Does the body have memory? Does the body remember stressful events?

Have you wondered why it is that people get tense when they remember something traumatic or stressful? There is a lot of emerging evidence that the body tissues can contain memory of previous events, including trauma or stress or previous situations. Also, by changing the body using techniques such as massage, yoga, myofascial therapy or stretching, it can help people recover from previous stressful events.

If you don’t have time to read more, then the short answer is Yes, it does seem like the body stores memories. This is why tuning into your physical responses helps you also understand your emotional and thought processes. So go and book yourself a massage, yoga class or myofascial therapist now. Exercise such as cycling or swimming is also very useful.

If you are interested in reading more, then read the summary below (or read the full article, which is attached by the link at the end). After reading, go and book yourself a massage, yoga class or myofascial therapist. :-)

Article summary..

The idea that tissues may possess some sort of memory is a controversial topic calling for research and clinical exploration. Many bodyworkers, at some point in their practice, have experienced phenomena that may be interpreted as representing a release of memory traces when working on dysfunctional tissues. This feeling has been accompanied by some type of sensory experience, for the therapist and/or the patient. In some cases, early traumatic experiences can be recalled. When this happens, the potency of the memory may be erased or eased, along with restoration of tissue function. Hence the questions: can memories be held in the fascia? Are these memories accessible during physical massage? Modern research has proposed a variety of different interpretations as to how memory might be stored in soft tissues, possibly involving other forms of information storage not exclusively processed in the brain.

It appears that the body, the physical and energetic system, is capable of conducting messages. It is an informational network that distributes regulatory signals throughout the body, coordinating cellular and extracellular activities involved in growth and regeneration. It is suggested that manual therapy might affect various forms of memory, producing profound tissue changes.

Full article link.. https://www.iahe.com/docs/articles/does-fascia-have-memory.pdf

Reference

Does fascia hold memories? FASCIA SCIENCE AND CLINICAL APPLICATIONS: EDITORIAL, Journal of Bodywork & Movement Therapies (2014) 18, 259-265