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Dec 31, 2013 · Emotions produce physical responses—racing hearts, burning cheeks, trembling hands or tightness in the chest. And according to new research, the way those emotions make us...
- Overview
- What does it mean to have ‘trapped’ emotions?
- How do emotions get trapped?
- Trapped emotions and trauma
- Where are trapped emotions stored in the body?
- Unprocessed emotions
- How to release emotions from the body
- The bottom line
- Watch more from the Youth in Focus video series
You may be able to release trapped emotions by acknowledging them and connecting with them. Other practices that help you work through trauma may help.
You’ve probably heard the term “emotional baggage.”
It’s sometimes used to describe the phenomenon of carrying past trauma or so-called negative experiences through life, relationships, or a career.
You may see this reflected in someone’s posture, as if they’re carrying around an unbearable weight. It may even prevent them from moving forward in life.
Everyone carries unprocessed emotions from experiences to some degree. However, emotions that aren’t dealt with don’t just go away.
They can affect:
Perhaps you’ve heard of people crying during yoga, massage, or acupuncture treatment because of a tender spot that, when activated, appears to lead to an emotional release.
Though some may refer to trauma being “stored” or “trapped” in the body, that isn’t necessarily a scientific way to put it.
However, the symptoms of traumatic stress can manifest physically.
This may be because the brain associates this area with a particular memory — often on a subconscious level.
Activating certain areas of the body may trigger these memories, according to Mark Olson, PhD, LMT, the owner and director of the Pacific Center for Awareness & Bodywork.
“Emotions are constantly being generated — subconsciously or consciously — in response to the reactivation of memories or unsatisfied goals,” Olson says. “The touch to X area is simply a reliable stimulus to reconstruct the pattern associated with that traumatic event.”
That said, research as early as 1992 along with more current research supports the mind-body connection, or the belief that a person’s mental and emotional health impacts the state of their physical health.
A classic example of this is fear.
If you’re in a situation where you’re afraid, your body generates a physical response to this emotion by activating the fight-flight-freeze response.
According to Nelson, three things happen when an emotion is experienced.
1.We develop an emotional vibration.
2.We feel the emotion and any thoughts or physical sensations associated with it. This is where the mind and body’s interconnectedness comes into play.
It’s impossible to have a conversation about trapped emotions without exploring trauma, especially how the brain experiences it.
Nearly everyone experiences trauma at some point in their lives.
According to a 2015 survey of almost 69,000 adults across six continents, over 70 percent of respondents reported exposure to a traumatic event, while 30.5 percent were exposed to four or more.
Trauma can come about through life experiences like:
•a breakup
•a major life change
Ever feel a tightness in your chest during an anxiety-inducing situation? Or do you notice that it feels good to stretch your hips after an emotionally draining day?
Where one person feels tension or sensitivity in their bodies might not be the same for another.
Some studies, however, provide a baseline for where emotions are generally experienced. But there’s still more research needed on this subject for conclusive takeaways.
One such study from 2013 led by a team of biomedical engineers in Finland sought to explain where emotions are felt in the body.
They mapped bodily reactions to emotions in about 700 individuals by asking them to color in regions where they felt reactions increasing or decreasing due to various stimuli.
They found that different emotions were associated with different bodily sensations that were generally the same for participants across the board.
Emotions that aren’t dealt with may become stored in your unconscious, and may even affect your body posture.
“Your head is in a different position when you’re confident and when you’re confused,” Olson says. “Your spine takes on a different shape when you’re defeated or victorious.”
Olson says that people may subconsciously default to specific postures that block their awareness of painful feelings.
“Muscle tension emerges to create and maintain postures that keep oneself safe or unaware of unpleasant feelings,” he says.
Certain postures and gestures also relate to specific feelings and social meanings. Think of a warm embrace versus crossed arms.
This may help us understand why some believe tension in the body is associated with specific areas. However, Olson advises against using this to create general narratives.
Ever feel like you need to cry, scream, laugh, punch a pillow, or dance it out?
We’re often taught to bury our pain and soldier on. Over time, this can lead to repressed emotions, also known as unconscious avoidance.
Research from 2019 linked emotional repression with decreased immune system function.
Here are a few ways to release repressed emotions:
•acknowledging your feelings
•working through trauma
When an emotion is not fully processed, it may become “stuck” in the body.
However, it’s the limbic structures of the brain where emotional processing occurs. While some areas of your body undoubtedly hold tension or may be associated with an emotional experience, ultimately it’s the brain that’s reconstructing the emotion.
Julianne Ishler is a freelance writer, creative mentor, and certified Enneagram practitioner. Her work revolves around helping people live more mindfully and aligned with themselves. You can follow her on Instagram for self-discovery resources or visit her website.
- Julianne Ishler
Feb 3, 2022 · We know from our own experience that emotions can be felt physically in the body and experts contend that these reactions are largely universal across all cultures. But whether our hearts race in fear or our cheeks turn red in embarrassment, what causes emotions to manifest in the body?
Feb 24, 2018 · Scientists are now able to measure the physiological effects of emotional states. Your body actually becomes weaker or stronger depending on your mental state.Shame resonates at the lowest vibration, followed by guilt, and then apathy, grief, fear, anxiety, craving, anger and hate.
Aug 21, 2023 · Keep reading to learn more about emotions being trapped in the body, including where a person might feel them, signs they have trapped emotions, and ways of releasing them.
- Amy Murnan
Oct 28, 2024 · Discover how an emotional body chart might help you understand where emotions manifest physically. Learn how mapping feelings can enhance your mind-body connection and improve...
People also ask
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Contemporary research on “embodied emotion” emphasizes the role of the body in emotional feeling. The evidence base on interoception, arguably the most prominent strand of embodied emotion research, places emphasis on the cardiac, respiratory and gastrointestinal systems.
