What if your body is keeping secrets you don’t even know about? Explore how trauma isn’t just in your mind—it’s stored in your body, shaping your health, weight, and even your metabolism. From childhood wounds to societal pressures, uncover the hidden connections between emotional pain and physical well-being. It’s time to stop blaming willpower and start understanding the deeper truths behind our struggles. Are you ready to heal from the inside out?

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When Your Body Holds the Truth: Understanding How We Store Trauma

Today, we’re diving into something you might not have thought much about before—how your body remembers and holds on to experiences, especially the tough ones. To put things into perspective, in the 1960s and 70s, only about 13% of adults and 5% of children in the United States were considered obese. Fast forward a few decades, and by the early 2000s, the rates had climbed to around 25%. By 2022, more than 40% of the population was living with obesity. It’s easy to chalk it all up to poor diet and inactivity, but the numbers suggest there’s something deeper at play—something that goes beyond the obvious explanations.

We’re all familiar with the usual suspects: oversized portions, processed foods, long hours sitting at desks, constant screen time, and even temperature-controlled environments that reduce our body’s need to burn extra calories. All these factors contribute, no doubt. But what if the conversation didn’t stop there? What if we also considered how our bodies internalize and store the emotional and psychological struggles we face?

The idea that your body “keeps score” of your life’s hardships isn’t just a metaphor. Dutch psychologist and trauma expert Bessel van der Kolk introduced this concept in his 2014 book, The Body Keeps the Score, suggesting that our bodies physically hold onto trauma in ways that can affect everything from our metabolism to our mental health. In other words, the scars of the past might show up in places we’d least expect them.

Trauma is a word that gets thrown around a lot, but what does it really mean? Back in the 70s and 80s, it was often defined as an extremely rare and catastrophic event, something most people wouldn’t experience. But that definition was built on a narrow understanding of the human condition. Trauma isn’t rare; it’s just often misunderstood. It’s not about the event itself but how it rewires your brain and body. When you can’t move forward or escape the memories, when you’re frozen in a place of fear, shame, or loss—that’s when trauma truly manifests.

Children, in particular, are far more susceptible to these imprints than we often recognize. It’s not just physical abuse that can leave a mark; verbal hostility, constant pressure to perform, explosive anger from a parent, or emotional neglect can all feel like their world is crumbling. These experiences, though they may seem trivial to an adult, are capable of planting seeds of inadequacy, abandonment, and isolation. The child might not understand these feelings, and in an effort to cope, the body learns to bury the emotions rather than face them head-on.

In recent years, the topic of trauma has become more visible in conversations, and with that visibility, some have questioned whether our generation is just too sensitive, or if previous generations simply refused to acknowledge their own suffering. Others wonder if the medical field consistently misdiagnosed people over the decades, labeling them as “crazy” or prescribing treatments that did more harm than good. Dr. van der Kolk suggests that in societies where self-reflection and emotional healing are not the norm, trauma remains hidden in plain sight, with no distinction between those who are coping and those who are struggling.

Our bodies react to trauma in profound ways. It can manifest as chronic pain, fatigue, or an inexplicable slowdown in metabolism. When faced with a traumatic event, your body releases a surge of stress hormones, putting you in a heightened state of alert. This hormonal flood primes you to either fight, freeze, or mentally dissociate from the experience, like watching a scene from a movie rather than living through it. But here’s the thing: while this response is designed to protect you, it also disrupts normal bodily functions, slowing down your metabolism and making it harder to bounce back. This can trigger weight gain, reduced motivation for physical activity, and a tendency toward isolation.

Society, however, has not been kind to those struggling with weight. We’re quick to blame them for lacking willpower, even though there is ample evidence that biology, mental health, and lived experiences all play a role in shaping someone’s relationship with their body. Knowing the “right” things to do—eat well, exercise, get enough sleep—doesn’t always translate into the ability to do them. There’s more going on beneath the surface than just weak resolve.

In a therapeutic setting in Boston, Dr. van der Kolk runs a sensory integration clinic, an indoor playground where children and adults can swing, jump, and climb. This environment isn’t just about physical activity; it’s about reconnecting with the body, letting it rediscover the joy of movement and the pleasure of existing in the moment. By engaging in activities that integrate the mind and body—whether it’s yoga, kickboxing, or tai chi—people can begin to untangle the knots of trauma that have been stored in their physical form. It’s not just about shedding pounds; it’s about forging a healthier relationship with the body and acknowledging it as an ally rather than a burden.

The road to overcoming obesity or any condition tied to past trauma isn’t a sprint; it’s a lifelong journey that demands patience, self-compassion, and a willingness to face uncomfortable truths. Exercise, in this context, is not just a means to an end; it’s a path to rediscovering yourself and reclaiming the parts of you that have been hidden behind layers of pain, shame, or neglect. It’s about feeling alive and present, rather than merely existing.

The evidence is clear, and professionals in the field are urging a shift in how we approach these issues. Instead of dismissing people’s struggles as mere laziness or lack of discipline, we need to offer a more compassionate perspective, one that recognizes the deeper battles that some face every day.

The truth is, your body keeps a meticulous record of the past. It remembers the unspoken hurts, the unhealed wounds, and the unacknowledged fears. But it also holds the key to healing. When we start to listen to the signals it sends, to honor its story, we open the door to true recovery. It’s time to acknowledge that being healthy isn’t just about food and exercise—it’s also about facing the emotional weight we carry and learning to release it.

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