Your Body Remembers: How Trauma Lives in the Body (and How to Reconnect Gently)
Many people assume trauma lives only in memories, thoughts, or emotions. But the body carries its own version of the story. Long after an event has passed, the nervous system may still be bracing, protecting, or shutting down—often without your conscious awareness.
If you’ve ever wondered why your reactions feel “bigger” than the moment, why your body tenses without warning, or why embodiment feels uncomfortable or unfamiliar, you’re not broken. You’re responding exactly as a traumatised body is designed to.
Your body remembered, even when your mind tried to move on.
In this post, we explore how trauma shows up physically and how you can begin reconnecting with your body gently, without pressure or overwhelm.
How Trauma Lives in the Body
Trauma isn’t only what happened—it’s the imprint left on the nervous system.
When the body feels threatened, it prepares you to survive. However, if the threat is overwhelming, ongoing, or unsafe to escape, the body may remain stuck in survival mode long after the danger has passed.
This can show up as:
Hyperarousal
A sense of being “on edge” or constantly alert, even when nothing is wrong.
You might notice:
• muscle tension
• racing thoughts
• shallow breathing
• difficulty relaxing
• feeling easily startled
Hypoarousal
The opposite: feeling numb, disconnected, shut down or foggy.
You may feel:
• low energy
• detached from emotions
• like you’re watching life from a distance
• unable to act, even when you want to
Somatic memory
The body can store trauma as sensations rather than words.
This could look like:
• stomach knots
• tightness in the chest
• shaking
• nausea
• heaviness
• unexpected emotional release
These aren’t signs of weakness. They are signs that your body protected you in the only way it knew how.
Why Reconnecting With the Body Can Feel Scary
If your body has been a site of pain, fear, criticism, or overwhelm, reconnecting with it can feel unsafe. Many people describe:
• avoiding mirrors
• feeling disconnected from hunger or fullness
• struggling to name sensations
• finding it hard to be still
• feeling “too much” or “not enough” in their body
• dissociating during stress
Dissociation, numbing, or disconnecting aren’t failures—they were adaptive strategies. They protected you when the connection felt dangerous.
Reconnection requires safety. And safety requires gentleness.
How to Begin Reconnecting Gently
Reconnection isn’t about pushing yourself into embodiment. It’s about creating tiny, tolerable moments of presence that your nervous system can handle.
Here are some gentle practices:
1. Start with noticing, not changing
Simply naming sensations—“my shoulders feel tight,” “my chest feels warm”—builds awareness without judgement.
2. Use external cues before internal ones
If being inside your body feels overwhelming, begin with things outside it:
• noticing your feet on the floor
• observing textures
• orienting to the room
• identifying 5 things you can see
External grounding helps widen your capacity for internal awareness.
3. Explore breath without forcing it
Instead of “deep breathing,” try “slow and soft” breathing. For some, deep breaths feel triggering. Slow and gentle tends to feel safer.
4. Rebuild trust through choice
Let your body make small decisions:
• “Do I want something warm or cold to drink?”
• “Do I want to sit or stand right now?”
Choice is corrective—it tells the body it’s no longer trapped.
5. Move in ways that feel comforting
Trauma can make the body feel like an enemy. Movement can help you reclaim it.
Try:
• rocking
• stretching
• walking slowly
• gentle shaking
• swaying
Movement without expectation can feel liberating.
6. Create moments of co-regulation
Safety is relational. This might look like:
• a warm conversation
• a comforting animal
• leaning against a stable surface
• soft eye contact with someone you trust
Co-regulation teaches the body that it does not have to carry everything alone.
The Goal Isn’t Perfect Embodiment - It’s Safety
You don’t need to be fully “in your body” all the time. Trauma recovery isn’t about forcing connection; it’s about expanding your capacity to be present without becoming overwhelmed.
Your body remembers, yes—but it can also relearn, gently and slowly, that the present is safer than the past.
Reconnection doesn’t happen through pressure. It happens through kindness.
Looking for Guided Support With Body Reconnection and Healing?
If you’re beginning to explore how trauma has shaped your relationship with your body, food, and emotions, my Coaching Workbook Bundle offers compassionate, structured support.
Inside the bundle, you’ll find five therapist-designed digital workbooks covering:
• body image and self-acceptance
• emotional eating patterns
• intuitive eating foundations
• nervous system regulation and stress
• HAES®-aligned wellbeing
Every workbook includes reflective prompts, CBT-informed strategies, and gentle practices to help you reconnect with your body safely and at your own pace.
