Why Trauma Lives in the Body (and How Somatic Movement Helps Release It)

For a long time, I thought healing was mostly mental.

If I understood my trauma, processed it, and talked it through enough times, I assumed my body would eventually catch up.

But it didn’t.

Talking about trauma (talk therapy) can be incredibly helpful. It brings awareness, understanding, and perspective.

What it didn’t do was teach my body how to let go.

When trauma happens, your nervous system releases a surge of stress hormones and prepares you to run, fight, shut down, or protect yourself.

But if you weren’t able to defend yourself, cry, move, or release that energy in the moment, your nervous system stayed stuck in survival mode.

So it stores it.

The muscles stay slightly tense. The breath stays shallow. The nervous system stays alert. Not because you’re broken, but because your body is trying to make sure you’re never caught off guard again.

Over time, that constant state of protection turns into chronic stress in the body, tight shoulders and jaws, gut issues, inflammation, exhaustion, emotional overwhelm, and feeling like you can never fully relax.

You can logically know you’re safe and still feel anxious.
You can understand your past and still have physical reactions.
You can do years of inner work and still carry tension in your body.

That’s because the body needs a way to release what it never got to discharge in the moment.

This is where somatic movement becomes so powerful.

If you're not familiar with what somatic means, it's basically just body-based movement that includes gentle, natural ways of letting the body release stored tension and stress.

Shaking, stretching, swaying, intuitive movement or dancing
walking, breath-led movement, grounding exercises are considered somatic.

For Muslims, daily prayer naturally incorporates many of the same elements used in trauma-healing movement practices.

Standing encourages grounding and steady breathing.
Bowing releases tension through the spine and back.
Prostration deeply calms the nervous system and signals safety to the body.
Sitting allows the breath and heart rate to settle before the next movement.

From a physiological standpoint, these repeated postures gently move the body, regulate breathing, and shift the nervous system out of stress mode and into a calmer state.

Over time, this supports emotional regulation, tension release, and a greater sense of internal safety.

Even beyond the spiritual meaning, the body benefits biologically through lowered stress hormones, relaxed muscles, and improved nervous system balance.

In many ways, islamic prayer already functions as a daily somatic practice in itself.

Some somatic practices are structured and rhythmic, like prayer or gentle movement sequences, while others are free-flowing and imperfect.

It’s about letting your body move in ways that feel relieving and safe even if you feel silly while doing it.

Both support nervous system healing in different ways.

The body is designed to release stress through movement.

Animals shake after danger.
Kids wiggle when overwhelmed.
Your body already knows how to discharge tension.

Movement helps release muscles that are holding stress, regulate the nervous system, improve breath and circulation and bring the body back into a parasympathetic state.

This is why people often feel emotional release, calm, lightness, deep sighs, yawning, or clarity afterward.

It’s the nervous system resetting.

So it wasn’t until I started allowing simple movement, stretching, breathing, shaking, and intuitive motion that I noticed my body releasing things I didn’t even realize it was holding onto.

Now somatic movement isn’t a replacement for therapy or inner work, but it’s a missing piece.

When the body feels safe, everything starts to shift, digestion improves, sleep deepens, emotions regulate, reactions soften, and tension eases.

It made me realize how much the body carries quietly.

• Try This at Home: Simple Somatic Movements for Releasing Tension

  You don’t need special training, music, or a perfect routine to begin supporting your nervous system. These are gentle ways to let your body release stress naturally.

  1. Gentle Shaking (1–2 minutes)
  Stand with your feet planted on the floor and softly shake out your arms, legs, and shoulders. Let it be loose and natural, not forced. Imagine stress falling out of your body. Take slow breaths as you shake.

  2. Slow Swaying
  Stand or sit and gently sway side to side like a pendulum. Keep your breathing slow and relaxed. This movement signals safety to the nervous system and helps release held tension.

  3. Stretch and Exhale
  Raise your arms overhead, stretch long, then slowly exhale as you lower them down. Repeat a few times, letting your shoulders drop each time.

  4. Grounding Through the Feet
  Stand barefoot if possible and press your feet gently into the floor. Notice the support beneath you. Take a few deep breaths and feel your body settle.

  5. Intuitive Movement
  Put on soft music or sit in silence and allow your body to move however it wants, stretch, twist, rock, sway, or pause. There’s no right way. Follow what feels relieving.

  If emotions come up during movement, that’s normal. It’s simply the body releasing stored stress. Move slowly, breathe deeply, and stop if anything feels overwhelming.

  Healing happens best when the body feels safe.