Post 2: Experiences Are Stored in the Body
When someone says “just let it go,” most of us nod, and then feel the knot in our chest, the tight jaw, the churn in the gut that doesn’t go anywhere. The truth is simple and human: experiences don’t just pass through us; they live in us. The body remembers our lives, both the hard things and the good, and those memories quietly shape how we breathe, move, speak, and relate.
Ancient wisdom: impressions that stay
In the Yoga Sūtras, Patañjali calls these residues saṃskāras, impressions that form grooves in the mind–body and influence how we meet the next moment. Buddhist teachings on karma describe similar traces that persist until they’re understood and released. Across traditions, the message is the same: life leaves marks, and those marks live in the body as much as in thought.
Modern science: the body really does keep the score
Trauma research shows how intense experiences imprint the nervous system. Bessel van der Kolk explains how memories can be stored as sensations, posture, and reflexes rather than words. Peter Levine describes “unfinished survival energy” that stays locked until it’s safely completed. Stephen Porges’ Polyvagal Theory maps how our physiology holds patterns of safety, fight, flight, or shutdown. And beyond the nervous system, fascia researchers like Thomas Myers and Robert Schleip show how the connective-tissue web records our history in tension lines and movement habits.
Positive experiences imprint too. Practices that evoke gratitude, awe, and love can reshape patterns through neuroplasticity (think Candace Pert on emotion–chemistry links and Antonio Damasio on somatic markers). In other words: the body doesn’t only remember pain—it remembers joy, steadiness, and connection.
How the Body Holds Experiences: A Human Map
Our bodies carry the whole spectrum of life—moments of fear and grief, but also of joy, love, and safety. Some experiences overwhelm us in an instant (Big-T trauma). Others slowly wear grooves into us over time (small-t trauma). And just as powerfully, positive imprints of care, connection, and belonging live in us too.
Here’s a map of common patterns that researchers, healers, and traditions across cultures have recognized. These aren’t rigid rules—they’re patterns many of us recognize in ourselves.
Head & Eyes
Big-T: Concussions or head injuries, witnessing violence, severe migraines.
small-t: Chronic overthinking, constant screen strain, pressure to “be smart enough.”
Positive: Soft gaze, wide-angle seeing when safe, lightness in the head during peace.
References: Levine (Waking the Tiger); Porges (Polyvagal Theory).
Jaw & Face
Big-T: Assault to the face, invasive dental trauma, being physically silenced.
small-t: Habitually biting back words, “seen but not heard” family dynamics, self-criticism in the mirror.
Positive: Relaxed jaw, spontaneous smile, natural ease of expression.
References: van der Kolk (The Body Keeps the Score); Reich (muscular armoring).
Throat & Voice
Big-T: Choking, strangulation, forced silence in abuse.
small-t: Mockery for how you speak, constant interruption, not being listened to.
Positive: Warm, resonant voice when speaking truth; throat open for song or prayer.
References: Porges (Polyvagal Theory); Levine (In an Unspoken Voice).
Neck & Shoulders
Big-T: Whiplash from car accidents, physical assault.
small-t: Carrying family burdens, workplace stress, “holding the world on your shoulders.”
Positive: Spacious, relaxed shoulders, upright posture of confidence.
References: Reich (shoulder armoring); van der Kolk.
Chest & Heart
Big-T: Sudden loss of a loved one, betrayal, abandonment.
small-t: Subtle neglect, lack of affection, heartbreaks.
Positive: Expansion with love, warmth when embraced, sense of spiritual opening.
References: Pert (Molecules of Emotion); Levine (Waking the Tiger).
Diaphragm & Breath
Big-T: Near-drowning, asthma attack, suffocation.
small-t: Chronic anxiety, tension in household, breath-holding during stress.
Positive: Smooth, even breathing; sighs of relief; deep diaphragmatic breath.
References: Reich (diaphragm armoring); Levine.
Stomach & Gut
Big-T: Severe illness, poisoning, prolonged fear state.
small-t: Exam stress, financial pressure, chronic unpredictability.
Positive: Quiet digestion, steady appetite, “gut knowing.”
References: Damasio (The Feeling of What Happens); Polyvagal Theory.
Liver & Ribs (Right Side)
Big-T: Blunt trauma to torso, violent impact.
small-t: Smoldering resentment, unexpressed frustration at injustice.
Positive: Clear motivation, steady will, balanced drive.
References: Ayurveda (Caraka Saṃhitā); TCM (Huangdi Neijing).
Pelvis & Hips
Big-T: Sexual assault, reproductive trauma, difficult childbirth.
small-t: Subtle body shaming, lack of sexual education, rejection.
Positive: Rootedness, healthy desire, deep sense of belonging.
References: Levine; Anodea Judith (Wheels of Life); Reich.
Low Back & Sacrum
Big-T: Falls, spinal injury, invasive medical procedure.
small-t: Feeling unsupported, financial instability, housing insecurity.
Positive: Feeling carried by life, ease of movement, strength at the base.
References: Myers (Anatomy Trains); TCM (kidneys and fear).
Arms & Hands
Big-T: Being restrained, burns, injury from violence.
small-t: Lack of nurturing touch, chronic overwork, being told “don’t reach out.”
Positive: Open, relaxed hands ready to give and receive; creative expression.
References: Reich; Levine.
Legs & Knees
Big-T: Injuries that immobilize, being trapped, falls.
small-t: Repeated messages of helplessness, “don’t move forward,” social immobility.
Positive: Strong legs, steady stance, the felt sense of “I can stand here.”
References: Levine (Waking the Tiger).
Feet
Big-T: Forced displacement, homelessness, severe injury.
small-t: Frequent moving in childhood, lack of stable home base.
Positive: Rooted steps, groundedness, trust in the earth.
References: Myers (Anatomy Trains); indigenous grounding practices.
Skin
Big-T: Burns, physical assault, invasive medical procedures.
small-t: Subtle rejection in touch, shaming of appearance, discomfort in intimacy.
Positive: Warmth in safe touch, glow of connection, ease in one’s own skin.
References: van der Kolk (The Body Keeps the Score); Pert (Molecules of Emotion).
With each emotion, we have a corresponding place we feel it. From the wonderful feelings to the small t and big t trauma.
The body is not simply carrying “trauma” in the clinical sense. It carries everything—loss and love, grief and joy, contraction and expansion. Big-T events can shake the body to its core. small-t stressors accumulate quietly, leaving just as real a mark. And positive imprints—moments of safety, care, and presence—can become anchors that help us heal.
The work of growth is not to erase one side or cling to the other. It is to feel the full spectrum. The ache and the warmth. The fear and the courage. The closing and the opening. That is how we expand at the edges, and how the soul grows through the body.
Many Paths to Resolve What the Body Holds
Because imprints live in the breath, the fascia, and the nervous system, talking alone is rarely enough. Healing often needs to reach deeper than words. People find release in many ways: through trauma-informed therapy, somatic experiencing, yoga and breathwork, qigong and acupuncture, prayer and contemplative practice, singing, dance, creative expression, time in nature, movement, and community. Each path offers its own doorway back to wholeness.
I was given a gift in this lifetime, the ability to absorb heavy energy out of people’s energetic fabric and to help unlock the gifts that have been hidden beneath. The way I walk with this gift is through Sacred Ceremony. Sacred Ceremony is the container that allows me to do this work safely and reverently. It is not the only way, but it is the path that has chosen me, and the one I offer to those who feel called.
Why I Work with Sacred Ceremony
For me, the path is Sacred Ceremony. In ceremony I am guided, not by a fixed sequence of techniques or points, but by the person’s own field, their higher self, and the guidance that surrounds them. What unfolds is never scripted. I listen with my whole being, and I follow where I am shown to work.
It may look like touch, movement of energy, sound, or breath, but the essence is connection. Your own soul and guides lead the way; I simply respond and am a vessel for something far greater than a human. Ceremony creates the safe and sacred container where this guidance can move freely, and where the body and spirit can release what they’ve been holding.
Sacred Ceremony is not the only path, and it is never required. It is simply the way I have been given to serve. Many who have walked this path have shared their experiences, which you can read on the home page of PathofAll.org.
Closing Invitation
If your body feels like it is carrying more than you can name, know this: you are not broken. You are profoundly human. The knots, the weight, the bracing in your muscles, and the patterns of protection you’ve learned are not flaws—they are signs that your story mattered. They are the marks of everything you have lived through and endured.
At the same time, the warmth you sometimes feel, the breath that comes a little easier, the softening in your chest, or the moments when you sense yourself opening—these are signs of your capacity returning. They show that healing is not only possible, it is already happening.
There are many ways forward. Some find release in therapy, others in movement, prayer, meditation, creativity, or time in nature. For me, the path I offer is Ceremony. In ceremony, I connect to your field and listen to the guidance of your higher self and the support that surrounds you. Together, we follow what is ready to move. This is the way I have been given to serve, and it is the container I offer with care.
But it is never the only way. If another path calls to you, trust it. Healing is not about choosing the “right” method, it is about walking the one that resonates with your soul. What has been stored in the body can be released. What has been heavy can be lightened. Step by step, your body can become a clearer, freer, more welcoming home for your soul.
TW
Further Reading: Key References
These works explore how experiences—joyful and painful—leave their mark in the body, weaving together ancient wisdom, modern psychology, neuroscience, and fascia research.
Title: Yoga Sūtras of Patañjali
Author: Patañjali (translations by Edwin Bryant, Chip Hartranft, or Swami Satchidananda)
What you’ll learn: The foundational text of classical yoga, explaining the mind, the role of impressions (saṃskāras), and practices for liberation.
Why read it: One of the earliest and clearest accounts of how lived experience leaves grooves in the mind–body system and how practice transforms them.
Title: In the Buddha’s Words
Author: Edited by Bhikkhu Bodhi
What you’ll learn: An anthology of early Buddhist discourses on karma, mental formations, and how repeated experience shapes perception and suffering.
Why read it: Offers a structured entry into the Buddha’s original teachings, showing how subtle “mental imprints” condition the body–mind over time.
Title: The Body Keeps the Score
Author: Bessel van der Kolk
What you’ll learn: How trauma imprints itself on the nervous system and body, altering memory, health, and behavior.
Why read it: A landmark book that bridges science, therapy, and human story, explaining why healing must involve the body as well as the mind.
Title: Waking the Tiger: Healing Trauma
Author: Peter A. Levine
What you’ll learn: Trauma as “unfinished survival energy” and how safe somatic practices can complete and release it.
Why read it: A foundational, accessible book on how trauma lives in the body and how it can be resolved through awareness and embodiment.
Title: In an Unspoken Voice
Author: Peter A. Levine
What you’ll learn: A deeper exploration of the physiology of trauma, including throat and voice constriction, breath holding, and freeze responses.
Why read it: Complements Waking the Tiger with more detail on how the body speaks through symptoms and how healing unfolds through listening.
Title: The Polyvagal Theory
Author: Stephen W. Porges
What you’ll learn: How the vagus nerve governs states of safety, connection, and defense, and how the nervous system encodes past experience.
Why read it: Provides the scientific framework for why the body “remembers” and how healing involves creating new states of safety.
Title: Anatomy Trains
Author: Thomas W. Myers
What you’ll learn: How fascia forms interconnected lines through the body that store patterns of tension, posture, and memory.
Why read it: A practical and visual introduction to fascia, showing how manual and movement therapies work with the body’s web of memory.
Title: Fascia: The Tensional Network of the Human Body
Authors: Robert Schleip, Thomas W. Findley, Leon Chaitow, Peter Huijing (eds.)
What you’ll learn: The definitive scientific overview of fascia, its role in movement, sensation, and adaptation.
Why read it: A research-based reference for understanding how fascia is central to trauma, healing, and resilience.
Title: Molecules of Emotion
Author: Candace B. Pert
What you’ll learn: How neuropeptides and receptors form a distributed network in the body, storing and communicating emotion.
Why read it: A groundbreaking work showing that feelings are biochemical, embodied, and integral to health.
Title: The Feeling of What Happens
Author: Antonio Damasio
What you’ll learn: How emotions and body states form the foundation of consciousness and the sense of self.
Why read it: Demonstrates that memory and identity are inseparable from the body’s feelings—why the “story of the self” is embodied.
