Body memory: how the body stores, remembers and heals experience

Body memory is a fascinating concept that refers to the body's ability to store and recall lived experiences even in the absence of conscious, verbal memory. It is not a form of memory written in the mind as images or words, but rather traces that emerge through posture, movement, muscle tension, physiological reactions, and sudden emotions. In other words, the body remembers what the mind may have forgotten.

The idea of body memory has its roots in twentieth-century philosophy and psychology. Philosopher Maurice

Merleau-Ponty described the body as a living subject rather than a mere biological object, capable of learning and remembering through action. In psychology, Sigmund Freud and later Pierre Janet observed that traumatic experiences could manifest through physical symptoms even when the event was no longer consciously remembered.

Over time, body memory has become a key concept in fields such as psychotherapy, neuroscience, psychosomatic medicine, and somatic practices.

From a neuroscientific perspective, memory is not a single system. In addition to declarative memory (memory of facts and events), there are forms of implicit memory, such as procedural and emotional memory.

Body memory belongs to this domain and is closely linked to the autonomic nervous system, the amygdala, and sensorimotor networks.

A simple example is riding a bicycle: even after years without practice, the body still "knows" how to do it.

Similarly, a smell, a sound, or a posture can trigger an intense physical reaction - such as a racing heart, sweating, or stiffness - without the person being able to explain why. The body is responding to a memory stored at a non-conscious level.

The connection between body memory and trauma is particularly significant. In situations of extreme stress or danger, the rational brain may partially shut down, while the body records the experience as a survival pattern.

This is why people who have experienced trauma may react disproportionately to seemingly harmless stimuli.

Doktor Lazarus