How Trauma and Emotion are Stored in Our Bodies & How the Breath Can Help Us Heal
As human beings, we tend to seek answers for everything—especially when it comes to our emotions. Why do we feel sad today? What made us angry yesterday? Why do certain situations leave us overwhelmed? While our brain loves to connect the dots, searching endlessly for reasons behind every sensation or emotion can sometimes lead us down a frustrating and exhausting rabbit hole. What if the answer isn’t always clear? What if we don’t need to find the “why” at all?
Trauma and Emotion: Stored Before Logic Kicks In
Let’s start by exploring how trauma and emotion are stored in the body. Fascinatingly, this process begins even before our conscious mind, or prefrontal cortex—the part of the brain responsible for logical thinking—is fully online. This part of the brain doesn't fully develop until later in childhood, meaning our bodies can carry emotional imprints from experiences we had long before we could form logical, conscious memories.
As infants and young children, we don’t yet have the cognitive ability to make sense of what’s happening around us. Instead, we rely heavily on our body's innate survival systems. If we experience something distressing or traumatic—whether it’s a loud noise, an abrupt separation from a caregiver, or an environment filled with tension—our bodies remember it. This “emotional memory” gets stored in our nervous system, without the ability to rationalize or contextualize it.
The Body Remembers
This is where things get tricky. Our brain's role is to make sense of the world, so when we feel something deeply—anxiety, sadness, anger—it often wants to attach a reason to that feeling. But because many of these emotional memories were imprinted before our logical brain developed, finding a clear-cut reason may not be possible. This explains why sometimes we cry without knowing why, or feel anxious for no apparent reason.
If you're an empath, you may find this particularly familiar. Empaths often absorb the emotions and pain of others, sometimes confusing them for their own. Imagine walking into a room where someone is grieving or stressed—without even realizing it, you may feel a wave of sadness or anxiety. It’s not always your emotion, but your body picks it up nonetheless. And here comes the kicker: we’re conditioned to ask, “Why am I feeling this?” We search for reasons, not realizing that the emotion might not even belong to us!
The Exhausting Search for “Why”
Constantly trying to understand why we feel a certain way can be mentally and emotionally draining. And often, we may not find the answer. We are conditioned to believe that there must be a logical explanation behind every sensation, every tear, and every surge of anger. Yet, sometimes, emotions just are.
What if we allowed ourselves to accept our feelings without needing to explain them? Instead of trying to solve the puzzle every time we’re sad or frustrated, we could simply acknowledge the emotion and let it move through us. This acceptance can be incredibly liberating. In letting go of the need to “figure it out,” we create space for the emotion to be felt, processed, and ultimately released.
The Power of Breath: Healing Without Needing to Know Why
While letting go of the need for answers is freeing, there’s also a way to tap into those deeper emotional patterns stored in our bodies. One powerful method is through breathwork, specifically the Biodynamic Breathwork and Trauma Release System (BBTRS).
Breathwork bypasses the thinking mind and goes straight to the body’s stored emotional memory. By focusing on deep, intentional breathing, we can activate the body’s innate healing mechanisms, allowing it to release long-held tension, trauma, and emotional blockages. This is particularly effective for those early imprints from before our logical brain kicked in.
BBTRS works with the body’s natural energy flow, using breath to dissolve the emotional armor we’ve built up over the years. It’s a way of accessing those protective patterns and stored trauma without needing to consciously remember or understand the initial cause. The body knows what it needs to release, and the breath is a gentle yet powerful tool to help it do so.
Finding Compassion and Forgiveness
Through my own experience with BBTRS, I’ve discovered a deep sense of compassion for myself, and for those around me—especially my caregivers and loved ones. Often, the patterns and behaviors we exhibit are rooted in unconscious protective mechanisms formed during childhood. Understanding that we don’t always need to know why we act or feel a certain way has brought me immense peace.
I’ve learned that self-forgiveness, like breathwork, is a process. It begins with acknowledging that our bodies carry so much more than we’re aware of. The emotional weight we feel isn’t always something we can explain, and that’s okay. What matters is our willingness to release, to feel, and to trust that healing is possible—without needing to understand every piece of the puzzle.
Embrace the Freedom of Letting Go
If you find yourself constantly searching for the reasons behind your emotions, consider this: What if you didn’t need to know? What if the most liberating thing you could do is simply allow your feelings to be what they are?
Through breathwork, I’ve discovered that the journey inward doesn’t always require logic—it requires presence. It requires the grace to let go of the “why” and to trust that your body knows how to heal itself. When we let go of the need for answers, we create space for true emotional release and healing.
If you’re curious about exploring this process for yourself, I’d love to support you on that journey. In both one-on-one and group sessions, we can use the breath to gently uncover and release the tension, trauma, and emotions stored in the body. Together, we can embrace the freedom that comes from letting go—and welcome the healing that breath can bring.
In Summary: Sometimes emotions simply are, and it’s okay to not have all the answers. In fact, constantly searching for why we feel a certain way can be exhausting and unfulfilling. Through breathwork, we can bypass the need for understanding and access the stored trauma and emotion in our bodies. The result? A more profound sense of self-compassion, healing, and the liberation that comes from letting go.
Feel free to reach out if you want to explore breathwork as a tool for healing and self-discovery. Let’s embrace the magic of just being.
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