Sarah came to see me because she couldn’t understand why her body felt constantly on edge. She had a good job, a loving family, and her life was going well by all accounts. Yet every morning, she woke up with her jaw clenched tight, her shoulders hunched toward her ears, and a sense of urgency that made her feel like she was running late for something—even on weekends.
“I don’t know why I can’t just relax,” she said during our first session. “Everything is fine.”
But her body was telling a different story.
The Stories Our Bodies Hold
Your body doesn’t just live in the present moment—it carries the imprints of every experience you’ve ever had. Not just the big, obvious ones, but the small, everyday moments that have shaped how you move through the world.
Maybe you learned to hold your breath when your parents argued. Perhaps you developed the habit of tensing your jaw when you felt criticized. Or maybe your shoulders learned to carry invisible weight during a challenging period of your life.
These patterns made perfect sense when they first developed. They were your body’s way of protecting you, helping you cope, keeping you safe. But sometimes, long after the original situation has passed, the body continues to hold these patterns as if the threat is still present.
The Wisdom in Your Tension
Before we talk about letting go, it’s important to understand that your body’s tension isn’t wrong or bad. It’s actually a sign of your body’s incredible intelligence and care for you.
That tight jaw might have helped you stay strong during a difficult time. Those raised shoulders could have been your body’s way of protecting your heart. The shallow breathing might have been how you learned to stay calm in overwhelming situations.
Your body deserves appreciation for all the ways it has supported you, even when those ways no longer serve your current life.
When Past and Present Collide
The challenge comes when your body continues to respond to your current life as if it’s still living in the past. Your nervous system might still be operating from old information, old patterns, old protective strategies.
This is why Sarah’s body felt constantly on edge despite her life being stable. Part of her was still preparing for challenges that were no longer present, still bracing for impacts that weren’t coming.
The Gentle Path to Change
Helping your body update its information doesn’t happen through force or willpower. You can’t simply command your shoulders to relax or your jaw to unclench. These patterns exist for good reasons, and they need to be approached with understanding and patience.
Somatic healing works by creating new experiences of safety and ease in your body. It’s about offering your nervous system fresh information about what’s actually happening in your life right now.
Through gentle movement, breathwork, and mindful awareness, we can help your body learn that it’s safe to let go of old patterns that no longer serve you.
Your Body’s Natural Healing Capacity
One of the most beautiful things about working with the body is discovering its natural capacity for healing and renewal. Your body wants to feel good. It wants to move freely, breathe deeply, and exist in a state of ease.
Sometimes it just needs a little help remembering how.
The Ripple Effects of Release
When Sarah’s body began to release some of the tension it had been carrying, the effects went far beyond just feeling more relaxed. She started sleeping better. Her relationships improved because she wasn’t constantly braced for conflict. She found herself enjoying activities that had felt stressful before.
Most importantly, she developed a new relationship with her body—one based on listening and care rather than frustration and control.
Beginning Your Own Journey
If you recognize yourself in Sarah’s story, know that you’re not alone. Many of us carry stress and tension that no longer matches our current reality. This is especially common for people who have been through significant life changes, challenges, or transitions.
The good news is that your body’s capacity for healing and renewal is always available. It doesn’t matter how long you’ve been carrying certain patterns—your body is constantly creating new cells, forming new neural pathways, and responding to new information.
In my practice across Dublin, Naas, Kildare, and Newbridge, I’ve witnessed countless people discover their body’s natural ability to release what no longer serves them and embrace new patterns of ease and vitality.
A New Relationship with Your Body
Healing isn’t about perfection or eliminating all tension from your life. It’s about developing a relationship with your body that honors both its protective wisdom and its capacity for change.
Your body has been your constant companion through every experience of your life. It has held your joys, your sorrows, your fears, and your victories. It deserves to be met with curiosity, compassion, and care.
The stress your body remembers served a purpose once. But you have the power to help it create new memories—memories of safety, ease, and the deep knowing that you are supported in this moment, right here, right now.
