Signs That Your Body is Holding Birth Trauma

Your birth experience is your very first entry into the world and leaves a powerful imprint on your sense of self-worth, safety, and what it feels like to be alive. This early imprint influences your nervous system and shapes everything from your ability to form relationships to how you regulate emotions and learn throughout life. But what happens if your birth was traumatic? How might that early experience continue to affect you as an adult?

What Is Birth Trauma?

Birth trauma refers to the physical, psychological, and spiritual imprints left by difficult or distressing experiences during conception, pregnancy, birth, or the postpartum period. Even if you don’t consciously remember your birth, the impact can live on in your body and nervous system. Physically, you may carry subtle tensions or vulnerabilities from a complicated birth. Psychologically, birth trauma can affect how you manage stress, form attachments, and trust others. Spiritually, it can influence your sense of belonging and connection to life itself.

Conception Trauma: Your Earliest Imprints

Conception trauma can deeply affect your nervous system and sense of self-worth, often in ways that are hidden beneath the surface. If you were conceived as an unwanted child, through violence, or during times of parental disconnection, your earliest environment may have sent signals of fear, rejection, or instability to your developing nervous system. These early imprints can cause your nervous system to become dysregulated, making it difficult to feel safe, secure, or worthy of love. As a result, you might carry unconscious beliefs that you are unlovable or not enough, which can shape your self-esteem and relationships throughout life.

During pregnancy, the fetus is highly sensitive to the mother’s physical and emotional environment. Factors such as maternal stress, illness, substance use, or trauma can create fetal stress, which may have lasting effects on your physical and emotional health.

Examples of prenatal stressors include:

• Maternal depression or anxiety

• Substance abuse or medication use

• Exposure to environmental toxins

• Maternal physical trauma or illness

• Domestic violence or sexual abuse during pregnancy

• Loss of a twin or invasive prenatal testing

Common Experiences of Birth Trauma

Birth trauma encompasses more than physical injury—it includes emotional and psychological distress during the birth process. Some common traumatic birth experiences include:

Emergency C-sections or forceps deliveries

Breech or premature births

Prolonged or difficult labor

Fetal distress or asphyxia

Medical errors or unexpected interventions without consent

Feeling unheard, disrespected, or powerless during birth

Extreme fear, dissociation, or near-death experiences

These experiences can affect the early bonding between mother and child and leave lasting imprints on the nervous system.

How Unresolved Birth Trauma Affects Your Nervous System

Unresolved birth trauma can have a lasting impact on your nervous system well into adulthood. When trauma occurs during birth, your nervous system may become stuck in a heightened state of alert, as it struggles to process overwhelming stress without the tools or support needed to regulate itself. This can lead to a chronic state of hypervigilance, where your body remains on edge, constantly scanning for danger even when you are safe. You might experience symptoms such as anxiety, panic attacks, difficulty calming down, or an exaggerated startle response. Additionally, unresolved trauma can cause your nervous system to become dysregulated, leading to challenges with emotional regulation, difficulty forming secure attachments, and even physical symptoms like muscle tension, digestive issues, or chronic pain.

Many adults suffering from PTSD symptoms may not realize that their struggles stem from unresolved birth trauma. Because these early experiences happened before you had the ability to process or remember them, the trauma is often hidden beneath layers of other life events. Symptoms might include flashbacks, emotional numbness, difficulty trusting others, or feeling constantly unsafe.

Healing birth trauma requires addressing these deep imprints in the nervous system and supporting your body’s natural ability to move out of survival mode.

Physical Symptoms of Unresolved Birth Trauma in Adults

• Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, characterized by extreme fatigue that doesn't improve with rest and can worsen with physical or mental activity.

• Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), triggered by a terrifying event, either experiencing it or witnessing it, and characterized by symptoms such as flashbacks, nightmares, and severe anxiety.

• Suicidal thoughts from childhood into adulthood, indicating underlying emotional distress or trauma.

• Nightmares and flashbacks related to confinement in the womb or traumatic experiences, experiencing vivid and distressing dreams or recollections of birth trauma.

• ADHD which can manifest in symptoms like impulsivity, hyperactivity, and difficulty focusing.

• Asthma, a chronic respiratory condition characterized by inflammation and narrowing of the airways, leading to breathing difficulties.

• Seizures and Epilepsy since childhood, experiencing recurrent episodes of abnormal electrical activity in the brain that can result in seizures.

• Chronic pain, particularly in the back or pelvic area, which may be persistent and debilitating.

• Digestive issues such as Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) or acid reflux, characterized by abdominal discomfort, bloating, and irregular bowel movements.

• Long-term hormonal imbalances or irregular menstrual cycles, which can affect mood, energy levels, and reproductive health.

• Chronic tension or headaches, persistent discomfort or pain in the head or neck region.

• Chronic illnesses or autoimmune disorders, conditions where the immune system mistakenly attacks the body's own tissues.

• Sensitivity to light or sound, experiencing discomfort or pain in response to exposure to bright lights or loud noises.

• Skin disorders or rashes, characterized by abnormalities or irritation on the skin's surface.

• Reproductive issues such as infertility or difficult pregnancies, facing challenges with conceiving or carrying a pregnancy to term.

• Chronic respiratory issues such as bronchitis or pneumonia, experiencing recurrent inflammation or infections of the respiratory tract.

• Chronic or recurring infections, persistent infections that may require ongoing treatment or management.

• Cardiovascular issues such as high blood pressure or heart disease, conditions affecting the heart and blood vessels, increasing the risk of heart attacks and strokes.

Emotional & Psychological Symptoms of Birth Trauma

• Intense and overwhelming fear almost constantly, for no reason

• Feeling of helplessness or hopelessness

• Feeling drained and exhausted like you've run a marathon every day

• Feeling of being completely unsupported

• Feeling of dread around your own existence

• Sense of the world being inherently dangerous

• Constant and irrational fear of death

• Intense anxiety or panic attacks

• Avoidance of anything related to pregnancy or childbirth

• Feeling disconnected from your own body or emotions

• Difficulty forming or maintaining intimate relationships

• Constantly feelings of shame or guilt related to your mother

• Low self-esteem or feelings of worthlessness

• Anger or irritability with no trigger

• Difficulty trusting others or feeling safe in the world

• Feelings of being stuck or trapped

• Intrusive thoughts

• Hypercritical inner narrative based on blame

• Flashbacks and reliving the birth experience

• Feelings of numbness or dissociation

• Difficulty regulating emotions or feeling overwhelmed by them

• Self-destructive behaviour or thoughts of self-harm.

• Difficulty bonding with your child or feeling disconnected from them

• Overprotective or hypervigilant behavior towards your child

• Postpartum depression or anxiety

• Recurrent nightmares

• A sense of guilt or responsibility

• Feeling overwhelmed or hopeless about the future

• Difficulty with self-care or self-nurturing behaviors

• Substance abuse or addiction

• Difficulty setting and maintaining boundaries in relationships

• Hypersensitivity to sounds, smells, or other sensory stimuli
  

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Why Birth Trauma Can Be Difficult To Recognise

Birth trauma is often overlooked as a factor that dysregulates the nervous system.

Most individuals have little to no knowledge about the specifics of their own birth or the emotional and physical state their mother experienced during pregnancy. Since these early experiences are rarely discussed openly within families or healthcare settings, many people grow up unaware of how their earliest environment might have impacted them at a foundational level.

Secondly, birth trauma occurs during a pre-verbal stage of development, meaning there are no conscious memories or verbal narratives to access. This absence of explicit recollection makes it incredibly challenging to recognize or connect current emotional and physical difficulties to events that happened before language and cognitive processing were available. The trauma is stored in the body and nervous system rather than in conscious memory, often manifesting through sensations, emotions, or behavioral patterns that feel confusing or inexplicable.

Additionally, as we move through life, multiple layers of trauma and stress tend to accumulate. These subsequent experiences can overshadow or mask the original birth trauma, making it difficult to identify the root cause of ongoing symptoms. What may appear as adult anxiety, depression, or relational difficulties could, in fact, be deeply rooted in unresolved early life trauma that has been compounded over time.

Moreover, conventional therapeutic approaches such as talk therapy or cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) often focus on cognitive and emotional processing but may not access the deeper somatic and energetic imprints left by birth trauma. Because birth trauma is held primarily in the nervous system and energy body, healing requires modalities that engage the body directly—approaches that work with sensation, movement, breath, and subtle energy to release trauma stored beyond the reach of words.

Finally, birth trauma rarely exists in isolation. It is often intertwined with ancestral and generational trauma patterns passed down through family lines, particularly within the feminine lineage. These inherited wounds can intensify and complicate the healing process, requiring profound and multi-layered work that addresses not only personal history but also the collective and familial energies influencing one’s nervous system and sense of self. This deeper ancestral healing is essential to fully resolve birth trauma and restore a sense of safety, connection, and wholeness.

Releasing Birth Trauma Through Somatic and Energetic Healing

The process of healing birth trauma is profound and multifaceted, requiring a holistic approach that addresses the trauma on multiple levels—physical, energetic, psychological, and ancestral.

Firstly, somatic integration plays a crucial role in healing by helping you reconnect with your body and release the deeply stored fear, tension, and grief that have been held in your nervous system since birth. Because birth trauma is often encoded in the body’s sensory and motor systems rather than in conscious memory, somatic work uses techniques such as breathwork, movement, touch, and mindful awareness to gently discharge trapped energy and restore your nervous system’s natural capacity for regulation and resilience.

In addition to working with the body, energetic clearing is essential for addressing subtle imprints that may be lodged within your early nervous system and energy field. These imprints are often invisible and inaccessible through traditional talk therapy but can profoundly influence your emotional state, vitality, and sense of safety. Energetic healing modalities focus on balancing and harmonizing your biofield, releasing blockages, and allowing energy to flow freely, which supports deeper nervous system integration and emotional release.

Alongside the physical and energetic work, psychological healing is necessary to transform the limiting beliefs and internal narratives that have been shaped by early trauma. Birth trauma can unconsciously program feelings of unworthiness, fear, or disconnection, which influence how you relate to yourself and others throughout life. Through therapeutic exploration, you can begin to identify, challenge, and rewrite these deep-seated beliefs, fostering greater self-compassion, empowerment, and emotional freedom.

Finally, ancestral healing is a vital component of the process, particularly because birth trauma is often entangled with generational patterns passed down through family lines—especially within the feminine lineage. These inherited wounds carry their own energetic weight and unresolved grief that can perpetuate cycles of trauma. Addressing ancestral trauma involves acknowledging and releasing these inherited patterns, creating space for healing not only within yourself but also across generations. This deep lineage work helps to restore wholeness, reclaim personal power, and break free from repetitive cycles that have long influenced your nervous system and sense of identity.

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What My Clients Say

"I entered Womb Room with an open curiosity and some trepidation, but with hopes of getting to know more about how I came into this world. I was an emergency C-Section and planned adoption; I was born in a nursing home in London. I believe my adoptive parents collected me when I was two weeks old. The first days of Womb precipitated huge physical releases. On one occasion, during the second healing session it felt as if ‘stuff’ was being pulled from my body because it was no longer needed. I had jaw tremors on several occasions and heat, tingles and prickles all over my body, particularly the skin on my face. As we moved into the second half of the journey, I realised that Womb was expansive, spacious and nurturing. The answers I had been looking for, in relation to my birth and biological mother, were not there. However in their place was a sense of knowing that ‘not knowing’ was exactly perfect and that Womb was always there for me and would keep me safe. The need to understand and have my curiosity satisfied was just unnecessary and meaningless. At the end of the journey, my sense is that in letting go of ‘the need to know’ I have become more embodied, more at one with the universe and myself, and with that - recognising that we are all one. I am my biological mother, just as she is me. With this knowledge came limitless freedom within me.” -Sara, UK

"During the session I felt a lot of chemical release. Lots of release in the brain, I literally felt the top of my left shoulder nerve by nerve being plucked and rewired. Both my masculine and feminine side being stretched and rested. Lots of work in my liver.Saw myself in utero. It felt like the only time I connected with my mother and father together.... the only time they were in unison. The only time I felt deeply loved by my father. So much coughing and air moving through me and my womb. I was holding myself... rocking myself slowly like a small child letting her know she is safe. That we are one. That it’s okay to feel. You are loved little one, you are loved. I remember seeing pink and blue and a quick flash of utero, a deep red rose, rainbows, and light beam. Oh I also saw what I perceive to be the universe I’m not really sure. I saw a the colors of the earth spinning with a hole in the middle? I love you all so much <3 I surrender and bow down to womb and all of my fellow womb warriors."

"Wow Safa! I went into my birth process! My upper body movements reflected me going through the birthing canal and when I came out and saw what’s around me, I started laughing! A proper belly laugh, thinking: what the heck is this world? It looks so funny! And everyone is so serious! 😆 it filled me with so much joy ✨ and these past two days new things have been coming to me, offers, people, new thoughts, new plans... combined with the last new moon, Safa your super powerful healing and the energy of this Womb Room is a magical combo!!!" 🙌🏼 Simona - UK

"Wow today was really gentle and uplifting. I had some powerful imagery that i was centred to the earth initially from an umbilical cord, then I transformed into a foetus and was protected by the earths core then was born onto the earth and transformed into an adult that was deeply rooted from my nerves all the way back to the earths core. I was earth and earth was me. It was beautiful and powerful."

"I came into Womb Room with a number of areas to be healed including a Womb full of anger and physical pain. Since my first pregnancy i have bled heavily every month for 9 yrs. I tried every diet and lots of therapies all which gave me some short term relief. I never got to the root cause. In Womb Room I met my anger and realised i was angry with my womb because i didn't give birth vaginally. I also got to understand why i didn't have a vaginal birth - as i didn't feel that I was good enough. A theme that has played out in my life for the past 43yrs. "-Orla, Ireland

You can read more testimonials here