The human body is a vessel for emotions that we experience every day. While our bodies may form physical wounds quickly, emotional hurts and traumatic experiences can linger on for years. Trauma can get stored in your body and affect your physical and emotional health. It can cause pain, anxiety, depression, and many other health problems. It’s important to release trauma from your body to live a healthy and balanced life. Fortunately, there are various methods that can help you release trauma from the body and restore inner peace. In this article, we explore some of the most powerful and unique techniques that can help you change your relationship with stress and anxiety, and ultimately lead to healing.
Breathwork involves controlling your breathing to release physical and emotional stress. By focusing on deep inhales and exhales, you can activate the body's relaxation response and calm the nervous system. One popular method is the Wim Hof breathing technique, which involves taking quick, deep breaths followed by a long exhale. By doing this, you oxygenate your blood and increase circulation, leading to a sense of calm and clarity. Other techniques, such as alternate nostril breathing and box breathing, can also be helpful in releasing anxiety, stress, fear, and other negative emotions. These breathing techniques help you access emotional states and release stuck energy from traumatizing events.
Sound therapy uses sound vibrations to induce a state of relaxation in the body and promote healing. These vibrations can be created from instruments like singing bowls, gongs, chimes, or tuning forks. Sound therapy can influence the limbic system and help to release trauma from the body. The limbic system is responsible for emotions, memories, and other psychological responses. By listening to these sounds or having them placed directly on the body, you can enter a meditative state that encourages healing. Sound therapy has been found to promote the release of stagnant energy, improve sleep, and decrease anxiety.
Tapping, also known as Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), involves tapping specific points on the body to release physical and emotional tension. In a sequence of tapping, you acknowledge the traumatic event while also reprogramming the nervous system to respond differently to the event. This approach works by stimulating acupressure points while verbalizing statements about the trauma, and the combination of tapping and verbalizing addresses the underlying emotional issues that contribute to the trauma. The amygdala is responsible for your fight or flight response. When you tap on specific points, it can reduce the amygdala’s response to triggers, and you can feel more at ease. Many people find EFT helpful in reducing anxiety, alleviating headaches, and releasing negative emotions.
Shaking, or Tension and Trauma Release Exercises (TRE), involves intentionally shaking the body to release tension and trauma. This technique uses a series of simple and gentle exercise movements designed to activate the body's natural shaking response (the body’s natural ‘tremors'). By doing so, the body can release pent-up emotions and physical tension. TRE has been found to be helpful in managing symptoms of PTSD, anxiety, and chronic pain, and it can help reset the nervous system and leave you feeling more relaxed and balanced.
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy is a type of psychological therapy that involves using rapid eye movements and other bilateral stimulation techniques to reduce the impact of trauma on the brain and release trauma from the body by reducing the intensity of memories and emotions associated with the trauma. This technique helps desensitize the brain to traumatic memories and reprocess these memories in a more positive way. EMDR is a powerful tool for those recovering from past traumas, including PTSD, abuse, and anxiety disorders.
Somatic therapy is a type of therapy that works with the body's physical sensations and movements to address trauma and stress and explore the relationship between your mind and body. Somatic therapists work with clients to identify and release tension stored in the body, employing various techniques, such as movement therapy, dance therapy, and body awareness to help clients experience emotional regulation and self-understanding in a deeper way. By focusing on the body's sensations, Somatic therapy can help you to become more aware of your body and better regulate it, reducing anxiety, stress, and pain.
Reiki is a healing technique that originated in Japan in the early 20th century. Reiki can help to release emotional blocks caused by trauma. Emotions such as fear, anger, and anxiety can cause physical tension and disrupt energy flow, which can lead to physical symptoms such as headaches, back pain, and fatigue. Reiki practitioners can use their intuition to identify areas of the body that store emotional tension and use Reiki to release that tension. During a Reiki session, the client lies down fully clothed while the practitioner places their hands on or near the client’s body. The practitioner’s hands emit energy that flows into the client’s body, promoting relaxation and balance. The client may experience warmth or tingling sensations during the session. Reiki does not involve physical manipulation, making it a safe and gentle form of therapy.
Ecstatic dance involves moving the body freely and intuitively to music in a supportive and non-judgmental environment. There are no choreographed steps, and the focus is on allowing the body to move in a way that feels natural and expressive. Ecstatic dance can be a transformative experience that allows for the release of stuck emotions and tension in the body. Many people find that ecstatic dance improves their mood, reduces anxiety, and increases body awareness.
Trauma can be stored in your body and mind and affect your physical and emotional health in profound and long-lasting ways. But through practices such as breathwork, sound therapy, tapping, shaking (TRE), EMDR therapy, somatic therapy, Reiki, and ecstatic dance, you can release the physical and emotional tension that trauma leaves behind. By implementing these techniques in your daily routine, you can take a significant step towards healing yourself from past emotional or physical traumas and begin to restore inner peace. Remember to approach these techniques with patience, self-compassion, and a willingness to heal.