Trapped Emotions: How to Release Stored Trauma in the Body
Have you ever said “I feel it in my gut” or “I carry the weight of the world on my shoulders”? These aren’t just figures of speech. Science is showing that emotions are not only psychological—they live in the body. And when emotions aren’t fully processed, they can become trapped in the body, leaving behind tension, chronic pain, fatigue, and other illnesses.
What Are Trapped Emotions?
A trapped emotion is an unprocessed feeling that the body continues to hold long after the original event is over. This isn’t about weakness or imagination—it’s about how the nervous system works.
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Fear releases adrenaline and cortisol, preparing muscles to fight or flee.
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Sadness creates heaviness in the chest and slows breathing.
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Joy floods the body with endorphins and oxytocin, creating expansion.
If the nervous system completes this cycle—through crying, shaking, talking, or movement—the body returns to balance. But if the response is interrupted or suppressed, the body stores the leftover tension as body memory. Over time, these stored emotions can contribute to chronic conditions like:
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Fibromyalgia
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Endometriosis
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Chronic fatigue
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Digestive issues
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Migraines
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Anxiety and depression
The Science Behind Emotions in the Body
Research confirms what many of us have felt intuitively:
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A 2013 Finnish study published in PNAS mapped where emotions are felt in the body. Fear showed up in the gut, sadness in the chest, anger in the arms, happiness across the whole body.
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Neuroscientists such as Dr. Bessel van der Kolk (The Body Keeps the Score) have shown how trauma can become embodied, stored in muscle tension, posture, and immune system responses.
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The amygdala (the brain’s alarm centre) and hippocampus (memory processor) are wired directly into the autonomic nervous system. When trauma is unresolved, the “emotional memory” stays switched on, keeping the body in survival mode.
This is why “just thinking positive” isn’t enough—the body has to complete the unfinished stress cycle.
Where Trapped Emotions Hide in the Body
Although each person is unique, trapped emotions often show up in predictable places:
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Neck and shoulders: pressure, responsibility, guilt.
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Jaw: anger, unspoken words, self-restraint, chewing something over.
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Chest: grief, sadness, heartbreak.
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Gut/stomach: fear, anxiety, ignored instincts.
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Lower back/hips: feeling unsupported, unsafe, or stuck.
Real Stories of Emotional Trauma Release
Fibromyalgia and Trapped Trauma
One client came to me with fibromyalgia that had disabled her for many years. Each time her symptoms worsened, it followed one of the three times her ex-husband had physically attacked her. As we worked together to release the trauma her body had stored from these attacks, her pain dropped by around 30% with each memory released. Finally, she smiled and said: “All my pain is gone!” The pain never returned.
Endometriosis and Childhood Abuse
Another client suffered from endometriosis so severe that she was bedridden for five days each month. We traced the root of her pain back to the trauma of childhood sexual abuse. Working with her inner child was key: nurturing that child, assuring her it was over, tending her wounds, and restoring safety. To her astonishment, her very next cycle was pain-free. She later became pregnant, something she once thought impossible.
How to Release Trapped Emotions
The good news: the body wants to complete the cycle and return to balance. Here are some proven ways to release trapped emotions:
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Somatic movement – yoga, stretching, shaking, dance, or walking.
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Breathwork – deep, conscious breathing activates the vagus nerve and resets the nervous system.
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Crying or laughter – natural releases that discharge stress chemicals.
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Therapeutic touch – massage, acupressure, or simply placing a hand on the chest or belly.
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Expressive practices – journaling, art, or talking to someone safe.
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Mind-body programmes – structured approaches like The Switch, designed to guide safe emotional release.
The Switch: A Pathway to Emotional Healing
This is exactly why I developed The Switch —a mind-body programme that helps people identify and release trapped emotions in a safe, structured way.
With The Switch, you’ll learn how to:
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Recognise subtle body signals of unresolved emotion.
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Access the underlying memories or sensations without re-traumatising.
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Guide the nervous system through its natural release cycle.
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Build resilience so that new stress doesn’t get stored in the same way.
Clients using The Switch have reported relief from chronic pain, autoimmune conditions, fatigue, and long-standing emotional distress. By teaching the body to finally “switch off” the survival response, space is created for genuine healing.
Why This Matters
Trapped emotions are not signs of weakness. They are survival strategies your body used at the time. But what once protected you can later weigh you down.
When you learn how to release trapped emotions and complete the body’s stress cycles, you’re not just healing the past—you’re unlocking energy, freedom, and health for the future.
Your body remembers. But with the right tools, it can also release and heal.
If you’ve recognised yourself in this article and want to learn how to release trapped emotions safely, I’d love to support you. My programme, The Switch, is designed to guide you step by step through identifying stored emotions, resolving old body memories, and restoring your nervous system to balance. Clients have used it to recover from chronic pain, fatigue, endometriosis, fibromyalgia, long-standing trauma and many other conditions. You don’t have to carry these emotions forever—your body knows how to let go. 💛 Click here to find out more about The Switch and to sign up for the next course!
