What the Body Says
- Jo Moore
- 6 days ago
- 3 min read
There are stories we tell with words, and then there are stories the body tells in silence.
A tightened jaw. A chest that never fully exhales. Shoulders permanently lifted toward the ears. A stomach that clenches before difficult conversations. Hips that feel heavy, frozen, guarded.
Long before we understand our emotional patterns intellectually, the body often already knows.
Psychiatrist and trauma researcher Bessel van der Kolk spent decades studying trauma, memory, and the nervous system. His groundbreaking work led to a powerful conclusion: experiences do not simply disappear when the mind “moves on". They continue living in the body — in muscle tension, posture, breath, hormonal stress responses, and nervous system patterns. His landmark work, The Body Keeps the Score, helped bring this idea into mainstream psychology. (ResearchGate)
Trauma is not only remembered as narrative memory. Often, it is remembered as sensation.
A person may forget details of a painful experience and still feel unsafe in crowded rooms. Another may become emotionally numb whenever conflict appears. Someone else may constantly brace for danger even in peaceful moments. The nervous system adapts to survive — and survival strategies become embodied habits.
The body learns.
And the body remembers.
Modern neuroscience increasingly supports this understanding. Research on post-traumatic stress suggests that overwhelming experiences can alter the autonomic nervous system, stress hormone regulation, emotional processing, and interoception — our ability to sense internal bodily states. (ResearchGate)
When stress becomes chronic, the body may remain in states of hypervigilance, shutdown, or dissociation long after the original danger has passed. This can appear physically as shallow breathing, digestive problems, chronic pain, fatigue, muscular tightness, insomnia, or persistent anxiety. (Psychotraumatology Institute)
The body is not betraying us when this happens. It is communicating. Many of us were never taught how to listen. We live in a culture that rewards productivity over presence. We override exhaustion with caffeine. We ignore tension until it becomes pain. We disconnect from emotion because feeling deeply can seem inconvenient, unsafe, or overwhelming.
Yet healing often begins with a simple shift: not asking “What is wrong with me?” but instead, “What is my body trying to tell me?”
Sometimes the body asks for rest. Sometimes for movement. Sometimes for grief that was postponed years ago. Sometimes for safety, softness, stillness, or breath.
This is why body-based practices have become increasingly important in trauma therapy and mental health research. Mindfulness practices, especially body scan meditation, have shown measurable benefits for stress reduction, emotional regulation, and trauma recovery.
Studies suggest these practices may improve interoceptive awareness — the ability to sense and regulate internal bodily experiences. (Simply Psychology)
A body scan is not about “fixing” yourself. It is about rebuilding a relationship with yourself. Noticing. Listening. Allowing. For many people, that alone is deeply healing.
A Simple 5-Minute Scan Routine to Listen to What the Body Says
You can do this lying down, seated comfortably, or even outdoors in nature.
Pause and breathe
Close your eyes if it feels comfortable. Take one slow inhale through the nose and a longer exhale through the mouth.
Bring attention to your feet
Notice temperature, pressure, tingling, numbness, or tension. No need to change anything.
Move upward slowly
Bring awareness to: feet, ankles, calves, knees, thighs, hips, stomach, chest, shoulders, jaw, eyes, forehean, crown of head.
Notice where the body contracts
Ask gently:“What am I holding here?”
Soften the breath
Imagine the inhale creating space around tension rather than forcing it away.
End with gratitude
Place one hand on the chest or stomach and thank your body for carrying you through your life — even imperfectly.
That is enough.
You do not need to uncover every memory. You do not need to analyze every feeling.
Sometimes healing begins simply by becoming present enough to hear what the body has been saying all along.
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