What If Anxiety Isn’t a Mental Disorder, But a Memory Trapped in Your Nervous System?
They always told us anxiety is in our head. But what if it could also be in our body?
What if anxiety is not something wrong with you- rather, it is something that happens to your nervous system memories?
That idea is pretty much the complete essence of The Body Keeps the Score, that revolutionary book that changes everything about how trauma, stress, and healing are understood: in the minds of psychiatrists like Bessel van der Kolk, who authors it. In fact, it illustrates quite clearly how trauma would not just happen to the mind, but affects reshaping the body and the brain as well.
Now, let's break it down.
Your Body Has a Memory
You don't just think with your brain — you feel with your whole body.
Your heart nearly races with fright; Your muscles stiffen in anger; Your breaths become shallow with anxiety.
They're not just symptoms, buddy; they're survival responses.
Your body remembers past pain. Even if your mind is over it or has forgotten about it, your nervous system might not let it go. A whiff of cologne, the sound of a train, or an image might cause your body to go into fight-or-flight mode, even when the threat is nil.
This is what van der Kolk refers to when he says,
"The body keeps the score."
Trauma Doesn’t Always Look Like Trauma
When we say trauma, we think about wars, abuse and disasters, but there are types of trauma that happen without us noticing. Some are less visible -- emotional neglect, chronic psychostress, living with an enraged parent or being scalded in childhood.
They do not create bruise marks on tissues but leave deep impressions on the nervous system.
You may feel anxious, on edge, or numb — and not know why. You may struggle with relationships or feel unsafe in your own skin.
This does not mean that you are broken.
It means your body learned how to survive. And it hasn't been told yet that the danger is over.
Anxiety Is a Nervous System Loop
When you experience anxiety, your body tends to remain in survival mode.
Your amygdala, which acts as an alarm system, just won't stop beeping.
And your stress hormones (think cortisol and adrenaline) are wailing on high-powered stereo.
Your vagus nerve—the one responsible for giving you that calm and relaxed state—is still offline.
This is evidenced in why anxiety is definitely not just in the mind: It's a very real physiological loop. Nothing will work; your body is insisting on reeling in its own state of fear.
You are not overreacting. Your body reacts like the past is happening.
Why Talk Therapy Sometimes Isn’t Enough
The traditional therapy can effectively make sense of the story concerning your pain.
However, the trauma lives in regions of the brain that do not use language.
There is no way of reasoning out of a panic attack.
In fact, many trauma survivors are not even able to put into words what happened to them — just feelings. So, in your case, healing will probably require more than words.
As Van der Kolk says, healing trauma often works from the body up.
Healing Needs to Go Through the Body
So what works?
Here are some body-based ways to calm anxiety and rewire the nervous system:
1. Breathwork
Slow, deep breathing activates the parasympathetic system — your body’s rest-and-digest mode. Try box breathing: Inhale for 4, hold for 4, exhale for 4, hold for 4.
2. Yoga
Yoga combines movement, breath, and awareness. Studies show it helps reduce PTSD symptoms more than some medications.
3. EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing)
This technique helps the brain reprocess traumatic memories by using eye movements or taps. It helps “unstick” the past from the body.
4. Touch and Movement
Massage, dance, and even theater can help the body feel safe again and reconnect with itself.
5. Neurofeedback
This uses brain scans and feedback to train your brain to regulate itself. It’s like physical therapy — for the mind.
Safety Is the First Step
No healing happens unless the body feels safe.
That means:
Feeling safe in your own skin
Feeling safe in your relationships
Feeling safe in your space
Anxiety is often your body saying, “I don’t feel safe.”
It’s not always about the present — it’s often about the past still living in your body.
Creating safety can look like:
A quiet room
A warm blanket
A pet lying next to you
A person who listens without judging
Tiny things that tell your nervous system:
“We’re not in danger anymore.”
You’re Not Broken — You’re Adapted
This is the most powerful shift from The Body Keeps the Score.
You’re not anxious because something is wrong with you.
You’re anxious because something happened to you — and your body responded exactly as it should.
In other words: You adapted.
Your brain rewired to protect you.
Your body braced to survive.
Your mind did its best to block out the pain.
And now you’re here — reading this. Still alive. Still growing.
That’s not weakness. That’s resilience.
Final Thoughts
Anxiety may not be a disorder. It may be a memory.
A memory stored in your heartbeat, your muscles, your breath.
If that’s true, then healing anxiety isn’t just about changing your thoughts — it’s about calming your body, rewiring your brain, and finding safety in the present.
So if your anxiety hasn’t gone away, don’t blame yourself.
Maybe your body just needs a new story. One that says:
“We’re safe now. You can rest.”