The body stores more than we often realize – not only health and function, but also emotions, memories and internal blocks. Many people who have experienced difficult or overwhelming events tell us that they know it is ‘over’. Yet the body reacts as if the danger was still there.
When we hear the word trauma, we often think of something dramatic and disruptive. But trauma can also be quiet, subtle and long-lasting. That’s why Professor Emeritus Jon Kabat-Zinn – the man behind the mindfulness practice MBSR – talks about trauma with a ‘capital T’ and trauma with a ‘small t’. Both forms can leave deep imprints on both body and mind.
Research shows that the body plays a crucial role in how we process difficult experiences and trauma. This is where body-based approaches come in. Instead of talking about the difficult, these approaches focus on listening to the body, regulating the nervous system and reconnecting to an inner sense of safety.
The body keeps the score
One of the most influential books in body-based trauma work is The Body Keeps the Score by Dutch psychiatrist Dr. Bessel van der Kolk. The book has become a modern classic that changed the way we look at the connection between trauma, the body and the nervous system.
Through both research and long clinical experience, van der Kolk shows that the body literally remembers – not just in the form of pain or tension, but through changes in brain activity, hormone balance and the autonomic nervous system. His work deepens the understanding of how stress and difficult life experiences affect the body over time.
At the same time, he highlights the importance of body-based practices such as yoga, breathing exercises, mindful movement and sensory presence. These techniques not only help to regulate the nervous system – they also create the conditions for deep and sustainable healing.
Many readers have testified how the book helped them understand their own reactions in a whole new way. It emphasizes that real healing does not happen through conversation alone – but by allowing the body to actively participate in the process.
Three “codes” of energy-based healing – from emotions to beliefs (1)
Dr. Bradley Nelson has developed a system of energy-based practices aimed at dissolving the root causes of physical and emotional imbalances. The system consists of three levels: The Emotion Code®, The Body Code® and The Belief Code®. Together they form a holistic model to support the body’s self-healing power by releasing what subconsciously holds us back.
Level 1 – The Emotion Code®
Release trapped emotions (2)
The Emotion Code® is the first and most basic level of the Nelson methodology. It is based on the idea that trapped emotions can become encapsulated in the body as energy blocks – which over time can disrupt both emotional and physical health.
Muscle testing, a form of applied kinesiology, communicates with the body’s subconscious mind to identify specific stuck emotions. Once the emotion is located, a magnetic tool is used and moved along the spine (over the steering meridian) to release the energy and restore flow.
A particularly powerful aspect of the method is the dissolution of the so-called ‘heart wall’ – an energy shield that may have built up around the heart following experiences of grief, betrayal or emotional shock. As this gradually dissolves, many people describe feeling more open, empathic and receptive to love again.
Emotion Code is simple, gentle and non-invasive and many people experience immediate relief, increased clarity or emotional release after a session. Others see more gradual changes in their body, emotional life or relationships. Although the method does not yet have scientific backing by Western standards, many describe it as deeply transformative. Especially for those who carry emotions that cannot be resolved through conversation or analysis. Here, the body, energy and intention are the main actors in the healing.
Level 2 – The Body Code®
Identify and resolve energy imbalances
The Body Code® builds on the Emotion Code and broadens the perspective to a more comprehensive mapping of imbalances in the body’s energy system. It identifies not only emotional blockages, but also other factors that can affect well-being – such as:
- Structural biases
- Nutrient deficiencies or toxic loads
- Pathogens and microbes
- Disorders of organs, glands or tissues
- External energy impacts from environment or relationships
- Energetic imbalances in the meridian system
Using an interactive mapping tool and muscle testing, it looks for the root causes of physical or emotional symptoms. Once an imbalance is identified, the same type of magnetic release as in the Emotion Code is used to restore balance to the body’s energy field.
The Body Code works as an energetic detective work – aiming not only to treat symptoms, but to find and resolve their root causes. The Emotion Code is considered here as the basic level, while the Body Code broadens the perspective to the whole person: body, mind and environment.
Level 3 – The Belief Code®
Releasing limiting belief systems
The Belief Code® is the third and most advanced level. It focuses on subconscious beliefs – thought patterns that may have been formed early in life, in relationships, or as protection after difficult experiences. These beliefs often guide our behavior, our self-esteem and how we relate to the world.
Examples of limiting belief systems can be:
- “I am not worthy of being loved”
- “I have to perform to be recognized”
- “It is dangerous to express what I want”
Using muscle testing, these subconscious patterns are identified. They are then released using the same magnet-based technique used in previous steps. The result is often a more open inner landscape, where old blocks are replaced by a sense of freedom, self-acceptance and emotional ease. The Belief Code is for those who want to access the mental foundation behind repeated life patterns and who are ready to change how you see yourself and life.
THREE – let go through the body’s own shaking reflex (3)
TRE (Tension and Trauma Releasing Exercises) is a body-based method that helps you release stored stress, tension and trauma directly through the body. The method, developed by Dr. David Berceli, is based on the body’s inherent ability to shake off overwhelming experiences – a function that we humans often suppress.
In a session with TRE, you will follow a series of simple physical exercises that activate the deep muscles of the body, especially the psoas muscle – a key muscle linked to the fight-and-flight response. When the muscles are activated correctly, the body triggers a mild, neurogenic shaking reflex.
It is precisely these tremors that do the job. They give the nervous system the opportunity to release deep-seated tensions and ‘reboot’ itself. Many people experience a strong sense of relief, grounding and inner peace afterwards.
The body’s natural strategy for processing trauma
Both humans and animals spontaneously shake after shocking events – such as accidents, births or other survival threats. It is a biological way of releasing survival energy, before it becomes encapsulated as chronic tension or psychosomatic symptoms.
Unfortunately, in our modern culture, we have learned to suppress these bodily reactions – often unconsciously. We shut down, clench and ‘grit our teeth’, which in the long run can create stagnation in both body and nervous system.
TRE helps you reconnect with this natural healing mechanism and is completely non-verbal. The body knows what needs to be released – and does it at its own pace.
After learning the basics, you can then use the method yourself at home as a self-regulatory tool. It is particularly suitable for those who are looking for a concrete, body-centered way to:
- Regulating the nervous system
- Reducing anxiety and stress
- Releasing tension and muscular pain
- Improve sleep
- Building internal resilience over time
EMDR – reprogramming difficult memories through movement (4)
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing ) is an evidence-based method that helps the brain process difficult experiences and reduce the emotional charge of difficult memories. Developed by psychologist Francine Shapiro, it involves stimulating both hemispheres of the brain at the same time – often through eye movements, tapping or other forms of bilateral stimulation.
When we are exposed to overwhelming experiences, memories can get stuck in an ‘unfinished’ state. They can carry with them strong emotions, negative self-images and physical stress reactions – as if the situation was still happening.
EMDR allows you to recall the difficult memory while stimulating the brain bilaterally. This activates the brain’s natural ability to integrate and unload. The process allows you to process difficult memories without fully reliving them. Instead, the memory is reshaped and loses its charge.
Many people describe feeling unexpected relief, new insight and emotional calm – often after just a few sessions. By activating your body’s and brain’s own healing mechanisms, you can reprogram how you experience past events, create new meaning and strengthen your inner security.
When can EMDR be helpful?
EMDR is currently used to treat:
- Acute trauma and PTSD
- Complex PTSD and childhood trauma
- Phobias and anxiety
- Negative self-image and low self-esteem
- Chronic pain and psychosomatic symptoms
It is particularly suitable for those who:
- Feel like you are “stuck in an old memory”
- Experiences strong bodily reactions linked to past experiences
- Want to process trauma without going into it with full emotional reliving
Somatic Experiencing – processing difficult emotions through the wisdom of the body (5)
Somatic Experiencing (SE) is a body-based approach to difficult experiences and trauma that helps the nervous system release unfinished survival reactions and restore inner safety. It was developed by Dr. Peter Levine, who was inspired by the way animals shake off stress after threatening events. Unlike humans, animals move on. We, on the other hand, often get stuck in unfinished reactions – like fight, flight or freeze – because our nervous system is more complex and our culture tends to suppress the body’s impulses. Instead of focusing on the story of what happened, SE focuses attention on what the body is experiencing in the present: breathing, heartbeat, tension, impulses and micro-movements. By slowly and gently approaching these bodily signals, the nervous system is given the opportunity to complete locked-in stress reactions and let go of what has been held in the body. This makes SE a deeply effective way of processing emotions through the body, rather than through analysis.
- The role of the nervous system – understanding polyvagal theory (6)
Somatic Experiencing is also based on the polyvagal theory, developed by Dr. Stephen Porges. It explains how our autonomic nervous system works as a radar-based survival system.
When we experience danger, we move between different states:
– Ventral vagus – where we feel safe, connected and present
– Sympathetic mode – where the body goes into fight or flight
– Dorsal vagus – where we shut down, freeze or dissociate
During difficult experiences, we often get stuck in one of these states, and the body ‘holds on’ to incomplete responses that affect us physically and emotionally.
The goal of SE is to help the body reconnect with the ventral vagus, where we can feel alive, safe and in touch – both with ourselves and with others.
When the nervous system regains access to the safe branch, a space emerges where what was previously too overwhelming can finally be integrated and released. This is where the deep healing happens.
It is about re-establishing the relationship with the body, reconnecting with the present and building an inner sense of stability. Many people experience increased vitality, presence and a new calm when the nervous system is allowed to step out of its survival mode.
Somatic Experiencing is particularly suitable for those who:
- Find that you often get stuck in a fight, flight or freeze state
- Having difficulty feeling safe, present or alive in your body
- Seeking a gentle, in-depth approach to processing trauma in the body
- Want to connect with your body’s signals and regulate your nervous system over time
Summary – the body carries both the pain and the healing
We all carry experiences that are embedded in our bodies – sometimes as tension, sometimes as silent anxiety, sometimes as a sense of being stuck. By using body-based methods, we can begin to process what words do not always reach. That which cannot be thought free of, but which the body can let go of when given the right support. Methods such as TRE, EMDR, Somatic Experiencing and Emotion Code® offer different paths back to balance – but they all start from the same principle: that the body remembers, but can also heal. You don’t have to relive everything. You don’t need to have all the answers. But you do need to access your body’s own wisdom, the rhythm of your nervous system and your ability to feel safe from within.Next steps – finding your path to healing
At the Neoclinic, we will occasionally offer a selection of these methods. For example, Emotion Code® sessions and yoga with TRE elements to regulate the nervous system. You may want to explore bio-resonance and frequency medicine to understand what the body is carrying under the surface.When these body-based methods are combined with frequency diagnostics and bioresonance, we can create a holistic support where body, energy and consciousness work together for healing.
This is where a new relationship with the body begins – not as an obstacle, but as a path to healing No matter where you are, there is a way forward – where the body is no longer seen as a problem, but as an active part of healing.
