Somatic Healing and Acid Reflux: Releasing What Your Body Holds

Photo by Darius Bashar on Unsplash

Have you ever noticed your acid reflux flares up during stressful times—after an argument, a hard day at work, or when you're feeling overwhelmed? You may have tried changing your diet, sleeping with your head elevated, or taking medications, only to find that the burn still returns. If this sounds familiar, your body might be holding on to more than just digestive triggers. It might be holding onto stress itself.

This is where somatic healing comes in—a body-based approach to healing that can offer surprising relief for those living with chronic reflux.

What Is Somatic Healing?

Somatic healing is a therapeutic approach that helps you tune into the physical sensations in your body. Rather than focusing only on thoughts or behaviors, somatic work gently guides you to notice where tension, emotion, or trauma might be stored—and how to safely release it.

Practices might include:

• Deep, intentional breathing

• Body scans or grounding

• Gentle movement or stretching

• Vagus nerve stimulation (more on that below)

• Mindful presence with physical sensations

The goal is to help your nervous system shift from “fight or flight” into a state of calm where healing and digestion are possible.

How Stress and Trauma Affect Digestion

When we’re stressed, the body prioritizes survival. Blood flow is redirected away from the stomach, and digestion slows down. Muscles—including those around the esophagus—tense up. Breathing becomes shallow. Over time, this can lead to symptoms like:

• Acid reflux or heartburn

• A lump-in-the-throat feeling (globus)

• Chest tightness

• Indigestion or nausea

Many people don’t realize that emotional stress can cause or worsen physical reflux. The body remembers what the mind tries to forget—and often stores that stress in the gut.

The Role of the Vagus Nerve

The vagus nerve connects your brain to your digestive tract. When it’s functioning well, it helps your body relax, digest food, and regulate stomach acid. But stress can interfere with vagal tone.

Somatic techniques that stimulate the vagus nerve can help restore balance:

• Humming, singing, or chanting

• Splashing cold water on your face

• Slow, deep belly breathing

• Gargling

These simple acts send a signal to your nervous system: You’re safe now. And that can be the first step to easing digestive distress.

Real-Life Scenario: What It Can Look Like

Let’s say you’ve just eaten a perfectly reflux-safe meal, but 20 minutes later, you feel heartburn creeping in. You didn’t eat too fast. You’re sitting upright. You’ve avoided all the triggers.

Then you realize: you’re tense. You had a stressful conversation earlier. Your shoulders are tight. Your breathing is shallow. Your mind is racing.

This is how stress-based reflux shows up. And it’s a reminder that digestion doesn’t happen in isolation—it happens in a body that remembers what you’re feeling, even if you’ve pushed it aside.

Bringing awareness to the state your body is in can help you address the true root of your symptoms.

Somatic Tools for Acid Reflux Relief

Here are a few somatic practices you can begin today:

1. Grounding Through the Feet

Stand barefoot if possible. Feel the weight of your body on the earth. Breathe slowly and imagine your stress melting down into the ground. Grounding helps shift your nervous system out of high alert and into rest.

2. Body Scanning

Lie down or sit comfortably. Start at your toes and move upward, noticing where you feel tightness or discomfort. As you bring awareness to each area, gently breathe into it. Awareness itself can soften physical tension.

3. Chest-Opening Movement

Try gentle stretches that open your chest and elongate the spine, like a modified cobra pose or reaching your arms wide. These movements help counteract the tight, hunched posture that often comes with stress and reflux.

4. Emotional Acknowledgment

If your reflux seems to show up when you're holding back tears, swallowing anger, or feeling powerless, you're not alone. Emotions can become physical. Somatic therapy or journaling about how you feel (not just what you ate) can lead to meaningful breakthroughs.

Affirmations for Somatic Healing and Digestion

Support the mind-body connection with gentle affirmations like:

🌀 “My body is safe, and I trust it to heal.”

🌀 “I release what I no longer need to hold.”

🌀 “I nourish myself with presence and care.”

🌀 “My breath creates space for calm and digestion.”

Repeating these regularly, especially during symptom flare-ups, can help rewire your response to stress and discomfort.

A Note on Trauma-Informed Healing

For some, reflux is linked to unresolved trauma stored in the body. Somatic healing can be incredibly supportive, but it may also stir up deep feelings.

If you feel overwhelmed, disconnected, or unsure how to proceed, consider working with a trauma-informed somatic therapist. Healing is not linear—and you don’t have to do it alone.

Recommended Resources for Going Deeper

Here are some trusted books and modalities to explore:

Books

• The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk

• Waking the Tiger by Peter Levine

• Accessing the Healing Power of the Vagus Nerve by Stanley Rosenberg

Therapies and Techniques

• Somatic Experiencing

• TRE® (Tension and Trauma Releasing Exercises)

• Feldenkrais Method

• Yoga Therapy

• Polyvagal-informed coaching

Why This Matters

If you’ve been managing reflux with diet and medication alone, somatic healing offers a new dimension: understanding the emotional and physical tension behind the symptoms.

Your body speaks in sensations. Acid reflux may be its way of saying, “I’m overwhelmed. "Somatic healing invites you to listen and respond with care, not just control.

A Gentle Reminder

Somatic practices aren’t a replacement for medical treatment, especially if you have GERD or another condition. But they can be a powerful complement, especially when your symptoms persist even with dietary and lifestyle changes.

Next Steps

If this speaks to you, start small:

• Five minutes of mindful breathing

• A simple body scan before bed

• Gentle movement each morning

Let your body become a partner in healing, not a battleground. The more you listen, the more you’ll learn what your reflux is trying to tell you.