Why Trauma Still Lives in Your Body—Even After You’ve Talked About It

Emily Smith
Jul 9
4 min read

Updated: Aug 12

You’ve done the work. You’ve named the trauma. You’ve cried the tears, told the story, made peace with what happened—or so you thought. And yet, your heart still races when a door slams. Your shoulders tighten when someone gets too close. You freeze when faced with conflict.

It doesn’t make sense. You know you’re safe. You know it’s over. So why does your body still act like it’s not?

If this sounds familiar, you’re not alone. Many people experience lingering symptoms of trauma in the body—even after months or years of talk therapy. And the good news is: this doesn’t mean something is wrong with you. It means you may be ready for the next layer of healing.

We know that trauma can stay in the body, even after it’s been “processed,” and how approaches like somatic therapy, EMDR, brainspotting, and art therapy can support deeper integration.

What Is Trauma—And How Does It Get Stored in the Body?

Trauma isn’t just about what happened to you. It’s about what happened inside you as a result. Trauma occurs when your nervous system becomes overwhelmed and is unable to return to a sense of safety and regulation.

When that happens, the trauma doesn’t just get recorded in your thoughts or memories—it gets recorded in your body: in your muscles, your posture, your heart rate, and even your digestion. You might carry trauma in the form of chronic pain, tension, fatigue, or emotional numbness.

Your nervous system has three primary states:

Safe and Social (Ventral Vagal) – Calm, connected, able to engage.
Fight or Flight (Sympathetic) – Mobilized to respond to threat.
Freeze or Shutdown (Dorsal Vagal) – Immobilized, numb, disconnected.

Even after the threat has passed, many people stay stuck in fight, flight, or freeze—because their body didn’t get the chance to complete the stress response.

This is where somatic trauma therapy comes in.

Talk Therapy Helps—But It’s Only Part of the Story

Cognitive approaches like CBT, narrative therapy, and traditional talk therapy can be incredibly helpful. They help you:

Understand what happened
Reframe harmful beliefs
Make meaning of your experiences

But insight alone doesn’t always bring relief. If your nervous system is still on high alert, no amount of talking will convince your body that it’s safe. This is why many trauma survivors report:

"I’ve already talked about this. Why do I still feel this way?"
"I understand it wasn’t my fault, but I still feel shame."
"I know I’m safe, but my body doesn’t believe it."

These are signs that your trauma may need to be addressed through the body—not just the mind.

Symptoms That Suggest Trauma Still Lives in the Body

You might have processed the trauma intellectually, but if your body hasn’t released it, you may still experience:

Persistent anxiety, even without clear triggers
Chronic muscle tension or pain
Digestive issues or fatigue
Feeling emotionally numb or disconnected
Flashbacks, nightmares, or hypervigilance
Startling easily or difficulty sleeping
Feeling “outside” of your body (derealization or depersonalization)

These are not signs of failure—they’re signs that your body is asking for help.

How Somatic Therapy Helps Release Trauma from the Body

Somatic therapy focuses on the connection between body and mind, helping you become aware of and work with the physical sensations that carry your trauma story.

Through body-based awareness, somatic therapy helps you:

Track sensations, tension, and impulses
Identify nervous system patterns (fight/flight/freeze)
Practice self-regulation and grounding
Reconnect with your body in a safe way

Unlike traditional talk therapy, somatic therapy doesn’t just ask, “What happened?” It also asks:

“What did your body need to do in that moment?”
“What did it have to hold in?”
“What does it still need to release or complete?”

Other Body-Based Approaches: Brainspotting, EMDR, and Art Therapy

Several trauma modalities support the body’s healing, each with a slightly different lens. At our practice, we offer a range of approaches tailored to your needs:

Brainspotting

A powerful method that accesses trauma stored deep in the brain and body. Using eye position to locate “brainspots,” the therapist guides you to process unresolved trauma without having to retell the story. Many clients find this especially helpful when they’ve plateaued in talk therapy.

EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing)

This well-researched approach uses bilateral stimulation (such as eye movements or tapping) to help the brain reprocess trauma and reduce emotional intensity. EMDR helps integrate traumatic memories so they feel more distant and less distressing.

Expressive Art Therapy

For some clients, expressing experiences through drawing, painting, or collage can help access feelings stored in the body—especially when words fall short. Art therapy bypasses the logical brain and taps into the sensory and emotional aspects of trauma.

All of these methods aim to free the body from holding trauma long after the mind has moved on.

You’re Not Backsliding—You’re Deepening Your Healing

If you’ve been in therapy before and thought you were “done,” it can feel frustrating or even scary to realize that symptoms are still lingering.

But this isn’t regression. It’s a sign that you’re now resourced enough to go deeper. Your body may finally feel safe enough to open the door to what’s been held inside.

Healing is not linear. Trauma recovery happens in layers. And the deeper layers often live in the body.

By embracing this next stage, you’re not failing—you’re growing.

How to Start Healing at the Body Level

If you're curious about how to begin body-based trauma work, here are a few gentle ways to start:

Practice body scans – Notice where you feel tension, numbness, or energy.
Grounding exercises – Use your senses to anchor to the present moment.
Breathwork – Experiment with slow, regulated breathing to calm the nervous system.
Movement – Gentle stretching, walking, or dancing can help release stored energy.
Creative expression – Art, music, or journaling can give form to what’s hard to say.

And when you’re ready, working with a therapist trained in brainspotting, somatic therapy, EMDR, or art therapy can help guide you through the body’s unique path to healing.