The Body Remembers, But It Also Rewrites: Healing Through Movement
At the Trauma Disruptor Coalition, we often say that trauma is not just something that happened to us—it’s something that lives in our bodies. The tightness in your chest, the knot in your stomach, the way you brace before someone raises their voice—these are not personality traits. They are stories your body has been telling for years. But here’s the hope: the body that remembers is also the body that can rewrite.
The Body Keeps the Score—and the Possibility
Dr. Bessel van der Kolk, in his groundbreaking book *The Body Keeps the Score*, writes that trauma is stored not only in memory but in muscle, posture, and physiology. When words aren’t enough, the body continues to carry the story, often through chronic tension, illness, or emotional shutdown. But the same body that carries pain also holds the blueprint for healing.
Our nervous systems are designed for regulation, repair, and renewal. When given consistent signals of safety—through breath, movement, rhythm, and relationship—the body begins to trust again. Neuroplasticity means our brains and bodies can change. Movement is one of the ways we remind them it’s safe to do so.
God Made Us Embodied Beings
In Scripture, healing is never just spiritual—it’s embodied. Jesus didn’t simply preach peace; He touched the sick, washed feet, and laid hands on the weary. Our faith is an incarnational one, meaning God meets us in flesh and breath. To move with intention, then, is to participate in that incarnational truth: that the sacred happens not in escape from the body but in reunion with it.
As 1 Corinthians 6:19 reminds us, 'Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit?' Healing through movement is a form of worship—it’s reclaiming the temple of our own being as a place where peace can dwell again.
Practicing Presence Through Movement
Movement invites us back into the present moment. When trauma has disconnected us from our physical selves, gentle, mindful motion begins to rebuild that bridge. You don’t have to run marathons or take dance classes (though you can). You can begin where you are—with one deep breath, one stretch, one walk around the block.
Consider these simple ways to begin reconnecting with your body:
Breathwork: Try inhaling for a count of four, holding for four, exhaling for six. Let your breath become a message of safety to your nervous system.
Walking: Notice your feet hitting the ground. Feel the rhythm. Let it remind you that you are supported.
Gentle stretching or yoga: Slow, intentional movements that invite curiosity, not perfection.
**Dance or free movement: Turn on music and let your body lead. Release the need to perform. Move until you feel release.
Movement as Reclamation
Every time we move with awareness, we reclaim a little more of ourselves. For those who experienced trauma through violation, control, or fear, movement becomes a declaration: *My body belongs to me again.* It’s an act of agency and resistance.
Psychologist Peter Levine, founder of Somatic Experiencing, explains that trauma isn’t just what happened—it’s the energy that couldn’t be expressed at the time. When we move, we help that trapped energy complete its cycle. We give the body permission to finish the story.
When the Spirit Moves, the Body Follows
Throughout Scripture, the Spirit of God is often described as breath, wind, or movement—dynamic, alive, flowing. Healing, too, is dynamic. As we breathe and move, we create space for the Spirit to flow again where fear once lived. It’s a holy collaboration: the Creator and the created body working together to bring about restoration.
Richard Rohr once said, 'The body is the only place of incarnation and redemption—it is God’s hiding place and God’s revelation.' When we honor our bodies as sacred partners in healing, we participate in that redemption story. We remember that resurrection is not just an event—it’s a pattern.
Reflection Practices
Move Slowly: Each day, take five minutes to move in silence—stretch, sway, walk—without judging how it looks. Just notice how it feels.
Pray with Breath: Inhale the word 'Peace.' Exhale the word 'Release.' Let it become a rhythm of prayer.
Embodied Gratitude: At the end of each day, thank your body for something it allowed you to do—breathe, hug, rest.
Journal Prompt: What parts of your body feel safe? Which parts feel guarded? What might they be trying to tell you?
Healing doesn’t always start with words—it begins with movement. Every stretch, every breath, every gentle motion whispers to your body: 'You are safe now.' And as you move, your body learns to believe it. The same body that once carried pain now carries peace.
References
van der Kolk, B. (2014). The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma. Viking.
Levine, P. (1997). Waking the Tiger: Healing Trauma. North Atlantic Books.
Rohr, R. (2011). Falling Upward: A Spirituality for the Two Halves of Life. Jossey-Bass.