How Trauma Lives in the Body and Gentle Ways to Release It by Dina Saalisi

Understanding nervous system responses and beginning your journey toward embodied wholeness is the path to healing.

When we experience trauma, our bodies remember. Even long after the event has passed, our nervous system holds the imprint. It holds it in shoulder tension, chest tightness, shallow breath when we encounter triggers. Understanding how to heal trauma in the body isn't about "fixing" ourselves or rushing toward resolution. 

Rather, it's about creating a compassionate relationship with our nervous system and learning to tend to wounds that live beneath the surface. The good news is that there are gentle, accessible ways to begin. The practices that honor your pace and support your nervous system in finding safety again start here.

The Wisdom of the Nervous System
Your nervous system is profoundly intelligent. When it perceives a threat, it activates protective responses, fight, flight, freeze, or fawn, that once served you during difficult times.

The challenge is that our nervous systems can remain in these heightened states long after the danger has passed. You might experience chronic muscle tension, difficulty sleeping, digestive issues, heightened sensitivity to sounds or touch, feeling disconnected from your body, or racing thoughts.

These aren't signs of weakness. They're evidence of a nervous system working overtime to protect you, even when protection is no longer needed. Recovering from psychological trauma means gently teaching your body that it's safe to relax, to feel, to be present in this moment. 

Here are 6 ways to begin your healing journey.

1. Somatic Awareness
One of the most powerful ways to work with trauma in the body is through somatic practices. Approaches that engage the wisdom of your physical self. Somatic experiencing exercises invite you to notice and befriend the sensations in your body, creating new pathways for healing.

You don't need special training or equipment to begin. Start by placing your hand on your heart and taking a few slow breaths. Notice the rise and fall of your chest. Breathe deep into your belly and hold it at the top. Feel the warmth of your palm. This simple act of presence can begin to shift your nervous system from protection to connection.

2. The Power of Breath
Breathing exercises for anxiety are some of the most accessible natural remedies for mental health available to us. Our breath is the bridge between our conscious mind and our autonomic nervous system. When we slow and deepen our breathing, we signal to our body that we are safe.

Try this gentle practice. Inhale slowly through your nose for a count of four, hold briefly, then exhale through your mouth for a count of six. The longer exhale activates your parasympathetic nervous system, the part responsible for rest and restoration. Even two minutes of conscious breathing can create a noticeable shift.

3. Creating Safety in Your Body
Trauma often leaves us feeling unsafe in our own skin. Part of learning how to heal trauma in the body involves consciously creating experiences of safety and feeling grounded. This isn't about positive thinking or willing yourself to feel different. It's about giving your nervous system tangible evidence that you are safe right now.

4. Grounding Through the Senses
Your five senses are powerful anchors to the present. When you notice yourself becoming overwhelmed or dissociated, use sensory awareness to come back to your body. Look around and name five things you can see. Listen for four sounds. Find three things you can physically touch. Acknowledge two things you can smell. Notice one thing you can taste. 

This simple practice interrupts the trauma response and reminds your nervous system where and when you actually are.

5. Movement as Medicine
Throughout my healing journey, I've discovered that embodied movement has been one of my greatest teachers. Our bodies hold stories, and sometimes the most profound healing happens not through words, but through allowing ourselves to move freely.

You don't need to dance like a professional. What matters is giving yourself permission to move authentically. Put on music that moves your soul and allow your body to respond. Shake out your arms. Sway gently. 

Even five minutes of free movement can help release stored tension. For trauma survivors especially, reclaiming empowerment over our bodies through joyful movement is healing, it's an act of reclamation.

6. Nature's Gentle Support
As a long-time friend of the flowers, I've witnessed how nature offers profound support for nervous system healing. Flower therapy works energetically to help balance challenging emotions, offering subtle yet powerful shifts. Spending time in nature itself is one of the most accessible natural remedies for mental health. Simply sitting beneath a tree can reduce stress hormones and support nervous system regulation. Nature reminds us of rhythms larger than our pain, of cycles of death and rebirth, of growing beauty even in difficult soil.

7. The Importance of Pacing
Healing from trauma doesn't happen on anyone else's timeline. There's no "right" way to recover. Pushing yourself too hard can actually re-traumatize your nervous system.

Trauma-informed care recognizes that healing happens in small, incremental steps. Some days, simply getting out of bed is an act of courage. Both rest days and growth days are valid. Give yourself permission to go slowly, to rest when needed, and to say no when something doesn't feel right. Your body's signals are important information.

8. Building Your Support System
While there are many practices you can explore on your own, recovering from psychological trauma often requires support from others. Consider working with a trauma-informed therapist or coach, joining support groups, engaging with trusted friends or family, or exploring bodywork with practitioners trained in trauma-sensitive approaches. Remember, asking for support isn't a sign of weakness. It is an act of wisdom and self-compassion.

As you begin to explore how to heal trauma in the body, remember that transformation often happens in the smallest moments. The first time you notice your breath becoming shallow, consciously slow it. The moment you feel your feet on the ground and recognize you are safe. The day you move your body with freedom.

These moments accumulate. They become new neural pathways, new stories your nervous system tells itself. You are not broken or damaged beyond repair. You are a human being with an incredibly resilient nervous system that has been doing its best to protect you. And now, with gentleness and patience, you can begin to teach it that safety is possible, that healing is available, that wholeness is your birthright.

Dina Saalisi is a best-selling author, respected holistic healer, and educator. Her books & workshops provide compassionate wisdom, dynamic self-reflective practices & nature based methods for transformation. Her groundbreaking release, Transcending Sexual Trauma: Self-Awareness Tools & Nature Based Practices to Cultivate Inner Healing, illuminates our innate connection to Nature as a pathway for healing trauma. For information and additional resources visit DinaSaalisi.com.