that help you reconnect with your body, restore your nervous system, and release stored trauma in gentle, embodied ways.
At One Alkaline Life, we believe in holistic healing that includes your body as an essential part of the journey. Here are a few evidence-based somatic therapies and practices that support deep trauma healing:
Trauma often hides in the soft tissues—shoulders, hips, back, and neck. Therapeutic massage can help soften chronically contracted muscles and restore nervous system balance. More than just relaxation, massage helps release stored tension and invites the body to feel safe in the present moment.
At One Alkaline Life, our massage practitioners are trauma-informed and trained to work with sensitivity, helping your body let go—without force, and at your pace.
When we’re in survival mode, our breath becomes short and shallow—a signal to the brain that danger is near. Breathwork reverses that message. By slowing and deepening your breath, you activate the parasympathetic nervous system (your body’s “rest and digest” mode), calming anxiety and grounding your energy.
Try this simple practice:
4-7-8 Breathing – Inhale for 4 seconds, hold for 7, exhale slowly for 8. Repeat for a few minutes daily. You’ll be surprised how quickly your body begins to respond.
Somatic therapy blends traditional talk therapy with body awareness. Your therapist might guide you to notice where emotions land in your body, how your posture shifts with different memories, or how to discharge built-up tension through movement.
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is another powerful tool that helps reprocess trauma stored in the body and mind. It helps reduce the emotional charge of past events, making it easier for the body to return to a regulated state.
Gentle practices like yoga, tai chi, or even walking barefoot on grass can help reawaken your connection to your body. Grounding techniques like pressing your feet into the floor, wrapping yourself in a blanket, or placing a hand on your heart remind your nervous system: you’re safe now.
Another simple yet profound practice is self-touch—placing your hand on your chest, arms, or stomach with intention. It signals comfort, care, and presence to your body, especially if touch was once a source of harm.
If your muscles are tight, your breath shallow, your stomach in knots—you are not weak, dramatic, or broken. You are holding a story your body hasn’t finished telling.
The body remembers what the mind forgets. But that memory is not a life sentence—it’s an invitation. An invitation to slow down, tune in, and begin the beautiful, often non-linear process of coming home to yourself.
At One Alkaline Life, we believe in healing from the inside out. Our wellness offerings—from trauma-informed massage and breathwork to counseling and coaching—are designed to help you feel whole again, not just “functional.”
You don’t have to heal alone. And you don’t have to keep living in a body that feels unsafe. With compassion, with care, and with time, your body can become your ally again—not your battlefield.
Because the truth is: your body never stopped trying to protect you. Now, it’s time to protect it in return.