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Trigger warning: this story contains references to sexual assault.
Channing Smith // Allure
But is that feeling really trauma flooding to the surface, or just your hop flexors resisting physical release?
Does your body actually store trauma in your muscles?
The tangible link between mental and physical health is no new concept.
Specifically, when it comes to trauma, our body physically processes it using the sympathetic nervous system a.k.a.
This could manifest anywhere from the back to the shoulder to the hips.
“When one experiences trauma, their sympathetic nervous system is engaged.
This tells your muscles to tense up,” Arizona-based physical therapist who specializes in the pelvic floorNina Leeexplains.
It acts as a bodyguard, gives organs their shape, and even has its own blood system.
It sticks in the muscle so it doesn’t allow the muscle to move.
This is why your body may feel tight if youre processing certain emotions.
Do the hips store more trauma than other parts of the body?
“In a fight or flight situation, your muscles respond by tensing up.
“In this act of bearing they also bear our emotional burdens.
However, the body holds the story and also the keys to healing.”
Can stretching be used as a mental health tool?
“We’re designed to move,” Dr. Kung says.
“We’re designed to have energy and emotions move through us, not hold onto them.”
But there’s more to it than just using movement as a form of healing.
For instance, Dr. Gordon expresses the importance of finding someone to help you work through your healing process.
All that is to say: stretching alone won’t heal deep-seated trauma of any kind.
Dragonette notes that complementary medicine that requires physical movement such as yoga or meditation have been rising in popularity.
Dr. Gordon says he agrees.
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