Nuad Boran: Deconstructing Unprocessed Emotions Stored in the Body

Humanity is undergoing a collective alienation from their true selves, thus authenticity seems like an unattainable goal. This disconnection, often rooted in confusion, abandonment, disappointment, shame, grief, loss, and other heavy emotions, affects not only the mind —it manifests across the body as well. Suppressed and unprocessed emotions leave physical imprints that we may not immediately link to our emotional state. Understanding this body-mind connection, I find myself at a stage in life where I am exploring the root causes of my physical ailments and experiencing holistic healing methods from Thai traditions.

How Emotions Manifest in the Body

When we experience emotions like shame, grief, or disappointment, our body absorbs and reacts to these feelings. The mind may rationalise, dismiss, or push away emotions, but the body doesn’t forget. We carry tension, unprocessed emotions, and trauma in specific parts of our bodies.

Areas of the body like the shoulders, neck, back, hips, and abdomen are common places where emotional stress is stored. Chronic neck and shoulder tension may reflect burdens of responsibility or emotional strain, while hip and lower back pain can indicate unprocessed fear or feelings of insecurity. Abdominal issues like cramps or colics can reflect the discomfort of unprocessed fear or shame. Over time, prolonged emotional disconnection can even lead to more severe physical manifestations like tumors or other chronic illnesses.

Emotional tension can also create a sense of rigidity in the muscles or joints. This might show up as stiffness in the hips, which are often associated with emotions like fear or vulnerability, or tension in the chest area, which is connected to unprocessed grief, loss, or heartache.

Emotions such as anxiety or shame can affect the body's ability to digest food properly, leading to conditions like bloating, cramps, or even more chronic gastrointestinal problems. In Thai medicine, the abdomen is considered a critical area where emotional and physical issues intertwine.

The body acts as a map for where our emotions are stored, and by learning to interpret its signals, we can better understand our internal struggles. Tracking physical symptoms alongside emotional experiences can offer deep insight into unresolved issues that need attention and healing.

Thai Ways of Healing

In rural Thailand, healing is often approached through practices like Nuad Boran or Nuad Thai—นวด บราณ or นวดบราณ. It stands for Ancient Thai Massage. The goal of this bodywork is to restore the natural flow of energy by releasing physical and emotional blockages. This is achieved through a combination of rhythmic pressure, stretching, and deep massage techniques applied to specific points along invisible energy pathways called Sen lines, which are similar to the concept of meridians in Chinese medicine or nadis in Indian yoga.

In this healing practice, emotional blockages are understood as disruptions in the body's flow of energy, which can manifest in physical symptoms such as pain, stiffness, or discomfort. The Sen lines, however, carry life energy, or lom —similar to prana or chi, throughout the body, connecting our physical, emotional, and spiritual health. The practitioner uses their hands, elbows, knees, and feet to apply firm but gentle pressure along the Sen lines. This pressure stimulates the flow of energy, breaks up blockages, and helps release emotional tension stored in the body.

Thai massage incorporates yoga-like stretches that open up the body, releasing physical and emotional tension. The stretching helps to improve flexibility, and its meditative, rhythmic nature encourages deep relaxation, which allows the body to let go of pent-up emotions. Deep, mindful breathing during massage helps synchronise the release of physical tension with emotional letting go.

Herbal remedies such as lemongrass, turmeric, and ginger are used for their anti-inflammatory and calming effects in Thai massage. These herbs are believed to help the body detoxify and relax while improving emotional balance.

Meditation and mindfulness are also essential parts of Thai healing practices. By cultivating awareness and presence, people are encouraged to reconnect with themselves, acknowledging and releasing emotions instead of letting them fester in the body.

Transcending the Pain, Reconnecting with the Self

In Thai culture, emotions are seen as closely tied to spiritual well-being. By addressing emotional blockages through massage, a practitioner helps the receiver not only release physical discomfort but also process and let go of emotional burdens. This holistic approach recognises the interconnectedness of the body, mind, and spirit, aiming to create a balance between them.

This healing journey resonates deeply with me. I have been living with high levels of anxiety driven by fears and uncertainty. Over time, this anxiety manifested in physical blockages in certain areas of my body. Working through these blockages has been an incredibly painful process. When emotional tension hardens into physical masses, such as tight knots in the muscles or pressure points along energy pathways, addressing them can feel excruciating. The body resists as it holds onto the suppressed emotions, and the release can be overwhelming, both physically and emotionally.

However, this pain is not just something to endure; it is ultimately transcendable. As pressure is applied to these hardened areas during massage, I often experience sharp discomfort on certain areas. Each painful sensation becomes a doorway to deeper release, and so does the mind. The pain starts to dissolve, often giving way to a sensation of lightness, openness, and relief.

This process requires patience, trust, and a willingness to confront both the physical and emotional pain. It is intense, and some days feel more challenging than others. But with every session, I find that the pain becomes more manageable, and the emotional weight behind it begins to lift. Each release brings a sense of empowerment, reminding me that pain can be transformed, and through it, I can reconnect with the deeper, authentic parts of myself that had been hidden for so long. The path is hard, but it is one that leads to freedom, allowing me to fully embrace life once again.

I'm grateful for the opportunity to cultivate a deeper sense of self-respect, self-love, and self-worth. I'm grateful to recognise that the emotional weights I carried for so long do not define of my value, but opportunities for growth and self-compassion.

The wound is the place where the Light enters you.
— Rumi