Is Trauma Stored in the Body? Understanding Somatic Symptoms and Emotional Fatigue
Your body might be holding trauma, here's how to begin healing.
If you’ve ever wondered, “Is trauma stored in the body?” the short answer is yes, in more ways than most people realize. Trauma isn’t just something that lives in your mind or memories, but it can also linger in your muscles, your nervous system, and even your immune responses.
You might notice it when your shoulders are always tense, when you get headaches that no doctor can explain, or when you’re exhausted even after eight hours of sleep. These aren’t random quirks of your body; they can be the physical echoes of past emotional wounds.
At Soulful Flow Counseling, I work with high-achieving women who feel exhausted, stuck, or disconnected—often without knowing why. Through trauma-informed therapy, including EMDR and DBR, I help clients across New York and Massachusetts (virtually or in-person in Brooklyn) reconnect with their bodies and begin to heal.
If that sounds like something you’ve been craving, you can schedule a free consultation here.
So what does it really mean for trauma to be stored in the body and how do you begin to release it? Let’s take a closer look.
You’re Always Tired, But It’s Not Just Physical
You’ve tried all the usual fixes for your fatigue: cutting caffeine, drinking more water, getting “enough” rest. But nothing seems to touch the exhaustion. That’s because sometimes, tiredness isn’t just about how much sleep you’re getting, it’s about what your body is carrying.
When your nervous system has been in survival mode for too long—whether from ongoing stress, childhood trauma, or a single overwhelming event—it can feel like you’re running a marathon you never signed up for. Your body is using energy not just for daily life, but to keep you safe from perceived threats, even when there’s no real danger in front of you. Over time, this constant state of alertness leads to emotional fatigue, brain fog, and a sense of being “on edge” or hyper-vigilance without knowing why.
If this sounds familiar, you’re not alone. Many women find themselves in this exact loop. Pushing through deadlines, showing up for everyone else, but privately wondering why they feel so drained all the time. Burnout may be part of it, but unresolved trauma stored in the body can be a deeper piece of the puzzle.
What Does It Mean for Trauma to Be “Stored in the Body”?
When therapists and researchers talk about trauma being “stored in the body,” they’re describing how overwhelming experiences can get locked into your nervous system. Instead of the brain processing an event and filing it away as something in the past, the body holds onto the sensory and emotional data. This could be tight muscles, a racing heart, and shallow breath as if it might need them again for survival.
Think of it like this: your mind might know that you’re safe now, but your body hasn’t gotten the memo. You may not consciously remember every detail of what happened, but your nervous system remembers how it felt. That’s why certain smells, sounds, or situations can trigger strong reactions even years later.
The science backs this up. Trauma can change brain structures like the amygdala (which detects threats) and the hippocampus (which processes memories), as well as alter hormone levels. These shifts can leave the body stuck in a cycle of hypervigilance or shutdown, long after the danger has passed.
Common Somatic Signs of Unresolved Trauma
The ways unresolved trauma shows up in the body can be subtle or intense. Some common somatic signs include:
Chronic muscle tension in the jaw, shoulders, neck, or lower back
Digestive issues such as IBS, constipation, or unexplained stomach pain
Frequent headaches or migraines with no clear medical cause
Sleep disturbances like insomnia or frequent nightmares
Racing heart or shortness of breath in non-threatening situations
Numbness or disconnection from parts of your body
These symptoms can stem from all kinds of experiences:
Sexual assault or harassment – The body may tense or freeze in response to touch, even in safe situations.
Emotionally abusive relationships – Years of walking on eggshells can leave the nervous system stuck in hyper-alert mode.
Single-incident traumas like a car accident – You may flinch at certain sounds or have physical tension in the area of the injury long after healing.
It’s important to note that these symptoms aren’t “all in your head”, they’re very real physiological responses. When you start to see your body’s reactions as information rather than flaws, you open the door to deeper healing.
Why Traditional Talk Therapy Might Not Fully Reach the Root
Talk therapy can be deeply helpful for understanding your patterns, processing emotions, and gaining perspective. But when trauma is stored in the body, words alone sometimes can’t reach the places where the wounds live.
That’s because trauma isn’t just a cognitive memory, it’s also a bodily experience. You can tell the story of what happened a hundred times, but if your nervous system is still holding the memory as if it’s happening now, you may still feel the anxiety, fear, or shutdown in your body.
This is why many people who’ve been in therapy for years still feel like something is missing. The missing piece is often somatic: releasing the trauma from the body so the mind and body can both recognize that the danger has passed.
How Therapies Like EMDR and DBR Support Somatic Healing
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) and Deep Brain Reorienting (DBR) are two approaches that can help address both the mind and the body’s memory of trauma.
EMDR uses guided eye movements or other forms of bilateral stimulation to help the brain reprocess traumatic memories, reducing their emotional and physical charge. Over time, this helps the nervous system shift out of survival mode.
DBR works with the brain’s earliest orienting responses to threat, helping release the shock and emotion held deep in the body. It’s especially effective for early-life and attachment-based trauma.
Both EMDR and DBR can lead to significant relief from somatic symptoms, because they’re not asking you to just “talk about it” but to experience and integrate the memory in a new, safer way.
If you’re in New York or Massachusetts, you can explore virtual therapy sessions, or in-person sessions in Brooklyn, to begin this kind of deeper, somatic-focused work.
Your Body Isn’t Betraying You—It’s Trying to Protect You
It’s easy to feel like your body is working against you when you’re dealing with fatigue, pain, or anxiety that seems to come from nowhere. But in reality, your body is doing exactly what it was designed to do, protect you from danger. The problem is that it doesn’t realize the danger has passed.
This shift in perspective can be powerful. Instead of fighting your body, you can learn to work with it, sending it cues of safety and stability.
Some books and resources that can help you understand this connection include:
The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk
Waking the Tiger by Peter Levine
What Happened to You? by Oprah Winfrey and Bruce D. Perry
Podcasts like Therapy Chat and The Trauma Therapist Podcast
For more on the lasting effects of trauma, you might also read this article on the effects of childhood trauma in adulthood.
Final Thoughts
If you’ve been asking yourself “is trauma stored in the body?” the answer is not only yes, it’s an invitation to start listening to what your body has been trying to tell you. Healing isn’t just about changing your thoughts; it’s about creating safety in your nervous system so your body can finally let go of the past.
You don’t have to do this alone. With the right support, whether through EMDR, DBR, or other somatic therapies, it’s possible to feel grounded, energized, and safe in your own skin again.
If you’re ready to take the next step toward healing, Soulful Flow Counseling offers both virtual therapy for clients in New York and Massachusetts, and in-person sessions in Brooklyn. Together, we can help you release what your body has been holding onto and move toward a life that feels lighter, calmer, and more connected. You can schedule a consultation today to explore how we might work together.
Disclaimer: This blog is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice or mental health care. The content reflects general knowledge and opinion, not personalized treatment. Reading this blog does not create a therapeutic relationship. Please consult a licensed professional for support.
