Trauma Doesn’t Own You. Transform Pain into Power with These Gentle Somatic Techniques

The body remembers what the mind tries to forget. When we experience trauma, whether it's a single overwhelming event or ongoing stress, our bodies often store these experiences as tension, physical discomfort, or patterns of reactivity. Somatic therapy exercises—gentle, body-based approaches to healing—offer powerful pathways to release this stored trauma and reclaim a sense of safety and peace within ourselves.

This guide offers practical trauma release exercises that can help you reconnect with your body, regulate your nervous system, and gradually release trauma that may be stored in your physical being. Each practice is designed to be accessible, gentle, and empowering.

Understanding Trauma Stored in the Body

Before we begin with practices, it helps to understand how trauma manifests physically:

• Your autonomic nervous system can become stuck in "fight, flight, or freeze" responses
• Muscles may hold chronic tension, particularly in the shoulders, jaw, hips, and diaphragm
• Breathing often becomes shallow and constricted
• You might experience disconnection from bodily sensations (numbness) or heightened sensitivity
• Everyday stress triggers can cause disproportionate physical reactions

The somatic therapy exercises that follow honor these realities while offering pathways to greater regulation and release. By addressing trauma stored in the body, these practices can help you gradually move toward healing and resilience.

Foundational Somatic Grounding Techniques

Purpose: To help your nervous system recognize that you are safe in the present moment.

Steps:

1. Find a comfortable position, either seated or standing.
2. Gently allow your eyes to look around the room, noticing what you see.
3. Take your time to observe colors, textures, familiar objects—anything that feels neutral or pleasant.
4. As you look around, whisper to yourself: "I am here, now, in this space."
5. Notice any slight shifts in your body—perhaps your breathing slows or your shoulders relax.
6. Continue for 2-3 minutes, giving yourself permission to simply observe your surroundings.

This simple somatic grounding practice can be used daily, especially when you wake up or before challenging situations, to help address trauma stored in the body.

Vagus Nerve Regulation Through Breath Work

Purpose: To soothe the nervous system through conscious breathing patterns that stimulate the vagus nerve.

Steps:

1. Find a comfortable seated position with your feet on the floor.
2. Place one hand on your chest and one on your belly.
3. Take a normal breath and notice which hand moves more.
4. Gently guide your breath toward your lower hand, allowing your belly to expand on the inhale.
5. Breathe in slowly through your nose for a count of 4.
6. Hold briefly for a count of 1-2 (if comfortable).
7. Exhale through slightly pursed lips for a count of 6-8, extending the exhale longer than the inhale.
8. Continue for 5-10 breaths, noticing any shifts in your body sensations.

This vagus nerve regulation exercise helps activate your parasympathetic nervous system, creating a calming effect throughout your body. If counting feels stressful, simply focus on making your exhale longer than your inhale.

Somatic Grounding Through the Feet

Purpose: To establish physical connection with the ground, promoting safety and present-moment awareness.

Steps:

1. Stand barefoot if possible, or in socks if preferred.
2. Place your feet hip-width apart.
3. Gently rock forward and backward, finding the center of your balance.
4. Feel all four corners of each foot (big toe, little toe, inner and outer heel).
5. Imagine roots growing from your feet deep into the earth.
6. Slightly bend your knees and feel how this changes your connection to the ground.
7. Take 5-10 breaths while maintaining awareness of this contact.
8. Notice how stability in your feet influences your entire body.

These somatic grounding techniques can be done briefly throughout the day, especially when feeling anxious or ungrounded, to reconnect with your body and the present moment.

Gentle Self-Holding for Nervous System Regulation

Purpose: To provide comforting touch that signals safety to your nervous system.

Steps:

1. Find a comfortable position, either seated or lying down.
2. Place one hand on your heart and one hand on your belly.
3. Feel the warmth of your hands on your body.
4. Notice your breath moving beneath your hands.
5. Apply gentle, steady pressure that feels supportive, not constraining.
6. If comfortable, you might softly say: "I am here with you" or "You are safe now."
7. Stay with this hold for 1-3 minutes.
8. Before releasing, notice any shifts in your breathing, muscle tension, or emotional state.

This simple yet powerful nervous system regulation technique helps activate your body's natural calming response. Variations include crossing your arms to hold opposite shoulders, placing hands on thighs, or whatever configuration feels most supportive to you.

Tension and Release Progressive Relaxation

Purpose: To increase awareness of muscle tension and promote conscious relaxation of trauma stored in the body.

Steps:

1. Lie down or sit comfortably with your back supported.
2. Begin with your feet, gently tensing the muscles for 5 seconds.
3. Release completely, noticing the sensation of relaxation for 10-15 seconds.
4. Move up to your calves, repeating the tension and release.
5. Continue upward through each major muscle group: thighs, buttocks, abdomen, hands, arms, shoulders, neck, and face.
6. With each release, visualize tension melting away like snow in sunshine.
7. Once you've completed the sequence, take a minute to notice how your body feels as a whole.

This trauma release exercise can help identify and release areas where trauma might be physically stored. Start with just 2-3 muscle groups if the full practice feels overwhelming.

Pendulation: A Core Somatic Therapy Exercise

Purpose: To build capacity to process difficult sensations by moving between activation and regulation.

Steps:

1. Identify a mildly uncomfortable sensation in your body (a slight tension or heaviness).
2. Notice its location, quality, and intensity without judgment.
3. Now shift your attention to a part of your body that feels neutral or pleasant.
4. Stay with this comfortable sensation for 15-30 seconds.
5. Gently return attention to the uncomfortable sensation, noticing if it has changed.
6. Alternate between these areas several times, like a pendulum swinging back and forth.
7. End by resting attention on the comfortable sensation.

This foundational somatic therapy exercise helps teach your nervous system that it can experience discomfort and return to regulation, gradually building resilience to process trauma stored in the body.

Polyvagal Exercises: Slow, Mindful Movement

Purpose: To reconnect with your body through gentle, intentional movement that supports vagal tone.

Steps:

1. Stand with feet hip-width apart, knees slightly bent.
2. Raise your arms very slowly in front of you, paying attention to every sensation.
3. Notice the weight, the effort, any resistance or ease.
4. Lower your arms just as slowly, following the movement with your full attention.
5. Roll your shoulders in slow circles, first backward then forward.
6. Gently tilt your head from side to side, taking 5-10 seconds for each movement.
7. Throughout the sequence, notice where you hold tension and where movement flows easily.

These polyvagal exercises use slow, mindful movement to help regulate your autonomic nervous system through what polyvagal theory describes as the social engagement system. The key is extreme slowness—moving so deliberately that you notice subtleties you'd otherwise miss.

Practicing Boundaries Through Movement

Purpose: To physically experience setting and honoring your boundaries.

Steps:

1. Stand in an open space with arms at your sides.
2. Slowly extend your arms forward with palms facing outward, saying (aloud or silently): "This is my boundary."
3. Feel the strength in your arms and the clear signal they send.
4. Bring your hands to your heart, acknowledging your right to have boundaries.
5. Extend your arms again, this time saying: "No" or "Stop" or whatever phrase feels empowering.
6. Return to heart center.
7. Repeat 3-5 times, noticing how this physical expression affects your emotional state.

This practice helps reconnect with personal agency and the right to define your space, addressing a common area where trauma stored in the body can manifest as difficulty setting healthy boundaries.

Vagus Nerve Regulation Through Self-Rocking

Purpose: To soothe the nervous system through rhythmic movement that stimulates the vagus nerve and mimics early comforting experiences.

Steps:

1. Sit comfortably on the edge of a chair or bed.
2. Place your feet firmly on the ground.
3. Begin gently rocking forward and backward.
4. Find a rhythm that feels naturally soothing.
5. You might add a soft humming or gentle sound if this enhances the comfort.
6. Continue for 1-3 minutes, noticing the calming effect.
7. Gradually slow the rocking until you come to stillness.
8. Observe how your body feels after this rhythmic movement.

This gentle vagus nerve regulation technique can be particularly helpful before bed or during high-stress periods, as the rhythmic motion directly impacts your parasympathetic nervous system.

Advanced Polyvagal Exercises: Facial Expression and Vocalization

Purpose: To engage the social elements of your nervous system for regulation.

Steps:

1. Sit comfortably in front of a mirror if possible.
2. Gently massage the muscles around your eyes, cheeks, and jaw.
3. Practice making different facial expressions—surprise, joy, curiosity.
4. Create soft, sustained vowel sounds like "oooo" and "aaah."
5. Notice the vibration in your throat and chest as you vocalize.
6. Pay attention to how different expressions and sounds affect your internal state.
7. End with a genuine smile, even if slight, holding for 30 seconds.

Based on polyvagal theory, these polyvagal exercises help regulate your nervous system by engaging the facial muscles and vocal apparatus connected to your vagus nerve, supporting social engagement rather than defense responses.

Integrating Nervous System Regulation Techniques Into Daily Life

The power of somatic work lies not just in dedicated practice sessions, but in bringing these awareness techniques into everyday moments:

• Set reminders to check in with your body throughout the day
• Practice a 30-second somatic grounding technique before important meetings or conversations
• Use transitional moments (before meals, entering/leaving your home) as cues for brief somatic check-ins
• Notice which nervous system regulation techniques feel most supportive and make these your "go-to" resources during challenging times

Creating a Personalized Practice

As you explore these somatic therapy exercises, notice which ones provide the greatest sense of relief, safety, or pleasure. There is no one-size-fits-all approach to somatic healing. Your body has its own wisdom about what it needs to release trauma stored in the body.

Consider keeping a simple journal noting:

• Which practices you tried
• How your body responded
• Any emotions that surfaced
• Adjustments that made the practice more effective for you

When to Seek Additional Support

These trauma release exercises can be powerful complements to professional support, but they are not replacements for therapy when needed. Consider working with a trauma-informed therapist, especially a somatic experiencing practitioner, if:

• You feel overwhelmed by body sensations or emotions
• Trauma responses significantly impact your daily functioning
• You experience flashbacks or dissociation
• Progress feels difficult to maintain on your own

A Compassionate Approach to Healing Trauma Stored in the Body

As you engage with these practices, remember that healing is rarely linear. There may be days when tension feels more prominent or regulation seems more difficult. This doesn't indicate failure—it's simply information about what your nervous system needs in that moment.

The most important element in this work is a compassionate approach toward yourself and your experiences. Your body has done its best to protect you through difficult experiences, and these patterns took time to develop. Be patient as you offer your system new possibilities for safety and calm.

With consistent, gentle practice, many people find that their relationship with their body transforms from one of fear or disconnection to one of greater trust, presence, and ease. This journey of reclaiming calm through somatic therapy exercises is one of the most profound gifts you can give yourself.

Remember: You already have everything you need within you. These somatic grounding techniques and nervous system regulation techniques simply help you access the natural wisdom and healing capacity of your remarkable body.