How Movement Unlocks Stuck Emotional Trauma

Sometimes Words are Simply not Enough

When you think of healing the first thing most people think of is counseling. Yes, talk therapy is powerful and journaling helps. All of these tools are instrumental in your healing walk, including naming your emotions and reparenting your inner child.
But sometimes, words just aren’t enough.

That’s because trauma doesn’t just live in your thoughts, trauma is also stored in your nervous system, your muscles, your fascia, even your breath. Believe it or not, movement helps you release it. You have to move.

This week, we will discuss the power of movement as medicine. You’ll learn why trauma-informed movement is one of the most effective ways to regulate your nervous system, express what words cannot and reconnect with your body in a way that feels safe and empowering.

Why Movement is More Powerful Than Talking Alone

During traumatic events, your body prepares itself to protect you; this could be in the form of fighting back, running away, freezing in place, or giving in to the threat.

The problem with this is the traumatic event becomes a permanent fixture in your life when you do not physically release the lingering energies, allowing them to get stuck within different areas of your body.

Movement allows you to process these stuck energies, so they are easier to release. Intentional, slow, somatic movement helps your body complete the stress response cycle.

Types of Movement That Support Trauma Release

Types of Movement That Support Trauma Release

Not all movement is the same. Intense workouts do not heal. Gentle, nervous system focused movement does.

There are many forms of movement that incorporates mind, body, and spirit in its practice. Many commonly known forms include Yoga, Tai Chi, Qiong, but there are also other forms of movement recommended by researchers and somatic therapists.

Here are a few practices that research and somatic therapists recommend:

TRE: Tension & Trauma Release Exercises

TRE is a system that uses gentle movements and stretches to safely trigger your body’s natural neurogenic tremors, aka shaking. This is like when animals shake after stress. It’s a natural way of discharging these energies.

This works because shaking helps release tension and calm the overactive nervous system, especially in people stuck in chronic fight-or-flight mode.

Primal or Intuitive Movement

Primal or intuitive movement is free flow movement.

Technique:
You let your body move in whatever way it wants. You may find yourself stretching, circling, stomping, twisting, rolling on the floor, shaking your hips, or jumping up and down. This allows emotions to surface and move through you, releasing them from their stuck position.

Somatic Yoga or Trauma-Informed Yoga

There are many forms or methods of Yoga that connect the mind, body, and spirit. Somatic or trauma-informed yoga, however, is specific for releasing stored trauma. This form of yoga prioritizes safety, slowness, and sensation with the goal of finding connection.

Somatic or Trauma-Informed Yoga Consists of:

• Grounding postures

• Gentle breath awareness

• Non-coercive language (no pushing, forcing, or correcting)

• Space to change or decide on best poses for you

Breath-Integrated Movement

Your breath is a direct line to your nervous system. When you match breath with movement, you can increase vagal tone, reduce anxiety, and discharge stuck emotional energy.

Simple exercise:

• Inhale while lifting arms overhead

• Exhale while folding forward

• Repeat 5–10 cycles

Your “Emotional Archives” Store Your Trauma

Certain areas of the body are more susceptible to being storage containers due to their emotional sensitivity.

An example of common storage spots:

Body Area – Jaw; Emotion Stored – Anger, Control

Body Area – Hips; Emotion Stored – Grief, Fear

Body Area – Belly; Emotion Stored – Anxiety, Shame

Body Area – Chest; Emotion Stored – Heartbreak, Grief

When you move these areas intentionally, it is normal for the emotions to rise to the surface. This is healing.

It Feels Too Much

Remember that trauma-informed movement is about slower, gentler movement not forcing through discomfort. Trauma-informed movement is doing less, not more.

You are doing it right when:

• You feel more aware of your body, not less

• You stay grounded without “checking out”

• You know you can pause or stop anytime

If intense emotions become too much, take a pause. Take several deep grounding breaths and anchor yourself (look around, feel your feet). You can always pick it up later.

5-Minute Movement Exercise for Emotional Release

Try this simple 4-step, 5-minute exercise you can do right at home. No equipment or experience necessary. Modify as needed.

🔸 Step 1: Shake It Out (1 minute)

• Stand with knees soft, feet hip-width apart

• Begin lightly shaking your arms, then legs, then whole body

• Let your jaw loosen, tongue relax

• Breathe through your mouth

• Add sound if it feels natural (sighs, hums, groans)

Shaking discharges stuck tension and excess adrenaline.

🔸 Step 2: Hip Circles (1 minute)

• Place hands on hips

• Slowly circle hips clockwise, then counterclockwise

• Keep knees slightly bent

• Go slow. Breathe deeply.

Hip circles unlock the pelvis, where grief and fear is often stored.

🔸 Step 3: Spinal Rolls (1 minute)

• Stand or sit tall

• Gently round forward from the head, rolling down the spine

• Slowly roll back up

• Repeat 3–5 times

Spinal rolls mobilize the spine, where emotional regulation occurs.

🔸 Step 4: Grounded Breathing (2 minutes)

• Sit or lie down

• Place one hand on your belly, one on your heart

• Inhale for 4 seconds
  Exhale for 6–8 seconds

• Repeat slowly, letting the body relax and settle

Grounded breathing relaxes and calms the nervous system, best done after movement.

Give Yourself Permission

Give yourself permission to be open, allowing flow and healing to occur freely with the art of movement. Movement doesn’t have to be intense or difficult. Trauma healing starts with simple, consistent movement, breath work, and connection.

Allow your body to lead. Allow it to speak, stretch, roll, or rest. Your body is intelligent and knows what it needs to release and heal if you allow it.

This Week’s Call-to-Action Steps

• Try the 5-minute Movement Ritual 3x this week

• Notice where you feel more sensation or relief after moving

• Journal how you feel before and after