How Fascial Unwinding Releases Trauma Through the Body

by Yasmin Lambat, Master Somatic Movement Therapist, Educator, and founder of SomaSensing

What is Fascial Unwinding?

In SomaSensing, fascial unwinding is a process of allowing the body's innate intelligence to release, reorganize, and restore balance. It is a subtle, intuitive movement that arises when the body is in a calm, receptive state. Rather than being a technique imposed upon the body, unwinding is an emergent response—an organic unfolding of movement that facilitates deep healing.

Fascia: The Fabric of Embodiment

Fascia is no longer considered a separate tissue or system but rather the very fabric of embodiment, integrating all aspects of our biology. It is a living, dynamic matrix within which cells reside, supporting cellular health, adaptation, and communication.

The Role of Fascia in Healing

Healing and transformation happen within this fascial environment, influenced by movement, perception, and sensation. When we are stressed or overwhelmed, fascia tightens and adapts, often leading to chronic pain, fatigue, or emotional holding patterns. Through fascial unwinding, we create a compassionate space where the body can speak its healing language, allowing stored tension and trauma to dissolve naturally.

Trauma, Fascia, and the Body’s Holding Patterns

Fascia, the continuous connective tissue fabric of the body, is deeply intertwined with the nervous system. It is exquisitely sensitive to our thoughts, emotions, and movements. When we experience trauma, the body may hold onto this experience through fascial restrictions, manifesting as stiffness, chronic pain, inflammation, or a sense of disconnection from oneself.

Unlike conventional stretching or forceful techniques, fascial unwinding does not seek to "fix" the body but rather to listen to it. By sensing the subtle impulses within, we invite the body to release stored trauma without the need for cognitive processing. The process is gentle, yet profound—restoring a sense of fluidity and ease.

Why “Unwinding”?

A Metaphor for Release

Unwinding is a metaphor for how this movement feels—like wringing out a towel, or gently unraveling a knot that has been held for too long. Fascia is a continuous, spiraling fabric, and when we move with its natural patterns, we restore the body’s ability to move with grace and spontaneity.

The Natural Spiral of Movement

When babies learn to move, they follow these spiral patterns effortlessly. However, modern life—stress, sedentary habits, and emotional suppression—can lead to a loss of this somatic awareness. We feel tense, stiff, or disconnected from our own bodies.

Returning to the Body’s Blueprint

Through unwinding, we return to the body's original blueprint, allowing movement to emerge from within. Unlike stretching, which focuses on external lengthening, unwinding is a whole-body response that feels as though the body is reorganizing itself from the inside out.

The Science of Unwinding

Fascia researcher Carla Stecco describes the transformation in fascia as a “phase transition” from stiff to soft. This shift is deeply nourishing, not only for the physical body but also for the nervous system, triggering the release of oxytocin, the body’s natural nurture hormone.

Fascia as a Felt Sense

Fascia is the body’s sixth sense. According to Robert Schleip, it is the largest sensory organ, embedded with mechanoreceptors that respond to movement, pressure, and vibration.

How Fascia Feels

How fascia feels can vary—when healthy, it is supple, hydrated, and elastic, allowing for ease of movement. When under strain, it becomes stiff, sticky, and restricted, leading to discomfort or pain. This shift in texture is often a result of dehydration within the fascial matrix.

Fascial Hydration and Movement

Fascial hydration is not just about drinking water; it involves movement that encourages the flow of interstitial fluids within the fascia. Gentle, organic movement, like fascial unwinding, helps maintain this hydration by stimulating the gel-like matrix that keeps fascia resilient and responsive. Without movement, fascia can become dry and rigid, limiting mobility and increasing sensitivity to pain.

Interoception and Fascia

Interoception—our ability to sense our body's internal state, from hunger to emotional feelings—is key to trauma release. Fascia communicates through subtle signals, much like hunger or thirst. These interoceptive sensations can include a sense of deep tension, gentle pulsing, slow unwinding, a warm spreading feeling, or even a sudden sense of ease and lightness as restrictions release. When we listen, we access a profound intelligence that allows healing to unfold naturally.

Some researchers suggest that fascia transmits information even faster than the nervous system. James Oschman, an expert in energy medicine, describes fascia as an electromagnetic “living matrix,” capable of resonating with specific frequencies for self-healing.

As a somatic therapist, my focus is on helping people sense this living system, restoring the conditions for self-healing through deep interoception and movement.

Creating New Sensory Pathways Through Unwinding

Our autonomic nervous system constantly assesses our environment for safety or threat. Dr. Stephen Porges, founder of the Polyvagal Theory, calls this unconscious process neuroception—our body’s ability to distinguish between safety and danger without conscious thought.

This is why stress patterns are difficult to change through cognitive reasoning alone. The shift needs to happen in the body.

In SomaSensing, we guide you to:

• Connect to interoception—our ability to sense internal bodily states, such as hunger, heartbeat, and emotional shifts, to cultivate a sense of inner calm.

• Sense fascia as a felt sense, exploring its fluid and responsive nature.

• Create stillness and allow movement to emerge spontaneously.

The Invitation to Unwind

Trauma is not just a memory stored in the mind; it is a tension held in the body. Fascial unwinding offers a way to release without reliving, to move without force, and to restore a sense of flow and ease. It is an invitation to return to the body's innate wisdom—one gentle, intuitive movement at a time.