Your Hips Store Trauma. Hip Openers Can Help with Emotional Release.
Have you heard that unresolved trauma and emotions can get trapped in the body, specifically the hips, as pain and tension?
Hmmm, you start wondering as you scan your body. I have really tight hips. Could this be stored trauma?Is this actually a symptom of stuck energy?
The answer lies within the complex inner workings of the mind-body connection — a space that was once the purview of yogis and alternative medical practitioners but has now gained more and more traction within the traditional scientific community.
But, in short, YES, tight, sore, tense hips can most certainly be an expression of emotional dysregulation. Your hips could very well indeed be holding on to trauma.
The Mind-Body Connection
One of the most common experiences of the mind-body connection is acute stress. We've all had it.
Our kiddo runs out toward the street. We’re minutes away from going into a big interview. A police officer knocks on the door. Boom. Your heart starts racing, your breathing grows fast and shallow, maybe you start sweating, among other physical reactions. In fact, it seems your body kicks into high gear before you're even consciously aware of what's going.
More and more evidence-based studies have come out in recent year that support this exquisite yet complicated bidirectional relationship of brain and body. Take for example the confirmed relationship between long-term states of psychological stress and decreased immune responsiveness. Or the connection between poor gut health and brain fog and autoimmunity.
You may have also heard about another fascinating mind-body connection. Perhaps you’ve experienced it yourself. It’s the claim that unprocessed emotions and trauma can be “stored” in the physical body — not just in your subconscious or in your memory, but in your actual muscles and joints, tendons and ligaments, viscera and bodily systems...
When that trauma, which is physically held as tension and hormonal imbalance, is released, we can experience a corresponding emotional release. And it can be intense.
Think about it. Have you ever been in a yoga class and, in the middle of the hip opening pigeon pose, felt something deep inside of you well up and spill out? The tears rain down, soaking your yoga mat and leaving you totally perplexed. Or maybe this happened to you during a massage, an acupuncture session... even a pedicure. You’re crying, but you’re not sure why.
Could this be the release of emotional trauma?
Many wellness experts and practitioners argue YES. A bit fat resounding HECK YES. But is there science to back up this claim?
(At the bottom of this article, I'll share my favorite deep psoas trauma release exercise. For those who aren't familiar with it, the psoas muscle is a massive muscle that extends from the spine, through the pelvis, and all the way to the femur.)
First, What is Trauma?
Let's back up a second and talk about trauma. Most people will experience trauma at some point in their lives.
But did you know that trauma is not the traumatic event or situation itself but rather the emotional response to that event or situation? Trauma, said another way, is how we respond, emotionally, to this negative stimulus [American Psychological Association].
Wow.
OK, let me blow your mind again: emotions are not just mental but rather physical in nature. In fact, emotions arise from feelings, which are physical sensations in the body. The body sends information about these sensations to the brain, which then interprets how we should make sense of these feelings from an emotional perspective (i.e., as fear, suffering, joy, awe, gratitude, excitement, shame, etc.).
Double wow.
Acute trauma
Some of the most well-known sources of trauma include abuse (physical, emotional, sexual), war, and natural disasters. Others include the illness or death of a loved one, a significant breakup, leaving an identity-defining community, getting fired or laid off, being betrayed by an important person or presence in your life.
Chronic trauma
Trauma can also be chronic, with smaller negative events building up over time to create a “macro trauma.” This could be the onset of an eating disorder or being subjected to regular bullying.
The impact of trauma
These acute or chronic negative experiences triggera stress response in the body known as fight or flight. This is when the autonomic nervous system goes into overdrive in preparation for either doing battle with or quickly fleeing from the perceived danger. Adrenaline kicks in, your heart beats faster, your blood pressure rises, and digestion slows as blood is sent to your muscles, which grow tense with preparedness.
Other people respond to trauma by freezing, which is also called reactive immobility or attentive immobility. You can think of freezing as fight-or-flight that's been put on pause. Your body undergoes similar hormonal and physiological changes as when it’s in fight or flight mode, but instead of fighting or fleeing, you freeze in place to get ready for your next move.
Our response to trauma
While some people are able to resolve their trauma, others can get stuck in this traumatic event and its attendant overactive or over-vigilant physiological states, even when they’re not actively thinking about it. Said another way, the physical manifestation of trauma can get lodged within our bodies when we’re unable or unwilling (through repression) to mentally resolve the experience of the trauma. Many people with PTSD might find themselves in this stuck state.
Trauma typically manifests in the physical body as tension, tightness, even pain. It can be in your back, shoulders, neck — anywhere, really — but especially your hips and hip flexors.
Why Do the Hips Store Trauma and Negative Emotions?
The hips are one of the largest joints in the body and do an incredible amount of work: They maintain your balance. They carry a huge amount of physical weight, supporting your head, body, and arms.
In fact, a sore lower back is often the product of tight hips!
In ancient Hindu and Buddhist traditions, the hips are located at the second chakra, also known as Svadhisthana or the sacral chakra. (In Sanskrit, “chakra” translates as “wheel." There are seven chakras, which correspond to the primary energy centers of the body.)
According to Mind Body Green, the sacral chakra “is all about creativity, sexual energy, and relating to our emotions and the emotions of others.” When the second chakra is blocked or out of balance, it can result in “feelings of fear, overwhelm, depression, emotional instability, loss of creativity, and addictive behaviors.” Your ability to let go, to go with the flow, and to open up is hampered.
Sound familiar?
Related Read: An Alternative Method to Open Tight Hips to Release Negative Emotions
What Types of Trauma Might Your Be Hiding in Your Hips?
Honesty, most kinds of trauma can be stored in you hips. But some of the biggest might include:
Sexual trauma, including rape, incest, and being touched in a way that violates you
Physical trauma like childbirth
Emotional trauma, such as emotional abuse and bullying, that’s resulted in self-loathing, disassociation from yourself, and/or shutting others out
The above traumas can also be intertwined and overlap. This is also not an exhaustive list.
So, back to all those tears you’ve shed in a yoga class. What’s that all about? How do hip openers release emotions?
If emotional trauma can manifest physically, then, in theory, physical manipulation can release that associated emotional tension. Since the hip flexors arguably carry the biggest load, really getting into them and opening them up can have a powerfully therapeutic emotional effect.
From a metaphorical perspective, you can think of physical manipulation (performed during a state of relaxation) as moving the “stuck” emotional trauma through AND OUT of the body.
Clinically, from a scientific perspective, the mechanism at work is less clear.
Physical manipulation and deep breathing (like ujjayi) might help to calm and rebalance the automatic nervous system, which moved into an imbalanced state of fight, flight, or freeze due to a traumatic event or events.
Interestingly, despite there being little concrete scientific data to illuminate the connection between the hips and negative emotions as well as emotional tension, one study has confirmed a connection between the jawbone and the hips. It concluded that dysfunction of the jaw — the temporomandibular joint, or TMJ — plays a significant role in the restriction of hip motion. More specifically, after jaw tension was released, the hip’s range of motion increased significantly. This is important because research has shown thatemotions like anger and stress can result in jaw clenching and TMJ dysfunction. CRAZY.
The Body Keeps the Score
If this topic is of interest to you, then you HAVE to read The Body Keeps the Score, by Dr. Bessel van der Kolk. Dr. Kolk is psychiatrist with expertise in trauma and a professor of psychiatry at Boston University School of Medicine.
Since its publication a few years ago, The Body Keeps the Score has gone on to sell over 2 million copies.
Dr. Kolk's approach to trauma is wholly enlightening and arguably revolutionary. You will find yourself nodding along, even gasping (as you identify with his conclusions, insights, and anecdotes) while you read.
In The Body Keeps the Score, he "uses recent scientific advances to show how trauma literally reshapes both body and brain, compromising sufferers’ capacities for pleasure, engagement, self-control, and trust." He also discusses a range of different and new treatments, from yoga to somatic therapies, that activate the brain’s natural neuroplasticity (that is, our brain's ability to change through growth and remapping), leading to recovery.
The book presents trauma and healing in an innovative new light, and is a powerful, affirming testament to our ability to reclaim our lives.
Setting the Stage to Open Tight Hips for Emotional Release
Before I turn to the hip-opening exercises below, which I think are non-negotiables when it comes to releasing trauma help in the hip and pelvis, I have a few additional tools in my routine.
I have found that combining these products with exercises has VASTLY aided my own hip-opening and emotional-healing journey. If you are interested in trying any of the below products, please speak with your doctor first for their advice and guidance!
1. SAMe
I have been intrigued by SAMe, or S-adenosyl-L-methionine, for years. SAMe is a hormone-regulating compound found naturally in the body, and has been shown to help improve joint pain and function as well as increase mobility and lessen stiffness. I also love that it can boost your mood! If you have tight hips and are holding on to a lot of emotional tension, definitely give SAMe a go.
I like this brand for SAMe the best. They have been in the industry for a while now and are very well-trusted. And, of course, their products are top-notch, tested for quality and manufactured in the USA in CGMP facilities!
2. Vitamin D
Oh Vitamin D, you beautiful, underrated thing! Well, until now. We're just now starting to appreciate all the amazing benefits associated with Vitamin D, from supporting immune-system health and fighting disease to boosting mood and weight loss. And now, painful tight hips.
Dr. Holly L. Thacker, Executive Director at Speaking of Women's Health, sings the praises of Vitamin D for joint discomfort and overall joint health: "The number one supplement I recommend for joint health and overall musculoskeletal health is vitamin D3. Vitamin D is not a vitamin, but it is a pro steroid hormone. Humans can make vitamin D if they are exposed to the right ultraviolet light.... If you have joint pain consider starting 1,000 to 2,000 units of vitamin D per day and/or have your physician check your level."
My absolute favorite brand of Vitamin D can be found on Amazon. Their encapsulations are formulated to the highest of standards and are rigorously third-party tested for purity.
3. Ashwaganda
Ashwaganda is one of the most popular adaptogens, which are herbal and plant-based ingredients used for hundreds of years in ancient Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine that help the body fight all sorts of stressors. Ashwaganda itself is a small plant with yellow flowers native to India, with the supplement made from powders derived from its roots and leaves.
Because it contains the natural bioactive compound Withaferin A (WA), Ashwaganda is reported to have powerful anti-inflammatory properties. As we all know, stress is one cause of inflammation in this body. And, of course, emotional trauma is a very particular type of stress.
One repercussion of inflammation? Joint pain or stiffness. Hello, trauma-filled tight hips! This is further backed by a 2014 study that found that Ashwaganda directly benefited those suffering joint pain and discomfort.
For Ashwaganda, I'd recommend the same brand as I do for Vitamin D for their outstanding quality ingredients and uncompromising quality control.
4. Pso-Rite
In addition to the above supplements, which can help soften tight hips for deep hip opening and healing, I also like to use a few tools. One of my favorites is the Pso-Rite.
woman using the pso-rite
The Pso-Rite is an ingenious tool designed to massage and heal your psoas muscle, one of the hip muscles that stretches from your lower spine to your pelvis and femurs and is involved in hip-flexor activity. By shifting your weight back and forth, you stimulate key pressure points as well as myofascial release. Fascia is the connective tissue found all throughout the body that, under stress, can form knots and other adhesions. Using the Pso-Rite is super therapeutic and feels soooo good!
To learn more about this and other tools I recommend for hip opening, check out my article here.
A quick note on Glucosamine
While Glucosamine, a naturally occurring substance found in the body's own cartilage, is very well-studied for helping to relieve osteoarthritis, this popular supplement is unfortunately not shown to be beneficial among those suffering from hip and knee discomfort.
Mind-Body Connection Yoga: Hips Openers for Emotional Release
First things first: make sure you’re ready to do this, that you're in a safe space, and that you have the support you need — a trusted friend, a therapist. This can be an intense experience.
On a related note, please be aware that these yoga poses do NOT replace the therapeutic expertise of a medical professional or licensed counselor. Please seek the help you need!
If you're not a yoga person... or if you're looking for other ways to open your tight hips, read my article on an alternative yet also super powerful method to open your hips.
1. Bridge Pose
Bridge is an amazing yet gentle hip opener to release stored trauma, tension, and negative emotions. Most of us sit for long periods of the day. Bridge helps counteract this compression, opening up the hip flexors by moving them in the opposite direction.
...and, if you've mastered Bridge, give Wheel pose a go for extremely tight hips! It'll give you a more intense hip opening.
2. Pigeon Pose
I have a love-hate relationships with this pose because it hurts so good. (I think you get what I mean, but please note that I do not endorse pain! You should never push yourself to that point; it'll just do more damage.)
Pigeon both increases the outward rotation of the femur in the hip joint AND lengths the psoas muscle. It truly is one of the mightiest of all hip openers for a deep psoas trauma release. Take it slowly and breeeeeath.
3. Crescent Lunge
This feel-good, energy-boosting hip opener stretches and strengthens the front of the hips.
4. Happy Baby
Happy Baby will definitely gratify your inner child (it's name alone will make you smile) while also releasing built-up tension in tight hips. It's the perfect end-of-session hip opener to release emotions.
5. Three-Legged Downward Dog
The deep stretch activated by Three-Legged Downward Dog has a way of always making me sigh as I open up my tight hips. (P.S. How cute is that pup??)
I hope this post on how hip opening therapies can help release tight hips has brought clarity for you. If you have any questions for me about tight hips, please feel free to ask in the comments below or send me a message through my contact page! I wish you all the best as your heal from your traumatic event.
Related Read: An Alternative Method to Open Your Hips to Release Negative Emotions
