How Does Your Body Remember Birth Trauma?

by Shaina Feingold | Oct 13, 2022 | Birth Trauma Therapy

You probably remember your traumatic birth more clearly than you’d like. It’s something that can be difficult to deal with, and on some days, memories of the trauma can cause you harm. Or maybe you don’t remember the birth clearly. Your memory might be unclear in a lot of aspects, but you might be sure of one thing: you experienced trauma. No matter where you are on your healing journey, it’s important to be aware of one thing: there’s more than one way to remember your trauma.

Your body also rememembers the trauma, though you might not be aware of how it does that. But in order to deal with it properly, it’s important to know exactly how it can affect your body. Here are some ways in which your traumatic birth might manifest itself through your body.

woman-sitting-in-a-hospital-bed-looking-like-she-is-in-pain-after-a-traumatic-birth

Feeling Sick

Have you ever noticed yourself getting physically ill around your child’s birthdate, or when thinking about the birth? Or maybe you feel ill or have specific physical discomforts when you’re under a great deal of stress.

These might all be signs of unprocessed trauma. Sometimes, when you’ve gone through trauma, your body will try to release that trauma somehow. If your body feels strange, or if you start feeling ill on the anniversary of the birth, is that really a coincidence? Isn’t it more likely that it’s your body’s way of remembering the trauma you went through?

Unexplained Pain

If your traumatic birth led to physical injuries, you might experience pain even long after the injuries have healed. It could be your pelvis,vagina, stomach/belly, or other affected body part.

In times of high stress, it’s not uncommon to feel old injuries acting up again. These pains can be alarming at first, but doctors won’t find a reason for them. It’s okay to be distressed, but there is an explanation for this. What you’re feeling is your body’s memory of the trauma you experienced making itself known again. It’s your body’s attempt at releasing the trauma you haven’t been able to process.

Developing Related Conditions

It’s also possible to develop medical conditions that are related to your trauma. There have been cases of women who’ve been sexually assaulted who later develop conditions such as endometriosis. When trauma is strong enough to trigger a medical condition, it’s important to make sure you get access to the care you need, but it’s important to go back to the source.

Treating your new medical condition is important, but so is treating your trauma. After all, these two are connected. You can’t heal one without healing the other. If your trauma goes untreated, it will continue manifesting in different ways. Even if your mind eventually forgets, your body won’t.

Recovery Is Possible

Trauma has to be processed. If it isn’t, it will just build up in more ways than you can imagine. Even in cases where you can’t remember your trauma clearly, your body remembers more than your mind does, so it manifests in worrying ways.

In order to truly heal from your trauma, it’s important to take a holistic approach to your recovery. That means it’s important to heal your body as well as your mind. We take your recovery seriously, and if you reach out to us, we’ll help you embark on your healing journey with a holistic approach that takes everything into account, your body’s memories included.

Don’t be afraid to reach out and schedule an appointment. Healing your birth trauma is possible, and we’ll help you get there.

To learn more about how Mindful Reflections can help, check out our Birth Trauma Therapy page.

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