When the Spiral Comes Back: What Your Body Might Be Trying to Say

If you’ve ever felt like you were doing fine - grounded, clear, maybe even thriving - only to get hit out of nowhere by an emotional wave or old pattern resurfacing…you’re not alone.

Healing doesn’t follow a straight path. It loops, spirals, and repeats.

Not because you’re doing it wrong, but because your body is still holding pieces of what haven’t been fully seen, felt, or released.

The body remembers.
Not just trauma, but stress, emotions, beliefs, and unmet needs.

And sometimes, the tight hip, the clenching jaw, or the weight in your chest is less about posture and more about the signals your body’s trying to send you.

Understanding the Spiral: Why It Happens

There’s a moment in healing that can feel maddening - when you thought you were past something, and suddenly it’s back. The thought, the memory, the tension in your body - all resurfacing as if no time has passed at all.

But emotional spirals aren’t regressions. They’re returns. Invitations. And, sometimes, completions.

In trauma-informed coaching and somatic work, this looping is often described as cyclical healing. Rather than a straight line, the path moves like a spiral, bringing us back through familiar territory with deeper awareness, stronger tools, and more capacity to process.

From a neuroscience perspective, this happens because of the way our brains store memory, particularly implicit memory, the kind that lives in the body. When your nervous system recognizes a familiar tone, posture, or environment, it can trigger a cascade of emotion and physical response, sometimes before your conscious mind even catches up.

This is especially true when the nervous system is dysregulated.

When you’re in a chronic state of fight, flight, freeze, or fawn, your body is primed for survival, not reflection. And spirals often begin as protection. The mind loops to try and solve something it perceives as a threat. Meanwhile, the body tightens or shuts down to keep you safe.

But here’s the thing:
You can’t always think your way out of a spiral that started in the body.
You have to feel your way through it.

What the Body Might Be Trying to Say

When you're stuck in an emotional loop, it’s easy to assume your thoughts are running the show. But often, it's your body calling for attention.

• Tight chest? Your body may be holding unspoken grief or fear.

• Clenched jaw? You might be bracing against something you don’t feel safe to express.

• Heavy limbs or low energy? This could signal emotional exhaustion or a protective freeze response.

• Restless legs or racing heart? Your nervous system might be stuck in overdrive, trying to stay ahead of a perceived threat.

The body is fluent in sensation, not language. And when we don’t listen - when we bypass, distract, or push forward - it will speak louder.

Not to punish us.

But because there's something still waiting to be witnessed.

In my work blending yoga, myofascial release, coaching, and NLP, I help clients connect what they’re feeling to where they’re feeling it. Because sometimes, the spiral isn’t a mindset issue, it’s stuck energy trying to move.

My Story Last Week

Last week, I found myself rehashing what I feel like are mistakes I’ve made in the past over and over again. It hit me like a wave on Monday during a conversation with someone, and I stayed at the peak of it all day. My body tensed up, and I couldn’t get my mind out of the spiral. Every time I was almost sure I had calmed myself down, I’d have a moment of quiet - and bam, it would hit me all over again.

It’s been a week.
And guess what?
The thought is still there, like a little mouse I can’t get off my shoulder.

That’s the thing with embodied healing.
It’s not just about “letting go.” It’s about making space to feel it, move it, and listen to it.

This is why I return to the practices that meet me where I am - not where I wish I could be.

Your body isn’t betraying you.
It’s offering you the next layer.

Let’s stop expecting healing to be a checkbox.
And instead, treat it like a conversation.

Somatic Strategies to Interrupt the Spiral

You don’t have to “fix” the spiral.
But you can support your nervous system while you ride the wave.

Here are three somatic tools I use for grounding and re-centering in real time:

1️. Ground Through the Senses

Pull yourself out of the loop by reconnecting to the present moment.
Try this:

• 👁 Name 3 things you can see

• ✋ Touch something and name its texture

• 👂 Listen for one sound in your space

This practice, often called orienting, reminds your body that you’re safe - right here, right now.

2️. Apply Gentle Pressure

Light compression helps create a sense of containment and grounding.
Try this:

• Place a hand on your chest or belly

• Inhale and feel your hand rise

• Exhale and soften your jaw and shoulders

This activates the parasympathetic nervous system, calming your stress response.

3️. Use the Power of the Exhale

The exhale signals safety. When you’re spiraling, lengthen it.
Try this:

• Inhale for 4 counts

• Exhale for 6

• Repeat for 2–3 minutes

This simple breath technique can down-regulate your nervous system and reset your state.

Final Thoughts

These practices don’t erase the emotion. That’s not the goal.

They give you space - space to be with what’s real, without being consumed by it.

The spiral may still come back. But the way you hold it? That can change everything.

"The body holds what the mind tries to forget.
But it also holds the key to release."
— Katie Marlene