How to Release Trauma From the Body

If you’ve stumbled across the article while brain dumping to ChatGPT, asking Google how to heal emotional trauma, or why you still feel anxious despite years of therapy, I trust you’re no stranger to personal development.

If you've been wondering how to heal from emotional trauma after years of therapy, invested thousands in support, love a self help podcast and have read The Body Keeps the Score. But the moment you put yourself out there in your business, whether that's increasing your prices, pitching a dream client, speaking on stage or pressing publish on something you've poured your heart into, your body reacts like you’re being chased down by a lion. It’s not something you can simply “snap out” of, it merely feels like a default setting you’d love to unplug.

Years of working on yourself has allowed you to understand exactly where this comes from, yet you can’t stop it.

Why?

Why Understanding Your Trauma Doesn't Always Stop the Symptoms

One of the biggest misconceptions about healing is believing that understanding your trauma should automatically stop the symptoms.

The reality is that understanding your trauma and helping your body feel safe again aren't one and the same. It’s why when working with my most successful clients, one of the first things I help them do is get out of their heads and back into their bodies. Because when you find yourself triggered or overwhelmed, it can feel like your body is working against everything you've consciously learnt and know to be true.

It’s also why despite being valuable to an extent, talking therapies won’t fix the root cause; in the beginning stages of healing, they help us process our experiences, understand our beliefs and make sense of why we react the way we do, but that might not necessarily calm our nervous systems.

Whereas, when we reconnect with our bodies, we’re no longer intellectualising trauma, we're giving the body the opportunity to experience safety, release protective patterns that are no longer serving us, and begin responding to the present rather than the past when difficult situations come up.

This is deep work for business owners and may be a cycle you find yourself revisiting multiple times throughout your career. Naturally, as a business owner you’re forced to grow…and that growth can become the trigger. Every new level of business and success will likely have you staring your past traumas in the face and force you to deal with them to reach your next level.

The benefit of starting this work is that it builds you into a more resilient character, there'll become a time in your life where your business can throw anything at you and you’ll be able to navigate it in a fully regulated way because your present self will be handling it instead of a traumatised earlier version of you.

Can Trauma Really be Stored in the Body?

Emotional trauma isn't simply about what happened to you, it's about how your nervous system adapted in order to survive what happened.

That's why two people can experience the same event and respond very differently. Trauma isn't defined by the event itself, but by the lasting impact it has on your mind and body.

When people talk about "trauma being stored in the body", they don't mean your muscles literally store memories. Rather, trauma can continue to influence your nervous system, muscle tension, breathing patterns and stress responses long after the original event has passed.

In other words, your mind may know you're safe, while your body is still acting as though the threat is happening right now.

Signs Your Body May Still Be Holding Onto Trauma

Trauma doesn't always show up as panic attacks or flashbacks of that time you were bullied in school, more often than not, it shows up subtly.

For example, you could be running a successful business, hitting your income goals and doing everything 'right', yet still find your body reacting in ways that don't seem to make sense.

This can look like:

Freezing when it's time to make an important decision, even when you know what you want to do.
Procrastinating on important opportunities that could genuinely grow your business, i.e. not putting yourself forward to speak on a podcast because you don’t feel “qualified” enough to talk on that topic.
Feeling sick before speaking on stage, going live or putting yourself out there online.
Constantly second guessing yourself after sending an email, proposal or hitting publish on an opinionated piece of content.
Feeling like you should always be on because you’re a “hard worker” who must be productive to be successful.
Struggling to celebrate wins because you don’t want people to think you’re full of yourself or that you’ve changed.
Feeling unable to delegate because no one understands your business like you do.
Clenching your jaw during every waking hour and feeling like you’ve forgotten or missed something.

None of these signs automatically mean you're holding onto unresolved trauma, but they're patterns I see time and time again in successful business owners before we begin helping their minds and bodies feel safe enough to respond differently.

This is how we do that...

How to Release Trauma Stored in the Body

If you've recognised yourself in one (or all) of the signs above, you’re likely sitting here thinking "So what do I actually do to fix this?"

Don’t worry, I won’t force you to just "get over it" or simply think more positively.

What we need to do is retrain your body to respond to certain situations as though they're safe, rather than them being dangerous life threatening experiences.

There isn't one single trauma release exercise that works for everyone. Healing is highly personal, which is why I support you with several healing practices to work through this inside my How to Heal Membership and inside my instant healing offers.

Gradually, through small daily rituals, habits and occasional deeper work and healing journeys like inner child work, you’ll be able to teach your nervous system that it no longer has to stay in survival mode.

For now, if you’re looking for some ideas for quick trauma release exercises that can support you releasing your trauma, here are some suggestions. are some of the body-based practices that can support that process:

Somatic Exercise to Release Trauma: Tapping

Many clients ask me how to release blocked emotions. Tapping is one of the techniques I regularly use with my clients to help release the emotional energy that's keeping them feeling stuck. Tapping creates space to acknowledge what's coming up and intentionally let it go.

For example, if a client is feeling afraid of being seen, maybe because they have trauma around being bullied or are worried about charging more because they grew up in an environment where money was scarce or poorly managed, we'll first identify the emotion that's present and any feelings in the body associated with it. From there, we'll use gentle tapping alongside visualisation techniques to help release the emotional charge attached to that fear/trauma.

Meditation and Visualisation

Meditation is one of the most powerful ways to reconnect with self. While many people think of meditation as simply "clearing your mind", its real purpose is to help you become aware of your thoughts, emotions and physical sensations without becoming consumed by them or passing judgment on them.

Making time for regular meditation practice, such as on an evening before winding down for bed, can help calm the nervous system, reduce emotional reactivity and create space between a trigger and your response which is why we teach this inside of week 2 of the How to Heal Membership so you can build this into your daily routine and teach your body that it’s safe to let go.

Grounding

Grounding is one of the simplest yet most powerful practices you can introduce into your daily routine, particularly if you often find yourself feeling anxious, overwhelmed or disconnected from your body.

The purpose of grounding is to bring your awareness back to the present moment.Instead of getting caught up in racing thoughts, future worries or old memories, grounding helps you reconnect with your body, your breath and the world around you. Many people also find grounding helpful for tension trauma release, as it encourages the body to soften physical tension, regulate the nervous system and return to a greater sense of safety.

It's a practice I encourage clients to build into their everyday lives, rather than just reaching for it when they feel stressed. Something as simple as taking a few moments to ground yourself before opening your laptop, before an important meeting or even as soon as your feet touch the floor in the morning can help create a greater sense of calm and stability throughout your day.

What Are the Signs Your Body Is Releasing Trauma?

One of the most common questions I get asked is, "How do I know if my body is actually releasing trauma when doing the practices?"

The truth is that healing looks different for everyone, and there isn't a universal checklist.

However, as your nervous system begins to feel safer and more regulated, you may start to notice subtle shifts in the way you think, feel and respond to everyday situations.

Some common signs your body is releasing trauma include:

Feeling calmer in situations that previously caused anxiety.
Sleep deeper and wake up feeling more rested.
Less tension in your shoulders, jaw or chest.
Finding it easier to regulate your emotions instead of reacting impulsively.
Feeling more present and connected to your body.
Having more energy and mental clarity throughout the day.
Finding it easier to set boundaries or speak up for yourself.
Feeling more confident putting yourself out there in your business, whether that's raising your prices, speaking on stage or sharing your ideas online.

Remember, healing isn't always linear. Some days you'll notice huge shifts, while other days old emotions or patterns may resurface. That doesn't mean you're moving backwards. Often, it's simply your mind and body processing another layer of your healing journey.

Final Thoughts on Trauma Release

If there's one thing I hope you take away from this article, it's this: just because you understand your trauma doesn't mean your body has caught up yet.

Healing isn't about becoming someone who never feels anxious, overwhelmed or triggered. It's about helping your nervous system recognise that the danger has passed, so that your present self can respond to life's challenges instead of an earlier version of you that's still trying to survive.

You don't have to force memories, search for past experiences or rush your healing journey.

Your mind and body will reveal what they're ready to process in their own time. The goal isn't to "fix" yourself, because you're not broken. It's about learning how to release subconscious blocks like trauma to create enough safety, consistency and compassion that your body no longer feels the need to stay in survival mode so that you can succeed in all aspects of life, not just your business.

Whether that looks like meditation, grounding, tapping, inner child work or another body-based practice, remember that healing is built through small, consistent moments rather than one dramatic breakthrough.

If you're ready to go deeper, my How to Heal Membership is designed to guide you through this work in a safe and supportive way. Inside, you'll learn the same grounding, meditation, tapping and healing practices I use with my clients, giving you practical tools to regulate your nervous system, release what's no longer serving you and reconnect with yourself at a pace that feels right for you. It’s delivered weekly so you’re not overwhelmed by too many practices at once and so you can learn to stack these practices into your daily life.

Until next time,
Samara x

How to Release Trauma From the Body (And Why Talk Therapy Often Isn't Enough)