A somatic guide to unwinding deep protective reflexes in the jaw
Do you carry stress in your jaw?
Does it ache, click, or feel locked—especially when you’re under pressure?
It’s not just muscle tension. It’s your body’s protective reflex, held in tiny trigger points deep inside the jaw muscles. These hidden contractions can keep you stuck in a cycle of tightness, pain, and fatigue—until the nervous system learns to release them.
Why the Jaw Matters
Your jaw is wired directly into your body’s stress response. It’s the upper anchor in a chain of tension that can travel through the shoulders, spine, and pelvis.
When you clench or brace—after dental work, emotional stress, or years of “holding it together”—tiny neuromuscular end plates inside the jaw can lock into spasm. These micro-contractions are called trigger points: lentil-sized bundles that keep firing even when you think you’re at rest.
Because the jaw muscles are tied to the autonomic nervous system, they’re especially sensitive to emotional load. Old protective responses can live here for decades. That’s why stretching alone rarely helps—the system needs a reset that reaches the nervous system itself.
Jaw pain isn’t just tight muscles. It’s the body caught in protect mode.
A Somatic Reset: Self-Trigger Point Release
1. Position & Support
Sit tall, feet grounded.
Place one hand on the opposite side of your jaw to stabilize it so it doesn’t shift side-to-side.
2. Find Your Tool
Use the eraser end of a pencil or your fingertip—something with a small, precise surface.
3. Locate the Point
Apply gentle pressure along the muscle just below your cheekbone, then move back toward the angle of your jaw.
You’re looking for a tender, reactive spot—small but distinct.
4. Pressure Scale
Stay within a “tender but safe” range—around 6 to 8 on a 10-point scale.
Avoid anything sharp or alarming.
5. Hold & Wait
Maintain steady pressure for 20–40 seconds, until the tenderness melts from a 6–8 down to a 2–3.
As one point releases, another may appear. Work no more than 3–4 in a single session.
6. Stretch & Integrate
Place your fingertips along the sides of your jaw.
As you let your mouth open gently, draw your fingers downward, imagining the muscles lengthening and the bones stacking naturally.
You’re not forcing—the nervous system is recalibrating.
Trigger point release isn’t about pushing harder; it’s about waiting for the body to find its off-switch.
Why It Helps
Releasing these points does more than loosen muscles—it tells the nervous system it’s safe to let go. Benefits may include:
- Reduced TMJ pain and clicking
- Softer jaw muscles and easier chewing
- Less nighttime clenching or grinding
- Relief of tension headaches and neck strain
- A calmer overall state—since the jaw is one of the body’s key stress barometers
When the jaw lets go, the cranium balances more easily over the spine.
Ear over shoulder, shoulder over hip—bone stacked on bone.
The muscles no longer have to grip just to hold your head up. Alignment becomes effortless.
Learning from Nature
In nature, animals don’t hold on to jaw tension after stress—they release it through a shake, a yawn, or a long stretch. Humans often suppress that instinct.
When you soften these small trigger points, you give your body permission to complete that same natural reset.
Your jaw is designed to let go. Sometimes, it just needs help finding the switch.
Come Experience It
If you’re in Eugene, Oregon, I invite you to visit Align | Renew | Thrive for gentle, hands-on support releasing chronic jaw tension, TMJ pain, and related neck or back discomfort. We’ll work directly with the body’s stress reflexes to restore alignment and calm.
Prefer to start at home? Watch my full guided video:
“Release Jaw Tension: Self-Help Trigger Point Therapy for TMJ.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-Aj_QbRwiM
You’ll find it on my YouTube channel, along with more somatic tools for pain relief, breath awareness, and nervous system balance.
Your body is always listening—give it a reason to exhale.
See you Gaias later,
Dr. Melanie Carlone