Why Massage Matters in Trauma & Anxiety Work

Nervous system regulation isn’t just about calming down—it’s about giving your body the chance to remember what calm even feels like. When we live in anxiety, toxic stress, or trauma responses, the nervous system holds tension in specific places to keep us on guard:

• Neck & Shoulders: bracing for the next demand or conflict

• Jaw & Eyes: clenching against words unspoken or emotions unseen

• Chest: tightening to protect the heart and lungs in fight-or-flight

• Hip Flexors & Low Back: ready to run, even when you’re sitting still

These patterns of tightness don’t just hurt physically—they keep the nervous system locked in activation. Muscle tension literally holds the charge of anxiety in place, making it harder for the brain to access the part of you that can experience calm, safety, and joy.

This is where massage becomes more than “relaxation.” It gives your nervous system a fighting chance to reset. By releasing the tension that keeps you braced for impact, massage helps your body drop into safety and reconnect with the brain states that allow for presence, choice, and joy.

For my in-person clients, massage therapy is a powerful anchor for this work. It teaches the body how to let go, how to receive care, and how to feel supported—building the foundation for the deeper coaching and somatic work we do together.

Massage isn’t about fixing you. It’s about creating space in your body to finally feel like yourself again or even for the first time that you can recall.