Do you know how to sense trauma in the body? If you work in pelvic health or support postpartum clients, being able to recognize when trauma is stuck in the body is an essential skill. Today, I share with you one of my most effective tools for working with trauma in the body — a trauma release statement — and how to get the best results with this tool.

How Trauma Shows Up in Our Clients

Recognizing trauma isn’t always straightforward. Sometimes, clients will tell you directly about a traumatic experience they had or share something in their intake paperwork, but other times, the cues are subtle. You may notice that their voice cracks, tears well up, they avoid eye contact, or they dodge discussing an experience entirely. With a cesarean birth, a client’s inability to touch their C-section scar is often a sign that there is unresolved trauma from their birth experience.

One of the insights I have learned in my years as a practitioner is that both the nervous system and the tissue responses guide what a client needs for support. When I begin my sessions, I first check into the nervous system. I stand behind my clients and place my hands gently on their shoulders to get a sense of what is going on in their body. With a calm, balanced system, I feel peace; with trauma, there’s a buzzy, staticky sensation or diffuse tension—not just localized tightness, but a broader tension throughout the body.

Calming the Nervous System First

It is important to calm the nervous system before we start doing manual work, especially if we are working intravaginally. If the nervous system is activated, then we run the risk of creating more trauma in our sessions, and it will take a lot more effort to help the body accept any changes we make.

When I notice activation, I start my session with gentle techniques—HPA axis release, dural tube work, sometimes specialized pituitary releases. Each technique helps dial down the sympathetic response (fight or flight) and open parasympathetic pathways (rest and digest). Breathwork is powerful and a great way to begin as well, but nothing replaces hands-on assessment for truly sensing how trauma lives in the tissues.

There are times when I rest my hand over a uterus or another area and instantly feel an unmistakable heaviness, density, or even a gut-wrenching sensation in my own body. That “ughh” clue has become my reliable indicator that trauma is being held deep within those tissues.

Trauma’s Impact on Tissue Release

One of the lessons I teach in the Birth Healing Intensive is the reason why tissues won’t release. Sometimes fascia resists, muscles stay tense, bones don’t move—these are signs that something deeper, often trauma, is “stuck” in the body. It’s never about forcing tissue change, but about curiosity and respect for what’s being held. The body always has a reason, and it is our job to listen and get curious.

The Trauma Release Statement: A Simple, Powerful Tool

When trauma is present—especially low to moderate (“lower T”) trauma—I turn to the trauma release statement. This isn’t about reliving every detail; instead, it’s a straightforward energetic clearing.

Here’s how I use this statement in my sessions:

1. Acknowledgment: “We just ask these tissues (e.g., uterus, pelvic space) to release any shock or trauma being held in this area.”
2. Completion: For birth trauma, add “The event is over, the birth is over, and the baby is out.”
3. Safety: “Everyone is okay.” (Skip this step if there was a loss or if everyone is not okay; use gentler wording as appropriate.)

The key is resonance. As I speak, I monitor how the words “land” in my client’s body: Do I sense a softening, a shift, a relaxation in the tissues? If the words don’t sink in, sometimes repeating them helps. If tissue remains unaffected, deeper limiting beliefs or additional trauma work may be needed—sometimes involving a trauma therapist.

Trauma Isn’t Just in the Head

What’s powerful about this approach is that it grounds healing in the body, not just the mind. While cognitive therapy focuses on thoughts and stories, trauma lives in the tissues and nervous system. Integrating both creates profound changes for clients—and supports practitioners in their own growth.

Join the Birth Healing Intensive Community

The Birth Healing Intensive is a nine-month professional and personal transformation. This program is intentionally designed to help you integrate the material through your own inside out work. You’ll receive four 1-on-1 mentorship sessions, 9 monthly group calls with breakout practice sessions, and ongoing collaboration with other professionals—all devoted to advancing your skills and clearing your own blockages so you can be fully present for clients.

Past students tell me the community formed in the program often lasts for years. Having a study buddy for ongoing support makes this work sustainable, rewarding, joyful and impactful.

Ready to Dive Deeper?

If this approach feels right for you, please join tomorrow’s free masterclass for more information or apply for the 2026 Birth Healing Intensive. This is my invitation to you to take your work to the next level with outcomes that will uplift your life and your clients’ lives.

Try using the trauma release statement in your own sessions. Notice what happens in your hands and your intuition as you guide clients toward release. I’d love to hear how it works for you! Send me a message or leave a comment below.

About the Author: Lynn Schulte is a Pelvic Health Therapist and the founder of the Institute for Birth Healing, a pelvic health continuing education organization that specializes in prenatal and postpartum care. For more information, go to https://instituteforbirthhealing.com