Fit in my 40s: Can exercise really release trauma stored in your body? | Aptitude

IIf you want to understand bioenergetics, you must first put aside your inner voice of judgment. It is the theory that trauma is stored in the body, that every repressed emotion from early childhood alters your musculature and fascia (the fibrous tissue covering the body, like a spider’s web); and that by putting pressure on the muscles with specific exercises, you can release the holding patterns and the dead zones in which they got sick.

My inner cynic raised the following objections: pah, trauma is for war zones, I’ve never been traumatized; the whole text, Bioenergetics, by Devaraj Sandberg, seems very recent and some of the responses Sandberg described – uncontrollable tremors, after exercise – seem very unlikely.

But there were some nagging counterpoints. First, the trauma doesn’t have to be a war, it can be a car accident (tick) at a time of intense insecurity when you were a baby. Second, it’s well established, even in conventional medicine, that when you have an intense negative experience, your body stores it in its neurological pathways and hormonal responses. Why shouldn’t muscles also have a memory, especially since the expression “muscle memory” already exists? Third, I have done a lot of experimental exercises in the aerobic space (piloxing, Zumba Strong), so why should I be skeptical of the new agery?

The cornerstone of bioenergetic practice is the bow and the bow, which is good for anxiety, but worth it even if you are not anxious. To enter the ark, stand with your feet parallel, 30 cm apart; drop your head on your chest, or as close as you can get, and roll down, rag doll fashion, until your tailbone is pointing skyward and you get a stretch in the back of your thighs – do not lock your knees; hang your hands on or near the floor. Stay there for as long as you feel comfortable, write down how long it’s been, then repeat that duration two more times.

For the arch, from a standing position, straighten your arms, hands together, over your head and lean back, pushing your chest and pelvis forward with your knees slightly bent. You can do both with expression – the gargoyle (googly eyes, wide mouth, sticking out tongue and hissing) or laughing (a classic Santa ho-ho-ho is recommended). It sounds wild but it encourages you to go out. Your goal with both exercises is to put your muscles under controlled stress, so that they let go of the maintenance patterns they have stored in the past.

For a beginner, it is enough to start each day with 15 minutes of arc and arc. I did something weird behind my back on the sixth day; it didn’t hurt, but every time I moved in a certain way I felt like an elephant was standing on top of me. A week before, I would have booked a Covid test. Instead, I decided I was letting go of the grief. So maybe there is something there; maybe anxiety is like a constant ambient alarm – you only notice it when it stops.

What I learned

One stress relieving exercise, tantrum, involves lying on your bed, banging your fists against the mattress while wiggling your legs.