11/14/2025
HOW SHAME PRESENTS IN THE BODY
By: Nickole R. Visan, MSOL/LMT
(Physiology + Trauma Response + Ayurveda)
Shame is one of the deepest, most constricting human emotions.
It doesn’t just live in the mind — it imprints into:
• fascia
• breath patterns
• nervous system
• pelvic floor
• digestive fire
• endocrine and vagal tone
Because shame is about “I am wrong” (not “I did something wrong”), it collapses the system.
Below is a full map of where shame tends to lodge physically.
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1. Chest Collapse & Shallow Breathing
Physiology: Shame triggers a “protect the heart” collapse.
• Rounded shoulders
• Tight intercostals
• Diminished lung capacity
• Sternum sinks
• Diaphragm tightens
Ayurveda: Vata becomes stuck in the Prana Vayu region (heart–lungs).
How to heal:
• Place a warm hand on chest + take slow breaths
• Gentle chest opening (cat/cow, supported fish)
• Daily oil on the sternum (sesame or rose)
• Affirmation: “My heart is safe with me now.”
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2. Pelvic Floor Clenching & Lower Belly Tension
Shame often sits in the sacral chakra, creating:
• pelvic floor tightening
• constipation
• lower abdominal pain
• reproductive discomfort
• urinary frequency or urgency
• sexual disconnection
• feeling “shut down”
Physiology: Shame activates dorsal vagal shutdown, which tightens the pelvic floor and decreases blood flow.
Ayurveda: Vata freezes in the Apana Vayu zone.
How to heal:
• Warm castor oil pack on pelvis
• Slow hip circles
• Low belly self-massage clockwise
• Squatting or malasana with breath
• Affirmation: “My body is not wrong. I release what doesn’t belong to me.”
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3. Throat Tightness & Voice Suppression
Shame constricts the voice.
• tight jaw
• throat lump
• difficulty expressing feelings
• swallowing tension
• chronic neck tightness
• headaches at base of skull
Ayurveda: Vata accumulates in Udana Vayu (throat–expression channel).
How to heal:
• Hum deeply (stimulates vagus nerve)
• Neck oil massage downward
• Warm teas (licorice, ginger, tulsi)
• Speak one small truth aloud daily
• Affirmation: “My voice is welcome.”
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4. Digestive Sluggishness & “Blocked” Agni
Shame shuts down the digestive fire.
• heaviness
• bloating
• slow gastric emptying
• IBS-like symptoms
• nausea under stress
• food feeling like it “sits”
Physiology: Shame → dorsal vagal shutdown → decreased motility.
Ayurveda: Vata + Kapha imbalance → Mandagni (slow, depressed agni).
How to heal:
• Warm meals only
• Ginger tea before meals
• Trikatu or CCF tea
• No raw or cold foods
• Affirmation: “I deserve nourishment.”
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5. Chronic Fatigue & Brain Fog
Shame drains energy because the nervous system is stuck in a freeze state.
• difficulty concentrating
• foggy thinking
• decision paralysis
• needing excessive rest but unable to “reset”
Ayurveda: Ojas depletion + high Vata.
How to heal:
• Warm oil Abhyanga 2–3x/week
• Daily grounding rituals
• Brahmi ghee at night
• Affirmation: “I return my energy back to myself.”
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6. Tight Ribcage, Solar Plexus Tension & Hypervigilance
Shame often hides behind trying to be perfect.
• tight upper belly
• rib cage “locked down”
• anxiety in the solar plexus
• shallow upper-chest breathing
Ayurveda: Pitta imbalance in the Manipura chakra.
How to heal:
• Gentle belly breathing with hands placed
• Warmth over solar plexus
• Avoid caffeine and overstimulation
• Affirmation: “I am enough, even in stillness.”
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7. Posture of Collapse or “Smallness”
Shame physically makes the body appear smaller.
• chin tucked
• shoulders rounded
• eyes downward
• protective body language
• feeling “exposed” when standing tall
Physiology: Survival posture associated with submissive freeze.
Ayurveda: Vata–Pitta imbalance in the spine.
How to heal:
• Supported fish pose
• Heart-protective breathwork
• Slow spinal undulations
• Affirmation: “I take up space with gentleness.”
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HOW TO ACKNOWLEDGE & HEAL SHAME SOMATICALLY
(Ayurveda + trauma physiology)
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1. Name the Sensation
Not the emotion.
Example:
“My throat is tight.”
“My belly feels heavy.”
“My chest feels collapsed.”
This shifts you out of shame and into somatic mastery.
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2. Bring Warmth to the Area
Warmth = safety to the nervous system.
• warm oil
• warm hands
• warm packs
• warm foods
• warm baths
Shame is cold. Warmth heals.
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3. Slow, rhythmic touch
This rewires shame through the vagus nerve.
• stroking the arms
• hand on heart
• hand on lower belly
• stroking the scalp
• warm sesame oil Abhyanga
• Pinda Sweda over the solar plexus
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4. Breath into the tight place
Slow exhale > long inhale
Shame loosens through exhalation.
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5. Gentle movement (never force)
Shame can’t be pushed out — it must be invited to melt.
Try:
• hip circles
• rolling shoulders
• gentle cat/cow
• neck glides
• slow walking
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6. Replace shame with truth
Using simple somatic affirmations:
• “This feeling is allowed.”
• “I am not wrong.”
• “This sensation can be here.”
• “I am safe in my body.”
• “My body does not need to shrink anymore.”
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7. Ritual to Release Shame (Ayurvedic-inspired)
Try this once a week:
1. Warm oil your entire body slowly (Abhyanga)
2. Warm shower, letting the water hit your heart
3. Sit and place one hand on heart, one on womb
4. Breathe slowly for 2 minutes
5. Speak aloud:
“This shame is not mine. I release what was never meant for me to hold.”
6. Drink warm tulsi + ginger tea
7. Rest for 10 minutes
Your system will start to unwind without force.
