Chronic Pain and Energetic Holding: The Body Keeps the Score

BY NICOLE LAU

The pain won't go away. You've tried everything—medication, physical therapy, surgery—but the pain persists. It's chronic, relentless, and exhausting. The doctors can't find a clear cause. The scans are normal. But the pain is real. This is chronic pain—pain that lasts for months or years, pain that has no clear physical explanation. And energetically, chronic pain is often the body holding onto something—trauma, emotion, stress, or memory. The body keeps the score. It remembers what the mind forgets. And it holds that memory in the tissues, in the muscles, in the fascia, as pain.

Chronic pain is not just physical—it is energetic and emotional. It is the body's way of holding onto unresolved trauma, emotions, or stress. Chronic pain and energetic holding as the body keeps the score is the recognition that chronic pain is often the physical manifestation of trapped energy, unresolved emotions, or traumatic memories held in the body. The body remembers what the mind suppresses, and it expresses that memory as pain. Understanding chronic pain as energetic holding allows us to see pain as a messenger, revealing where energy is stuck, where emotions are trapped, and where healing is needed. Releasing chronic pain requires releasing the held energy, emotions, and memories.

The Medical Science: What is Chronic Pain?

Chronic pain is pain that lasts for 3 months or longer, often persisting beyond the expected healing time.

Types of Chronic Pain:

Nociceptive Pain:

• Pain caused by tissue damage or inflammation (e.g., arthritis, injury). This pain has a clear physical cause.

Neuropathic Pain:

• Pain caused by nerve damage or dysfunction (e.g., diabetic neuropathy, sciatica). The nerves themselves are damaged or malfunctioning.

Nociplastic Pain (Central Sensitization):

• Pain caused by changes in the nervous system's processing of pain signals. The pain is real, but there is no clear tissue damage or nerve injury. The nervous system has become hypersensitive. This is common in fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, and some cases of chronic back pain.

Common Chronic Pain Conditions:

• Fibromyalgia: Widespread musculoskeletal pain, fatigue, and tenderness.
• Chronic Back Pain: Persistent pain in the lower or upper back.
• Chronic Headaches/Migraines: Frequent or persistent headaches.
• Arthritis: Joint pain and inflammation.
• Chronic Pelvic Pain: Persistent pain in the pelvic region.

Causes of Chronic Pain:

• Injury or Surgery: Pain that persists after an injury or surgery has healed.
• Chronic Illness: Conditions like arthritis, fibromyalgia, or autoimmune disorders.
• Nerve Damage: Neuropathic pain from nerve injury or disease.
• Central Sensitization: The nervous system becomes hypersensitive to pain signals.
• Unknown Causes: In many cases, the cause of chronic pain is unclear.

Treatment:

• Medications: Pain relievers, anti-inflammatories, antidepressants, anticonvulsants.
• Physical Therapy: Exercise, stretching, strengthening.
• Interventions: Nerve blocks, injections, surgery.
• Psychological Approaches: Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), mindfulness, biofeedback.

The Mystical Parallel: The Body Keeps the Score

"The Body Keeps the Score" is the title of a groundbreaking book by Dr. Bessel van der Kolk on trauma and the body. The central idea: the body remembers trauma, even when the mind forgets or suppresses it.

Trauma and the Body:

What is Trauma?:

• Trauma is an overwhelming experience that the mind and body cannot fully process. It can be a single event (e.g., accident, assault) or chronic stress (e.g., childhood abuse, war).

How the Body Holds Trauma:

• When trauma occurs, the body goes into survival mode—fight, flight, or freeze. If the trauma is not fully processed, the body remains in a state of activation. The nervous system stays on high alert, and the muscles remain tense. This tension and activation can become chronic, manifesting as pain.

Somatic Memory:

• The body has its own memory—somatic memory. Trauma is stored in the tissues, the muscles, the fascia, and the nervous system. Even if the mind forgets, the body remembers. This memory can manifest as chronic pain, tension, or illness.

Energetic Holding:

What is Energetic Holding?:

• Energetic holding is the phenomenon of energy becoming stuck or blocked in the body. Emotions, trauma, or stress that are not fully expressed or released become trapped in the body as stagnant energy. This trapped energy can manifest as pain, tension, or illness.

Where Energy Gets Stuck:

• Energy often gets stuck in areas of the body associated with specific emotions or experiences. For example: The shoulders and neck (carrying burdens, stress), The lower back (feeling unsupported, fear), The hips (stored emotions, trauma, especially sexual trauma), The jaw (suppressed anger, unexpressed words), The chest (grief, heartbreak).

The Convergence: Chronic Pain as Energetic Holding

Chronic pain is often the body's way of holding onto unresolved trauma, emotions, or stress. The pain is a messenger, revealing where energy is stuck.

Common Patterns in Chronic Pain:

1. Unresolved Trauma:

• Chronic pain often correlates with unresolved trauma—childhood abuse, accidents, violence, or chronic stress. The body holds the trauma as pain.
• Example: A person with chronic lower back pain may have experienced a traumatic event where they felt unsupported or unsafe. The body holds that memory as pain in the lower back.

2. Suppressed Emotions:

• Chronic pain can be the body's way of expressing suppressed emotions—anger, grief, fear, or sadness. When emotions are not expressed, they are stored in the body as tension and pain.
• Example: Chronic tension headaches may be related to suppressed anger or stress.

3. Chronic Stress:

• Chronic stress keeps the body in a state of activation—muscles tense, nervous system on high alert. Over time, this chronic tension manifests as pain.
• Example: Fibromyalgia is often associated with chronic stress and trauma.

4. Lack of Safety:

• Chronic pain can arise when the body does not feel safe. The nervous system remains in a state of hypervigilance, and the muscles remain tense, leading to pain.
• Example: People with PTSD often experience chronic pain because the body is constantly on alert.

Practical Applications: Releasing Chronic Pain Through Energetic Release

Somatic Therapy:

• Somatic therapy focuses on releasing trauma and emotions held in the body. Techniques include Somatic Experiencing (SE), Trauma-Sensitive Yoga, and body-based psychotherapy. These approaches help the body release trapped energy and complete the trauma response.

Breathwork:

• Breathwork can release trapped energy and emotions. Deep, conscious breathing activates the parasympathetic nervous system, calms the body, and allows energy to flow.

Bodywork and Massage:

• Bodywork (massage, myofascial release, Rolfing) can release tension and trapped energy in the muscles and fascia. Sometimes, emotions are released during bodywork—crying, shaking, or feeling intense emotions. This is the body releasing what it has been holding.

Movement and Dance:

• Movement and dance can release stuck energy. Shaking, dancing, or free movement allows the body to express and release what has been held.

Energy Healing:

• Energy healing (Reiki, acupuncture, craniosacral therapy) can release energetic blockages and restore flow. These modalities work with the body's energy field to release stuck energy.

Emotional Release:

• Allow yourself to feel and express emotions. Cry, scream, write, or talk about what you've been holding. Emotional release is essential for releasing chronic pain.

Trauma Therapy:

• Work with a trauma-informed therapist to process unresolved trauma. Therapies like EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) or Somatic Experiencing can help the body release trauma.

Create Safety:

• Create a sense of safety in your body and your life. The body will not release pain if it does not feel safe. Practice grounding, create safe spaces, and build supportive relationships.

Important Caveats

Not All Chronic Pain is Energetic:

• Some chronic pain has clear physical causes (e.g., arthritis, nerve damage). Not all chronic pain is due to energetic holding. The energetic perspective is complementary, not exclusive.

Seek Medical Care:

• Always seek medical care for chronic pain. Rule out physical causes and use medical treatment as needed. The energetic approach is complementary to medical treatment, not a replacement.

Be Patient:

• Releasing chronic pain takes time. The body has been holding this pain for months or years. Healing is a process, not an event. Be patient and compassionate with yourself.

The Philosophical Implication: The Body is an Archive

The body is an archive—it stores memories, emotions, and experiences. Chronic pain is often the body's way of saying: "I am still holding this. I need to release it." Healing chronic pain requires listening to the body, honoring its messages, and releasing what has been held.

Chronic pain and energetic holding as the body keeps the score is the recognition that chronic pain is often the physical manifestation of trapped energy, unresolved emotions, or traumatic memories held in the body. The body remembers what the mind suppresses, and it expresses that memory as pain. Understanding chronic pain as energetic holding allows us to see pain as a messenger, revealing where energy is stuck, where emotions are trapped, and where healing is needed. Releasing chronic pain requires releasing the held energy, emotions, and memories. Your body is speaking. Listen. And let go.

The pain is here. The energy is stuck. And you—you are the one who can release it. Feel the emotions. Process the trauma. Move the energy. And let the body release what it has been holding. The body keeps the score. But the body also heals. Trust the process. Release the pain. And remember: you are not broken—you are holding. And now, it is time to let go.

Next in series: Mental Illness and Spiritual Emergency—distinguishing the two.

As you honor the wisdom your body holds and gently release what no longer serves you, consider weaving in supportive rituals that speak directly to your energetic field — the emotional filter ritual printable spell kit offers a sacred way to cleanse stagnant patterns, while the sacred space cleanse printable energy clearing ritual kit helps create a sanctuary for deep healing, and for those moments when you need to realign with your inner light, the breathe into radiance a breath ritual for inner glow can guide you back to a place of gentle restoration and peace.