Somatic Release: Why Pain Lives in the Tissues
There is a quiet truth many people discover only after years of searching for relief:
Pain doesn’t always begin where it hurts.
Sometimes, pain is the body’s memory — a story held in muscle, fascia, and nervous tissue long after the original moment has passed.
Somatic release invites us to listen to that story, rather than fight it.
When Pain Isn’t Just Physical
If you’ve ever been told:
“Your scans are clear”
“There’s nothing structurally wrong”
“It’s just stress”
…and yet your body still aches, tightens, or flares — you’re not imagining it.
From a somatic perspective, pain can arise when the body hasn’t had the chance to complete a stress response.
The nervous system is designed to move through cycles:
stress → response → release → rest
But when stress, trauma, emotional overwhelm, or long-term pressure isn’t safely discharged, the body adapts by holding.
That holding often lives in:
Tight shoulders or jaw
Persistent hip or pelvic tension
Lower back pain
Chronic fatigue or heaviness
Guarded” muscles that never fully soften
The body remembers what the mind tries to forget.
How Emotions Become Physical Sensations
Emotions are not abstract — they are physiological experiences.
Fear tightens.
Grief collapses.
Anger braces.
Overwhelm freezes.
When emotions aren’t processed or expressed, the nervous system may store them in the tissues as protective patterns. This is not weakness — it is intelligence.
Your body learned how to keep you safe.
Over time, those protective patterns can become pain pathways:
Muscles that stay contracted
Fascia that loses elasticity
Nervous systems that remain hyper-alert
Pain signals that switch on too easily
Somatic pain isn’t “all in your head.”
It’s in your body — and it makes sense.
The Role of the Nervous System
At the heart of somatic pain is the nervous system.
When the body spends too long in survival states (fight, flight, freeze, or fawn), it prioritises protection over repair. Blood flow, digestion, tissue healing, and deep rest all take a back seat.
In this state:
Pain thresholds lower
Inflammation can increase
Recovery slows
Rest feels unsafe
This is why many people notice pain flares during emotionally stressful times — even when nothing “new” has happened physically.
The body is responding to perceived threat, not damage.
What Is Somatic Release?
Somatic release is the process of gently helping the body:
Feel safe again
Complete unfinished stress responses
Soften long-held tension
Re-educate the nervous system toward rest
This doesn’t require reliving trauma or “digging up” the past.
Instead, it works with:
Sensation
Breath
Awareness
Gentle nervous system regulation
Release often happens quietly — a sigh, a warmth, a wave of emotion, a sense of spaciousness.
Small signals. Big shifts.
How Reiki Supports Somatic Release
Reiki works beautifully alongside somatic healing because it meets the body where it is.
Rather than forcing change, Reiki:
Signals safety to the nervous system
Encourages parasympathetic (rest-and-repair) states
Supports emotional processing without overwhelm
Helps soften energetic and physical holding patterns
Many people experience:
Reduced pain intensity
A feeling of “unwinding” from the inside
Emotional release without re-traumatisation
Deeper rest after sessions
A renewed sense of connection to their body
As a registered nurse and Reiki practitioner, I often see this meeting point — where clinical understanding and energetic support work together, not against each other.
Pain as Communication, Not Failure
Somatic healing asks a different question.
Not:
“What’s wrong with my body?”
But:
“What has my body been carrying?”
Pain can be an invitation — not to push harder, but to soften, slow down, and listen.
When the body feels heard, it often begins to let go.
A Gentle First Step
If you’re living with persistent pain, tension, or fatigue that hasn’t responded to “doing more,” somatic release may offer a new pathway — one rooted in compassion rather than correction.
You don’t need to force your body to heal.
You can allow it.
✨ Your body isn’t broken. It’s been protecting you.
Book a Reiki Session with Karina
with love x