In this post il go over why our body stores emotions, where they are stored in the body & how you can release them. It’s a long one but I hope you find it helpful!

The word emotion or in Latin emovere means to be moved. Emotions move us. They are a call to action and attention designed to guide us to progress our species evolution.

HOW YOUR BODY STORES EMOTIONS

There are more & more studies showing us that our mind & body are intimately connected. Studies have repeatedly shown that mind over matter is a powerful thing, sometimes even more so than drugs or surgery.

But did you know that your body also influences your mind? The mind-body connection is two-way. In fact, emotions are experienced as much in your body as in your brain.

Emotional experiences trigger activation in your autonomic nervous system — the branch of your nervous system that’s beneath conscious control. Stressful emotions cause your muscles to tighten either to fend off a threat or run away.

If the stress is related to a traumatic event, or if it’s ongoing and unrelenting, your body is flooded with stress hormones that get lodged in your cells. Muscle tension then becomes chronic — a habit your body can’t break.

WHY EMOTIONS GET STUCK IN OUR BODY

Most people are carrying some level of trauma in their bodies. Some of it stems from accidents and surgeries, but even small events that seem to have little consequence can create trauma.

Stress of any kind activates your fight or flight response. This is normal and natural. However, it becomes problematic when a person can’t fully process the stress for whatever reason.

WHERE  EMOTIONS GET STUCK IN OUR BODY

While there isn’t a great deal of research done on this, there seems to be patterns of where certain emotional patterns are stored in your body:

The Jaw

Emotions of anger and resentment are often held in our jaw and around the mouth. If you often have a sore throat, mouth ulcers or grind your teeth at night, it could be a sign that there is an excess of overactive or stagnant energy in this part of your body.

Neck

The space around our neck and throat is deeply connected with communication and self-expression. Correlating to the fifth chakra in yoga philosophy, a lot of people hold tension here, having held their tongue and swallowed what they wanted to express as a long-term pattern of behavior, and perhaps feel compromised in their ability to speak up for themselves. Imbalances can also manifest in thyroid problems, swollen glands, and chronic neck pain.

Shoulders

While a lot of modern-day shoulder issues arise from unhealthy posture, tight, painful shoulders could reflect that you are currently overburdened, or that you have experienced hurt and heartbreak, and are subconsciously trying to form some armoring around the front of your body in protection.

Chest

The chest and the space around our heart is a highly potent place in our bodies. In traditional Chinese and Japanese traditions, it is said to be where heaven and earth energies merge, and in the yoga chakra system it is said to unite the space of our physical and spiritual selves. This area often relates to powerful feelings of love, grief and depression; when tight, blocked or dis-eased, imbalances in the chest heart space can lead to poor mental health outcomes or even cardiac conditions.

Hips

Pleasure, creativity and frustration, particularly related to sexuality and relationships, are emotions often connected to our hips and pelvic area. Stiffness in the hips, or a disconnect with one’s pelvic floor, can be signs that you are feeling uninspired in an area of your life – in love, career, or that you might be overdue a check-in with your creative outlets.

”Behind every cronically tense muscle, there is a secret..”

– Marion Rosen