Contrary to productivity and convenience, our life experiences can manifest in our bodies whether we want them to or not. Trauma can persist within our bodies well after our conscious minds decide to move on. After all, our minds might remember, but our body keeps the score. According to researchers, our traumatic experiences are stored as indirect memories in the oldest part of the brain, otherwise known as the limbic system, which is non-verbal. These stored memories are not based on facts and details, but physical sensation, images, and sounds. So, given that we have to coexist with our own body without going completely off the rails, how can we accommodate our body when it starts to get activated? And moreover, how can we transform our sometimes uncooperative bodies into friends we can rely on?

How Do I Listen To My Body? 

Although they cannot speak to us traditionally, our physical bodies wish desperately to be heard. Your body sends your brain signals like pain and hunger for this very reason. But your body pays attention to more than just missed breakfasts and stubbed toes. Everything your mind experiences, your body experiences too, because your mind is your body and your body is your mind. So, acknowledging the powerful connection between our minds and bodies, how can we use our bodies to understand our minds?

How Does Trauma Manifest In The Body?

When someone experiences a physical trauma, the cause and effect is a lot easier to trace. If somebody knocks into your nose, your nose will be in pain and it’ll be easy enough to understand why. But when we experience emotional trauma, the reaction of the body can get a lot more unpredictable. With patience and experience, we can recognize when we’re feeling our emotional pain in our physical bodies. But what should we be looking for? 

• Elevated heart rate. Trauma puts our hearts on high alert. When you find your heart racing beyond your control, it could be your body sharing its delayed reaction to a traumatic event in your past. 
• Trouble sleeping. Nightmares and sleeplessness are all-too-common features of both trauma and the human body’s response to it. When your body is in fight or flight, rest is the last thing on its list of priorities. 
• Flare-ups of pre-existing illnesses. This one has thrown me for a loop on more than one occasion. When we’re under a lot of stress, our bodies don’t have as much resilience for dealing with their chronic issues, and as a result, trauma can affect your physical health in disconcerting and surprising ways. 

How Do I Befriend My Body?

When symptoms, feelings, and stress run high, it becomes all too easy to grow a resentment towards our own bodies. But in begrudging our bodies, we’re just adding to the trauma we carry inside of them. So, how can we lighten the burden of our past, and help our bodies move forward? 

• Self-soothe. When we get upset, we always have the option to make ourselves feel better. By self-soothing when we get triggered, we’re showing our bodies that we can take care of ourselves, and earning our own trust one moment at a time. 
• Get back up again (when knocked down). One way to grow your trust and esteem for yourself is through building your resilience. Being resilient means falling off the horse, and then getting back on it again even though you could get hurt. By being resilient, we show our body that everything will be okay.
• Integrate your mind and body. Our minds and bodies are inherently connected. But integrating them means consciously understanding that connection and using that information to better yourself. It’s not enough to just know that your heart is racing because of the trauma in your past, you also have to use that message to take action and take care of yourself. 

Our practitioner, Lauren Mishkin, teaches you how to release the tension from trauma stored in your body through pelvic floor exercises in the EMPOWER bundle. This bundle includes 7 modules by 9 women covering many of the stops on the journey of womanhood. This is meant to be a treasure trove of wisdom you can watch again and again, this is for all women in all stages of life!

Sunny Ebsary is an educator, multi-modal artist, and writer specializing in the intersection of myth and mental health. Sunny’s writing walks the line between poetic and logical, giving readers a chance to interface with the mind and imagination. Sunny’s been putting pen to paper since he was a child, writing everything from albums, novels, and plays, to essays, interactive games, and of course, many articles! While studying both psychology and writing, he realized his real passion in life was helping others unlock their creative spark. Whether he’s leading a D&D game, directing a production, or diving deep into the brain, you can be sure Sunny will be ushering you toward finding meaning in your life.