You’ve probably heard the term “emotional baggage.” It’s sometimes used to describe the phenomenon of carrying past trauma or so-called negative experiences through life, relationships, or a career. Everyone carries unprocessed emotions from experiences to some degree. However, emotions that aren’t dealt with don’t just go away.

➖They can affect:
▪️the way you think about yourself.
▪️how you react to stress.
▪️your physical well-being.
▪️your relationships with others.

# What does it mean to have ‘trapped’ emotions?
Perhaps you’ve heard of people crying during yoga, massage, or acupuncture treatment because of a tender spot that, when activated, appears to lead to an emotional release.
Though some may refer to trauma being “stored” or “trapped” in the body, that isn’t necessarily a scientific way to put it. However, the symptoms of traumatic stress can manifest physically. This may be because the brain associates this area with a particular memory — often on a subconscious level.

According to Mark Olson, PhD, LMT, the owner and director of the Pacific Center for Awareness & Bodywork, ‘activating certain areas of the body may trigger these memories.’

# How do emotions get trapped?
Research as early as 1992 along with more current research supports the mind-body connection, or the belief that a person’s mental and emotional health impacts the state of their physical health.
A classic example of this is fear. If you’re in a situation where you’re afraid, your body generates a physical response to this emotion by activating the fight-flight-freeze response.

The phrase ‘trapped emotions’ usually means that the true self wants to express something that the false self doesn’t want us to express,” Olson told Healthline. “In psychology, we think of the true self as the part of us that we are born with that is naturally open, curious, and trusting, while the false self emerges as a set of adaptive strategies to deal with pain and loss.”

This repressed negative emotional energy can express as:
▪️resentment.
▪️poor decision-making.
▪️self-sabotage.
▪️overreaction.
▪️increased stress and anxiety.
▪️depression.
▪️fatigue.













Source: Healthline