I wanted to update an article that I wrote some time ago about tissue memory. We hold the memories of trauma in body and this is a phenomenon that I see often in my practice.

We need to expand our notion of what trauma actually is.

Most of us think of trauma as an event such as a serious car accident, or a physical or sexual assault. These are definitely traumatic events. But the definition of trauma also includes situations such as repeated, long-term emotional abuse, or even over-training that can cause the body to lock itself into a specific, recognized pattern. As a competitive runner in the 1980s, I can definitely relate to the latter, as my body today is devastated by the effects of running 100-miles or more a week when I was in my late 20's and early 30's. 

Noted acupuncturist Nicole Cutler, L. Ac. writes that "Traumas can be considered anything that keep us locked in a physical, emotional, behavioral or mental habit. Recovery from trauma is the process of the body finding balance and freeing itself from constraints. All too often, the recovery process is halted, preventing the traumatic occurrence from completing."