Is Your Body Holding Trauma? From a Trauma Therapist

How Pain and Aches Could Be a Somatic Sign

You’ve ruled out the medical stuff. You've had the scans, the blood tests, the appointments. But the symptoms are still there—tight chest, stomach pain, muscle tension.

What if your body is remembering something your mind has tucked away?

Trauma Can Live in the Body

Trauma doesn’t just affect your thoughts or mood. It can live in your nervous system, tissues, and cells—sometimes for years after the event has passed.

As trauma expert Dr Bessel van der Kolk puts it in The Body Keeps the Score:

“Trauma is not just an event that took place sometime in the past. It is also the imprint left by that experience on mind, brain and body.”

This means that if you’ve experienced trauma—or even chronic stress—your body might carry the residue. And it may express it in the only way it knows how: pain, discomfort, or shutdown.

Common Somatic Symptoms of Trauma

When we talk about somatic symptoms, we mean physical symptoms that don't have a clear medical explanation—but are very real and often exhausting. These include:

• Stomach or digestive issues

• Ongoing fatigue or energy crashes

• Muscle tension or body aches (especially neck, shoulders, back)

• Headaches or migraines

• Chest tightness or racing heart

• Jaw clenching or grinding teeth

• Sleep difficulties or physical restlessness

Sometimes the cause is trauma that has never been processed or fully acknowledged—whether it's a single event or years of chronic emotional stress.

What If It’s Trauma?

Your body might be trying to get your attention, not punish you. Physical pain can be a language of its own, especially when emotions have been shut down for a long time.

Maybe your stomach pain flares up when you're under pressure. Maybe your shoulders feel like they’re carrying the weight of something you can’t name. Maybe fatigue shows up right after a tense interaction.

You're not making it up. You're not being dramatic. You're responding in a very human, embodied way to experiences that were overwhelming.

What You Can Do

If this sounds familiar, here are a few gentle ways to explore the connection between your body and emotional health:

• Notice patterns: When do the symptoms flare up? What’s happening in your life at the time?

• Tune into sensations: Gently check in with where your body holds tension

• Reflect on past experiences: Have there been times when you felt unsafe, unsupported, or overwhelmed?

• Get support from a trauma therapist: Healing doesn’t have to happen alone. A trained trauma therapist can help make sense of what your body is holding

How a Trauma Therapist in Melbourne Can Help

At The Inner Collective, our team of Melbourne psychologists and trauma therapists in Melbourne are experienced in working with clients who experience somatic symptoms linked to trauma.

We use trauma-informed, body-aware therapy that helps you reconnect with your body in a safe and supported way. You don’t need to have a clear memory of the trauma to begin healing. We work with what’s showing up now—through your body, emotions, and thoughts.

Our psychologists in Melbourne CBD take a neuroaffirming, culturally sensitive approach, grounded in compassion and science. Whether you’re dealing with chronic pain, stress-related symptoms, or emotional overwhelm, we’ll meet you where you’re at.

You Don’t Have to Do It Alone

If your body has been holding something for years, you don’t have to keep carrying it alone.

Reach out today to book with a trauma therapist in Melbourne and take the first step toward healing.

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