Where is grief held in the body?

Emotions all have physiological responses. When you experience an intense emotion, you may have noticed that you also experience a felt sense in the body. Emotions can impact the body, particularly those that activate the stress response cycle in the body. The concept of emotions becoming held or trapped in the body is derived from ancient medicine traditions and a modern medical understanding of how we experience emotions in the body.

In, The Body Keeps the Score; author Bessel Van Der Kolk insists that trauma patients participate in bodywork like massage, yoga, and Qigong. Traumatic experiences and their emotional repercussions can have an impact on the physical body that should be addressed physically as well as emotionally. Candace B. Pert, a scientist who authored Molecules of Emotions, supports the idea of how unprocessed emotions in the body can become stuck, impacting someone’s overall wellbeing.

Researchers have also explored the mind-body link, which is referred to as embodied cognition. This is the idea that our thoughts have implications for the body and what is happening within it. In research that has been done on embodied cognition, guilt is often described as a heavyweight.

Guilt also causes a stress response in the body. Muscle tension can occur anywhere in the body as a result. Sore shoulders, a stiff neck, or even lower back pain may be a stress response to guilt. The stress response cycle can also negatively impact cardiovascular health and the immune system. In yogic practice, guilt may impact the heart chakra, where emotions and the ability to connect with others are thought to be stored or affected. Yoga flows designed to open and release tension in this part of the body may be helpful.

Guilt is also linked with depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress disorder. Understanding the source of the guilt can help move past the emotion when it becomes difficult or overwhelming. Talking with a therapist can be helpful. You may also find helpfulness from working with a yoga instructor or energy healer to complement traditional therapy.