What is emotional release and why does my body need it?
When I tell people I work in “Somatic Healing” and that I am a trained Emotional Release Facilitator, most eyes glaze over.
The Somatic realm is a world not very many have ventured into, and to be trained very deeply in this space, well . . . Some of the words I use go over people’s heads. Understandably.
So, I decided to create a blog so you guys can all get your questions answered in one quick read.
You might think “emotional release” just means crying or venting. Which can certainly be part of it, but emotional release is what happens when the body physically releases the emotional charge carried in the body’s tissues. It’s more than just crying it out—it’s recalibrating the nervous system.
Emotions are not just beliefs or thoughts, they are physiological events.
The emotion/information starts in the brain, moving from the brain stem, limbic system and neocortex. When these emotions are allowed to be felt, the process can happen in under 3 minutes. But if we halt the emotion, it can stay stuck in the nervous system for decades.
When halted, your brain senses danger and releases stress hormones. The body reacts and sends “we’re not safe” messages back up to the brain, which then keeps releasing more stress chemicals, creating a repeating loop. This loop is called the HPA axis.
This will start to manifest throughout the body, showing up as symptoms, such as:
Chronic fatigue
Gut issues
Overall muscle/fascial pain and tension
Headaches and migraines
Panic attacks and anxiety
Shutdown/numbness (depression)
Irritability
And more
All in all, emotional release is simply the body completing what it never got to finish.
Why Emotional Release Matters
As you can see, when emotion gets trapped, the nervous system behaves as if the original threat is still happening. Release work helps by:
Completing survival responses
(so the body can see that the threat is over)Regulating the nervous system
(so your body finally experiences safety)De-escalating physical symptoms
(because suppressing emotion is constant labor your body is doing behind the scenes)Restoring emotional clarity
(you stop reacting from past pain and start responding to the present)Increasing capacity for life
(you finally get to use this energy for your life now)
What Emotional Release Actually Looks Like
It is not performance or recreating the trauma (so no need to worry). It is subtle, body-led, and slow, meaning you and your body set the pace. It can look like:
crying without needing to know why
shaking or trembling
heat and body tingling
repeated sighs or yawns
sounds releasing such as yells or deep exhales
the body finally dropping into rest
The release is never forced or performative. We work with the body, its timing, and allowing it to let go when it feels safe.
Emotional Release Is Not Losing Control, It Is Reclaiming It
“If I start crying I’ll never stop.”
I’ve heard this time and time again, and I want to reassure you that this isn’t a faucet that once turned on, will never be switched off again. The actual release typically lasts for just a couple of minutes. A lot of the session is us creating safety for you to finally feel, then allowing your body to resource and enjoy the peace that comes through afterwards.
Because the reason we learn to suppress emotion in the first place is because at some point, we learned that expression = danger.
“Stop crying or I’ll give you something to cry about.”
“Being angry is bad for you.”
“Don’t be so soft. You’re too sensitive. Grow up.”
Emotional release retrains the body to understand that feeling is not a threat. Meaning the “healed state” is not a finish line, it’s actually much more human (meaning it’s also much more accessible). We’re simply changing the relationship with ourselves and our emotions, and when this happens, our emotions become something we can experience without shame or fear.
In essence, we can finally be ourselves again. This is the state we call authenticity.
It’s not that we get emotions to stop happening, it’s that we accept them as part of the human experience. They also aren’t something we have to identify with, they’re simply charges we allow to flow through.
So when you let the body complete what it never got to complete, you stop leaking that unfinished emotion into your health, your relationships, and your identity.
Additionally, when you numb yourself from the unpleasant emotions, you also resist deeper access to the pleasant ones, such as joy. When you allow yourself to feel, you allow yourself to feel across the board, and life becomes more full of color.
You become more you. Which was what we always needed from the beginning.
This Is How Real Change Happens
You don’t become free by talking yourself into a new mindset while your body is still holding the old one.
You become free when the body stops bracing for a world that no longer exists.
Emotional release is how the body updates its reality from living in survival to living in a state of safe authenticity.
If You Want To Start This Work
This is the work I facilitate through somatic coaching and emotional release sessions—teaching your body that it’s safe to experience yourself again.
If you’re ready to try your first emotional release session, or work with me in a coaching container, click here to book your service or connection call.