Somatic Trauma Healing and Locus

BY NICOLE LAU

Healing Worth in the Body

Trauma is not just a memory—it is stored in the body. It lives in your nervous system, in your muscles, in your breath. It is the chronic tension in your shoulders, the collapse in your chest, the hypervigilance that never turns off. And worth is not just a belief—it is embodied. It is how you hold yourself, how you breathe, how you move through the world. Healing trauma requires healing the body. And shifting locus requires embodying worth.

This article explores somatic trauma healing through the lens of locus: how the body holds trauma and external locus patterns, how somatic therapies support locus shift, and what it means to embody inherent worth.

The Body Keeps the Score

Bessel van der Kolk's groundbreaking book The Body Keeps the Score revolutionized trauma treatment by showing that trauma is not just psychological—it is physiological. Trauma dysregulates the nervous system, creates chronic patterns of tension or collapse, and disrupts the body's sense of safety. You cannot think your way out of trauma, because trauma is not just in your thoughts—it is in your body.

The body keeps the score in several ways:

Nervous system dysregulation. Trauma activates the sympathetic nervous system (fight or flight) or the dorsal vagal system (freeze or collapse). After trauma, the nervous system can get stuck in these states. You are chronically hyperaroused (anxious, hypervigilant, unable to rest) or chronically hypoaroused (numb, dissociated, unable to feel). Your body does not feel safe, even when you are safe.

Somatic memories. Trauma is stored as implicit, non-verbal memories in the body. You may not consciously remember the trauma, but your body remembers. A smell, a sound, a touch can trigger the body's trauma response—your heart races, your breath quickens, your muscles tense. This is not a thought—it is a somatic memory.

Chronic tension or collapse. Trauma creates chronic patterns in the body. Some people hold trauma as tension—tight shoulders, clenched jaw, shallow breath. Others hold trauma as collapse—slumped posture, low energy, disconnection from the body. These are not just physical—they are embodied trauma responses.

Disconnection from the body. Many trauma survivors dissociate from the body. The body is not safe—it was the site of violation, of pain, of powerlessness. So you disconnect. You live in your head, not in your body. You do not feel your body's sensations, needs, or signals. This is a survival strategy, but it also prevents healing.

How the Body Holds External Locus

External locus is not just a cognitive pattern—it is embodied. Your body holds the belief that you are not safe, that you are not valuable, that you must constantly prove yourself. This shows up in several ways:

Hypervigilance. Your body is constantly scanning for threat. Your nervous system is on high alert. You cannot rest, because rest is dangerous. This is embodied external locus: safety is not inherent—it must be constantly monitored and earned.

Collapse and shutdown. Your body is chronically exhausted, numb, or dissociated. You have given up trying to fight or flee. You are in freeze or collapse. This is embodied external locus: you have no agency, no power, no worth. You are helpless.

Tension and bracing. Your body is chronically tense, braced for impact. You hold your breath, clench your muscles, prepare for harm. This is embodied external locus: you are not safe, you are not protected, you must defend yourself at all times.

Disconnection and dissociation. You are not in your body. You are floating above it, watching from a distance, numb to sensation. This is embodied external locus: your body is not safe, your body is not valuable, your body is not home. You cannot trust your body, so you leave it.

Shame posture. Your body holds shame—slumped shoulders, collapsed chest, downcast eyes, small movements. You are trying to disappear, to take up less space, to be invisible. This is embodied external locus: you are not worthy of being seen, of taking up space, of existing fully.

Somatic Therapies for Trauma and Locus Shift

Somatic therapies work with the body to heal trauma and shift locus. They recognize that trauma is stored in the body, and that healing requires releasing trauma from the nervous system, reconnecting with bodily sensations, and rebuilding a sense of safety and worth in the body.

Key somatic therapies include:

Somatic Experiencing (SE): Developed by Peter Levine, SE works with the body's natural capacity to heal from trauma. It focuses on tracking bodily sensations, completing incomplete survival responses (fight, flight, freeze), and discharging trauma energy from the nervous system. SE helps the body move from dysregulation to regulation, from threat to safety.

Sensorimotor Psychotherapy: Developed by Pat Ogden, this therapy integrates somatic awareness with cognitive and emotional processing. It works with body patterns, posture, and movement to process trauma and shift maladaptive patterns. It helps you become aware of how your body holds trauma, and how to change those patterns.

EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing): While EMDR is often thought of as a cognitive therapy, it is deeply somatic. Bilateral stimulation (eye movements, tapping, sounds) activates the body's natural processing mechanisms, allowing traumatic memories to be reprocessed and integrated. EMDR works with the body's wisdom to heal trauma.

Trauma-Sensitive Yoga: Yoga for trauma survivors focuses on reconnecting with the body, building interoception (awareness of internal sensations), and cultivating a sense of safety and agency in the body. It is not about performance or flexibility—it is about befriending the body, learning to trust bodily sensations, and embodying worth.

Breathwork: Trauma disrupts breathing—creating shallow, rapid, or held breath. Breathwork helps regulate the nervous system, release trauma, and reconnect with the body. Conscious breathing is a powerful tool for shifting from hyperarousal or hypoarousal to a regulated state.

Bodywork and touch: For some trauma survivors, therapeutic touch (massage, craniosacral therapy, Rolfing) can help release trauma from the body. But touch must be trauma-informed, consensual, and safe. For survivors of touch-based trauma, touch may not be appropriate.

Embodying Inherent Worth

Locus shift is not just cognitive—it is embodied. You cannot just think I am valuable—you must feel it in your body. You must embody inherent worth. This means:

Reconnecting with the body. You cannot embody worth if you are dissociated from your body. Somatic healing begins with reconnection: feeling your body, noticing sensations, being present in your body. This is not always comfortable—the body holds pain, trauma, and difficult emotions. But reconnection is necessary for healing.

Building interoception. Interoception is the awareness of internal bodily sensations—hunger, thirst, fatigue, tension, emotion. Trauma disrupts interoception. You do not know what you feel, what you need, or what your body is telling you. Building interoception is building internal locus: you can trust your body's signals, you can know what you need, you can care for yourself.

Regulating the nervous system. You cannot embody worth if your nervous system is dysregulated. When you are in hyperarousal or hypoarousal, you are in survival mode. You cannot feel safe, valuable, or worthy. Nervous system regulation—through breathwork, movement, grounding, or co-regulation—creates the foundation for embodying worth.

Releasing trauma from the body. Trauma is stored as tension, as incomplete survival responses, as somatic memories. Releasing trauma—through somatic therapies, movement, or bodywork—creates space for worth. You are not just holding trauma—you are holding the possibility of healing, of safety, of worth.

Practicing self-touch and self-soothing. Embodying worth means treating your body with care, gentleness, and compassion. This can be as simple as placing a hand on your heart, giving yourself a hug, or gently massaging your shoulders. Self-touch is a practice of inherent worth: my body is worthy of care, of gentleness, of love.

Moving with agency. Trauma creates powerlessness. Embodying worth means reclaiming agency in the body. This can be through movement—dance, martial arts, yoga, walking. Movement that is chosen, that is empowered, that is yours. You are not powerless—you have agency over your body, over your movement, over your life.

Expanding your window of tolerance. The window of tolerance is the zone where you can function, feel, and connect. Trauma narrows this window—you are easily triggered into hyperarousal or hypoarousal. Somatic healing expands the window, creating more capacity to feel safe, to feel emotions, to be present. A wider window of tolerance is embodied internal locus: you can handle life's challenges without collapsing or panicking. You are resilient.

Conclusion: Your Body Is Worthy

Trauma is stored in the body, and external locus is embodied. You cannot heal trauma or shift locus through thought alone. You must work with the body—reconnecting with sensations, regulating the nervous system, releasing trauma, and embodying worth.

Somatic therapies support this work by helping you befriend your body, trust your body's wisdom, and reclaim agency in your body. They help you move from dysregulation to regulation, from disconnection to presence, from shame to embodied worth.

Your body is not the enemy. Your body is not broken. Your body held trauma because it was trying to protect you. Your body is wise, resilient, and worthy of care. Healing trauma means coming home to your body. And embodying inherent worth means knowing, in your bones, in your breath, in your very being: I am valuable. I am safe. I am home.

In the final article of this series, we explore post-traumatic growth in depth: how meaning-making, resilience, and transformation emerge from the struggle to heal.

Next: Post-Traumatic Growth and Meaning-Making