What if the key to faster, deeper healing isn’t just in your mind but also in your body? Emerging science reveals that the body’s connective tissue network, known as fascia, plays a crucial role in trauma processing. Yet, many therapeutic approaches focus almost exclusively on the mind, overlooking how the body can accelerate and deepen healing.
Through my work, I’ve personally observed how incorporating movement into therapy sessions speeds up processing time for clients. One theory about why therapies that include movement and body engagement (specifically memory reconsolidation therapies like EMDR and ART) promote faster trauma resolution is that it assists in updating sensory input to limbic system. Let’s explore why movement is the missing link in trauma therapy—and how it can revolutionize the way we heal.
Table of Contents
The Science Behind Trauma and the Body
The Power of Sensory Input
Our brains constantly process sensory information from both internal and external environments. This sensory input significantly influences our perception and engagement with the world, especially in the aftermath of trauma. Traumatic experiences can alter the neural pathways responsible for processing these sensations, affecting higher-order cognitive functions, including emotion regulation and social cognition.
Fascia, the connective tissue surrounding muscles, nerves, and organs, plays a vital role in this process. It is richly innervated and responsive, acting as a highway for sensory signals about pain, tension, and movement. Engaging the fascia through movement sends updated sensory information to the brain—specifically to the limbic system, which processes emotions and memories. This updated input helps the brain ground itself in the present moment and resolve old trauma loops.
Trauma, the Freeze Response, and “Stuck” Input
During traumatic events, the body’s autonomic nervous system may trigger a freeze response. This survival mechanism floods the body with chemicals that cause muscle immobilization to protect against further harm. While helpful in the moment, this response can leave unprocessed trauma suspended in the body, particularly within the fascia, which may store it as chronic tension or pain.
Movement plays a transformative role here. By stretching or activating the fascia, we stimulate sensory pathways that send fresh signals to the brain. These signals “update” the limbic system, disrupting the cycle of old, unprocessed sensory input. This real-time communication helps clients feel more grounded and allows the brain to reconsolidate traumatic memories effectively.
Why Sensory Input Speeds Up Processing
Targeting the fascia with movement is uniquely effective because it engages the body’s natural communication systems. This approach works for all types of trauma—physical, emotional, and developmental—because it bypasses the need for verbal processing and communicates directly with the brain through sensory input. When we move, we:
- Ground the brain in the present moment: Sensory input from movement shifts the brain’s focus away from past trauma to current, safe sensations in the body.
- Access implicit memory: Movement can tap into emotions and memories stored in the body that traditional talk therapy might miss.
- Promote neuroplasticity: Sensory input encourages the brain to create new neural pathways, enabling faster reconsolidation of traumatic memories.
Why Movement Matters in Trauma Processing
Movement isn’t just an optional addition to therapy—it’s often the catalyst that makes healing faster, deeper, and more sustainable. Here’s why it matters:
- It Reconnects the Mind and Body
Trauma often leaves clients feeling disconnected from their bodies. Movement bridges that gap, helping them feel grounded and safe within their own skin. - It Works Beyond Conscious Memory
Many clients can’t recall every detail of their trauma, but their bodies remember. Movement helps access and process these implicit memories without requiring conscious recall. - It Accelerates Healing
In my practice, I’ve seen how movement reduces the time it takes to process traumatic memories. Clients often report feeling lighter and more emotionally regulated after sessions that include movement integration.
Practical Examples: Movement in Action
If you’re curious about how movement can transform trauma therapy, here are a few techniques I use:
- Bilateral rhythmic movements: Simple actions like tapping, walking, or rocking engage both hemispheres of the brain, enhancing memory reconsolidation.
- Somatic stretches: Targeting areas of tension in the fascia helps release stored trauma and promotes a sense of relief.
- Multiple modes of Bilateral Stimulation (BLS): Combining movement with additional BLS techniques (e.g., tapping or eye movements) amplifies the brain’s ability to process trauma quickly and effectively.
Addressing Concerns and Misconceptions
Is movement only for physical trauma?
Absolutely not. Movement is equally effective for emotional and developmental trauma because it accesses the sensory systems that store all types of trauma.
Will it feel overwhelming?
Not at all. Movement-based approaches can be tailored to each client’s comfort level. Many of the techniques are gentle and grounding, offering a safe way to process trauma without retraumatization.
How to Get Started with Movement-Based Trauma Therapy
If you’re a therapist, consider including movement-based approaches in your work and training in deep brain therapies like EMDR, ART, Flash, and Brainspotting. For clients, integrating movement into sessions is as simple as working with a practitioner trained in modalities like Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART), Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), or Brainspotting, who understands the role of the body in healing and is okay with you choosing a movement based bilateral stimulation.
Conclusion: The Missing Link
Movement isn’t just a complement to trauma therapy—it’s often the missing link. By engaging the body’s natural sensory pathways, movement allows clients to process trauma faster and more deeply than traditional methods alone.
Your body holds the wisdom to heal. Movement simply helps unlock it.
If you’re curious about integrating movement into your healing process, let’s talk.
References:
- “How Processing of Sensory Information From the Internal and External Worlds Shape the Perception and Engagement With the World in the Aftermath of Trauma: Implications for PTSD”
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnins.2021.625490/full - “The Brain-Body Disconnect: A Somatic Sensory Basis for Trauma-Related Disorders”
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnins.2022.1015749/full - “Does Fascia Hold Memories?”
https://www.bodyworkmovementtherapies.com/article/S1360-8592(13)00192-7/fulltext - 2021 Presentation by Serene Calkins, PT, International Brainspotting Conference
- Explain Pain, Book by Butler David and G. Lorimer Moseley
