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How Your Body Retains Trauma
by Mia Thompson
Updated: Oct. 10, 2021
Originally Published: Oct. 10, 2021
Trigger Warning: Child Loss
Not long after my daughter passed away, I began to observe persistent negative shifts in my health. As her birthday or the anniversary of her death approached, I would often fall ill or suffer injuries seemingly out of nowhere. On overcast fall days that mirrored the weather from the day she died, I would find myself in tears. I still do, if I’m being honest. It wasn’t until a therapist friend highlighted the connection between trauma and the body that I realized how the two might be intertwined.
My daughter succumbed to SIDS. I laid her down for the night, and by the following day, she was gone. When I found her, I didn’t need to check for a pulse; I knew she wasn’t alive. I called 911, but when instructed to perform CPR, I was shocked that I hadn’t thought of it myself.
We often hear about the fight-or-flight response, but the lesser-known reaction I exhibited was to freeze. While we all understand that CPR should be the immediate action if someone isn’t breathing, in that moment, the thought didn’t even cross my mind. It felt as if I was unaware that I had the option to act. Since then, I’ve noticed that this freeze response has become my default reaction to minor situations my body perceives as threatening.
When I check on my sleeping children and don’t instantly see their chests rising and falling, I struggle to rush to them as I want. It’s not due to slowness or a desire to be quiet; my instinct demands that I sprint to them without hesitation. Yet my body resists, reminiscent of those nightmares where your legs feel like jelly while something chases you. My body seems to remember that dreadful day, insisting, “Stop! We’ve been here before, and it’s too much.”
Many of us understand that our brains are responsible for storing memories, but not everyone realizes that our bodies also retain painful experiences. When we find ourselves in situations our minds deem too traumatic or overwhelming to handle, our bodies enter defense mode in search of safety. During this process, the brain’s ability to process trauma can shut down, leaving the nervous system overwhelmed. Consequently, the brain may fail to encode the trauma properly. Unprocessed trauma can lead to repeated activation of the fight, flight, or freeze response, causing even minor triggers to throw one’s nervous system into turmoil.
Dr. James Gordon, author of The Transformation: Discovering Wholeness and Healing After Trauma, states, “Experiencing stress or abuse, losing a loved one, facing a serious illness, or experiencing discrimination can all be traumatic. Sometimes you process trauma without any aftereffects, but other times, your reactions linger long after the immediate threat has passed.”
Individuals may struggle to remember specific details or entire aspects of their traumatic experiences yet find themselves responding in unexpected ways to certain situations or stimuli, often without clear reasoning. Although the brain might block out memories as a protective measure, it’s essential to recognize that the body retains this trauma.
Whether trauma is stored in organs, muscles, or connective tissues, it will manifest somewhere if left unaddressed. For instance, research in JAMA Internal Medicine shows that women whose first sexual experiences were rape are at higher risk for pelvic inflammatory disease and endometriosis compared to those whose initial encounters were consensual. Unresolved trauma does not simply vanish; it can lead to significant physical health issues over time.
Survivors of trauma often find themselves trapped in a cycle of heightened fear and adrenaline due to the lingering impact of their experiences. Therefore, it is crucial to explore trauma-focused therapies to mitigate these reactions. Equally important is pursuing physical healing, as the body plays a vital role in recovery.
Studies indicate that exercise can aid in repairing the nervous system and releasing energy associated with unresolved trauma. Additionally, since trauma can severely affect the digestive system, adopting dietary changes such as reducing inflammatory foods may also contribute to overall well-being.
If you’re working to release trauma stored in your body, it’s not uncommon to experience new symptoms. You are retraining your brain to view a painful situation through a different lens, which can be challenging both physically and mentally. However, the journey is always worthwhile.
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Summary:
This article discusses the profound connection between trauma and the body, highlighting how unprocessed trauma can manifest physically and emotionally. It explores the body’s defense mechanisms, such as freezing in stressful situations, and emphasizes the importance of both psychological and physical healing in the recovery process.