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:
the way you think about yourself
how you react to stress
your physical well-being
your relationships with others
After all, emotional baggage gets its name from somewhere, right? Let’s unpack the layers of how and where emotions get stuck, so you can release what’s weighing you down.
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.
Mark Olson, PhD, LMT, the owner and director of the Pacific Center for Awareness & Bodywork, believes activating certain areas of the body may trigger these memories.
“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.”
