How Unprocessed Emotions Become Physical Pain

Introduction

Many people experience mysterious physical symptoms:- Stomach issues during stress- Tension headaches after emotional confrontation- Shoulder or neck pain with no clear cause- Fatigue unrelieved by sleepModern neuroscience supports what holistic practitioners have long observed: unprocessed emotions can manifest as physical pain. Emotions, when left unaddressed, create real physiological effects throughout the body.

How Emotions Get Stored

Emotions are not just psychological—they’re biochemical experiences involving hormones, neural pathways, and muscle responses.Unresolved emotions:- Create chronic tension patterns in muscle fibers- Trigger inflammatory responses in tissues and organs- Get encoded in nervous system circuits as trauma memories- Lead to psychosomatic pain when not properly processedAs explained by Van der Kolk (2014), traumatic memories are stored not just in the brain, but in the body’s tissues, shaping posture, immune function, and even digestion.

The Nervous System’s Role

Your nervous system is wired for survival. It doesn’t distinguish between emotional and physical threats. When overwhelmed:- The body enters 'protective mode' (fight, flight, or freeze)- This dysregulation can become chronic- Muscles and organs retain 'somatic memories' of distress- Your baseline state shifts toward hypervigilance or shutdownPorges’ Polyvagal Theory (2011) explains how traumatic emotional experiences shape autonomic responses, leading to long-term physiological imbalance.

Common Physical Expressions of Unresolved Emotions

• Anxiety → digestive issues, tight chest, insomnia

• Grief → shallow breath, fatigue, heavy limbs

• Anger → jaw clenching, high blood pressure, back tension

• Fear → muscle stiffness, cold hands, poor circulationThese are not imagined—they’re nervous system adaptations (Ogden & Fisher, 2015).

Reading the Body’s Signals

To build awareness of emotional roots of pain, observe:- Recurring tension that resists massage or stretching- Headaches during emotional overwhelm- Gut issues that flare during conflict- Sleep issues after loss or transition- Frequent infections during high emotional stressThese patterns suggest the need for emotional release, not just physical treatment.

Integration and Release

Sustainable healing occurs when both body and emotion are addressed. Research supports integrative approaches:

• Somatic therapies like Sensorimotor Psychotherapy access stored trauma (Ogden & Fisher, 2015)

• Mindfulness strengthens emotional regulation and interoception (Kabat-Zinn, 2003)

• Bodywork (massage, TRE, craniosacral therapy) helps discharge muscle memory

• Nutrition reduces inflammation, calming the body’s baseline response

• Movement (yoga, Tai Chi) helps shift stuck energyMalchiodi (2020) affirms that integrated expressive methods help resolve trauma stored in the body.

The A.O.S. Approach to Embodied Healing

At A.O.S. Healing Center, LLC, we take a trauma-informed approach:

• Somatic therapy to release stored trauma

• Nervous system regulation through body-based techniques

• Nutritional guidance to reduce inflammation

• Therapeutic alliance that honors your lived body wisdomWe help clients move beyond symptom suppression and into true embodied integration.

FAQs

How quickly can physical symptoms improve? 

Some feel relief in weeks. Deeper nervous system regulation often takes months or more.

Can emotional work resolve pain?

Yes. Emotional repression leads to physiological changes. Addressing the emotional source can relieve symptoms that physical interventions can’t.

What if talk therapy hasn’t worked?

Talk therapy addresses the thinking brain. Somatic therapies target the body and survival brain, where trauma is stored.

References (APA Format)

Kabat-Zinn, J. (2003). Mindfulness-based interventions in context: Past, present, and future. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 10(2), 144–156.Malchiodi, C. A. (2020). Trauma and expressive arts therapy: Brain, body, and imagination in the healing process. Guilford Press.Ogden, P., & Fisher, J. (2015). Sensorimotor psychotherapy: Interventions for trauma and attachment. W. W. Norton & Company.Porges, S. W. (2011). The polyvagal theory: Neurophysiological foundations of emotions, attachment, communication, and self-regulation. Norton.Van der Kolk, B. (2014). The body keeps the score: Brain, mind, and body in the healing of trauma. Viking.