There are many misconceptions about what a trauma release looks and feels like. One person may experience a rush of tears while another might breathe a little easier. There is no right or wrong way to soften and release, and I welcome you to join me to explore the signs!
What is a Trauma Release?
A trauma release is when your body releases stuck trauma that lives in your body.
When you experience a trigger after a traumatic event, your body may tense up, shake, or you could feel the need to run away. This is trauma in your body reacting as if the event were occurring in the present moment. You can also hold your body (and your breath) as a way to prevent certain emotions from surfacing.
If we don’t allow our experiences to fully flow through us as they happen, they can remain in our bodies so we can process them when we’re in a safer environment. It isn’t our fault this happens because there are many reasons we may not feel safe enough to release. It could be our environments, or maybe we were raised to avoid feeling our emotions, or we haven’t been in a position in our lives to focus on our healing.
This is entirely okay, and I welcome you to send yourself kindness for how your body has protected you and that you can find release when you’re ready.
One supportive way to release trauma is through somatic and body based practices like yoga. Because of the nature of this work, I welcome you to include as many support options as possible for the most well-rounded care plan.
To explore more about this topic, including research, to support yoga’s role in releasing trauma, I invite you to read this blog post.
What Happens When you Release Trauma from Your Body
When you release trauma, you may notice your triggers don’t affect you physically as much as they used to. Your muscle tension eases, and you overall feel more at peace in your body. (Source from Attune Philadelphia Therapy Group.)
This is a huge victory for survivors of trauma because you may feel you can’t logic your way out of certain triggers.
Yoga is an accessible avenue to release this stored trauma. This holistic healing practice brings you back into your window of tolerance, the state of your nervous system where you feel neutral and safe to manage daily life. The longer you feel regulated and safe in your body, the easier it is to return to this state.
How to Have a Trauma Release
There are many ways to explore a trauma release, and you’re welcome to include as many options as you like.
Below are a few options for trauma release:
- EMDR therapy and other forms of talk therapy
- Somatic exercises
- Yoga practice, especially trauma-informed yoga
Sourced from Choosing Therapy.
5 Signs You’ve Experienced a Release
Trauma release is an individual experience, so it’s okay if you don’t have the same outcomes as others.
The five most common signs you may have just had a trauma release during your yoga practice include:
- Less physical tension
- A greater sense of calm
- Breathing switches form short, jagged breaths to longer and slower ones
- You feel at peace, calm, or less stressed
- You may have an emotional release
My Personal Experiences with Trauma Release as a Sexual Trauma Survivor
I’d like to give you insight into my personal experience with trauma release during my healing journey for your reference. I’m not saying these exact scenarios will happen in your practice, but I personally like to read about other’s experiences along with research, so I thought I’d share!
Signs I’ve had a trauma release:
- Physically felt weight lift from me.
- Felt tension dissolve in my shoulders, hips and jaw
- Crying (lots of it sometimes)
- Tension releases from my stomach, face, pelvic floor, jaw, or sometimes all over
- Sometimes I’ll feel like I just sat in a hot tub with how relaxed my body feels
- More positive emotions and less racing thoughts
- An overall sense of lightness, calm, and inner peace
I’d like to mention that I didn’t experience my first trauma release until I practiced yoga for several years. This could be because I didn’t know trauma release existed or that trauma lives in our bodies, and I wasn’t practicing yoga with this as my goal, it just happened.
The first time I experienced this, I was confused, scared, and immediately went to my phone to search what happened. I discovered this was part of the healing process and led to my journey of becoming a trauma informed yoga teacher.
I welcome you to enter your yoga practice knowing a trauma release might or might not happen and you’re not doing anything wrong if you don’t experience one. You may have nothing to release that day, hold more stress and can’t settle into your practice, or other reasons.
You’re still receiving benefits from your practice even if you don’t notice immediate changes, and a trauma release is just one small part of a much larger picture.
How To Promote Trauma Release During Your Yoga Practice
The most important part of any practice is that you feel safe. It’s important you have grounding and resourcing strategies (which I welcome you to read more about in this blog post). This way, you will understand how to return to the present moment if you feel overwhelmed and will be able to hold space for yourself.
I invite you to explore the tips below if you’re new to exploring yoga as a supportive healing modality to support trauma release.
7 tips to support trauma release:
- Practice yoga you enjoy. I welcome you to do the type of yoga that brings you the most joy. Some students love restorative and Hatha yoga, which are well known for soothing your nervous system. In the beginning of my healing journey, I only did Vinyasa (and experienced my first trauma release in this style class.) There are no rules to what calms you.
- Practice in an environment you feel safest and most comfortable. If you love public or online live classes because of the sense of community and closeness, that might be your style. Or you might prefer solitude so you can focus on yourself and your body.
- Explore trauma-informed yoga. This isn’t a style of yoga (like Hatha, Vinyasa, or Yin) but a way of teaching those styles. Teachers put special care into classes that avoid triggering cues, poses, language, music, props, sequences and more. The purpose is to make you feel as safe as possible during class. Without safety and feeling like you have embodied choice, it can be much more difficult to find release. I welcome you to read this blog post for an in-depth guide to this style of yoga and if it’s a healing modality that interests you.
- Give yourself grace and patience. It may take a while of consistently practicing to finally experience a trauma release. Your body may not be used to calming practices and mindfulness, which is completely understandable after trauma. Like any practice, it seems like nothing is changing in the beginning, then suddenly you see huge progress.
- Have more goals than just a trauma release. It can be tempting to follow sensations or chase releases, but there is so much more to a consistent yoga practice than trauma release. You learn self love, kindness, and mindfulness. You provide your body with increased flexibility, strength, and a calmer presence. I welcome you to go into your practice with an open mind so you can embrace all the positive changes happening.
- Only explore if you feel ready. You don’t need to jump into any practice you’re not ready for. I welcome you to take all the time you need and know there are plenty of supportive resources to explore when you’re ready. Your pace is the best pace.
- Explore affirmations. Affirmations give extra support to allow you to finally release what no longer serves you. In my personal practice, I use two affirmations that allow me to feel safe enough to let go. I welcome you to use these as inspiration or use directly during your practice.
- This isn’t mine to carry.
- I’m safe to let go.
- If you want more affirmation inspiration, I welcome you to read this blog post for 49 healing chakra affirmations for trauma healing.
Overview
Trauma release can feel different for each of us, but the result is the same: you feel safe and comfortable within your body.
This also sends a powerful message that to heal is not about doing more, being more, or even becoming someone new. It’s about the gentle unraveling and releasing of what doesn’t serve us anymore. When we release the armor and defenses, we will be able to lean into more joy, vulnerability, and authenticity.
Explore trauma-informed classes focused on embodiment and release
Since healing isn’t linear, I’ve learned to explore trauma healing through the lens of seasons. One of these seasons is embodiment and release, when we’re ready to let go of the protective layers just like how Autumn leaves fall to make room for new growth.
I have an entire section of embodiment and release classes in my free trauma-informed yoga library, the Cozy Corner, that explores this season and honors the unique lived experiences of sexual trauma survivors.
Once you sing up, you’ll have instant access to a library full of classes, meditations, a seven day grounding series, and be able to join the private community (no social media required.) I invite you to join me inside!
