You don’t have chronic pain because something is wrong with you.
You have chronic pain because your system has been protecting you.
What if you could talk to that system…
and then show it a new way to release?
Today we’re pairing emotional truth-telling with somatic repatterning — and this combination changes everything.
Why You’re Doing This Practice
Hi, I’m Dr. Melanie Carlone — physical therapist, somatic practitioner, and guide for restoring balance to the nervous system and fascia.
Today, we’re diving into a Somatic Reset Practice — a powerful integration of:
- cognitive emotional release journaling inspired by Nicole Sachs
- the three somatic reflexes (Red Light, Green Light, Trauma Reflex)
- movement that teaches your body: You’re safe. You can let go now.
This practice brings your mental and emotional world into conversation with your physical world.
And when those align, pain no longer needs to protect you.
Your spiritual body comes back into the unblocked alignment that is truly who you are.
Grab a notebook, a pen, and a comfortable place to sit or lie down.
Let’s begin.
Awareness: Why You Still Hurt
Chronic pain is rarely mechanical.
It is protective.
Your nervous system collects danger signals from:
- old fear or anticipation of pain
- unresolved emotion
- overwhelm
- perfectionism or not-enoughness
- people-pleasing
- chronic responsibility
- early life stress that once kept you safe — and now keeps you stuck
All of this funnels into the primitive brain.
The body tightens as a shield.
A brilliant strategy at the time… that becomes uncomfortable later.
That tension organizes into three reflex patterns:
1. Red Light Reflex — Collapse / Protection
- chest caves
- head drops
- diaphragm tightens
- breathing becomes shallow
- stomach knots
Often tied to grief, shame, fear, or chronic self-suppression.
2. Green Light Reflex — Bracing / Over-Effort
- back-body tension
- chin retracts
- shoulders squeeze back
- glutes grip
The classic “I’ll handle it, I’ll push through” pattern.
3. Trauma Reflex — One-Sided Twist
- one hip hikes
- one shoulder rotates
- gait becomes uneven
- old injuries flare on one side
This emerges when the body protected you asymmetrically.
You’re not imagining it.
You’re not broken.
You’re patterned.
And patterns can be changed.
Somatic Reset
To heal pain, we have to use the conscious brain to uncover subconscious patterns — the ones laid down early in life that still shape how we move, breathe, and guard.
Two powerful doorways:
Journaling reveals unconscious beliefs and emotions.
Movement reveals unconscious muscular and fascial patterns.
When you combine them, incredible things happen:
- The amygdala receives fewer danger cues.
- Survival reflexes quiet enough for new movement to emerge.
- Fascia repatterns from the inside out.
- The whole system shifts from protection → repair → restoration.
This is why you can stretch for years and nothing changes.
Stretching doesn’t repattern reflexes.
But pandiculation, contraction–release, and sensory awareness do.
And that’s where we’re going next.
Somatic Practice Part 1: JournalSpeak
Step 1 — Create Three Lists
Open your notebook and quickly jot down:
A. Past / Childhood Stressors
Times you felt scared, overwhelmed, unseen, alone, or responsible too early.
B. Daily Stressors
Money. Relationships. Parenting. Workload. Overstimulation. Health.
C. Personality Traits That Suppress
- people-pleasing
- perfectionism
- being “good”
- over-responsibility
- fear of conflict
Don’t overthink. Just list.
Step 2 — 20 Minutes of Journalspeak
Set a timer for 20 minutes.
Choose one bullet — especially the one you avoid.
Write uncensored, raw, messy truth.
Not polite.
Not spiritual.
Not refined.
Just real.
Say the things your body has been holding like a five-year-old with no filter.
If anger comes — good.
If sadness comes — good.
If nothing comes — stay anyway. That is the work.
You’re not writing for accuracy.
You’re writing for release.
When the timer ends, tear the pages into tiny pieces.
Let your body feel the completion.
Your system is now open for repatterning.
Somatic Practice Part 2: Unwinding the Reflex Patterns
We’re meeting the reflexes in the body.
Move slowly.
Sensation is the teacher.
A. Red Light Reset — “The Flower”
For collapse, overwhelm, grief, diaphragm tension.
- Lie on your back, knees bent.
- Gently curl inward — head, arms, pelvis softening.
- Pause and feel the contraction.
- Slowly open — arms widen, chest expands, pelvis untucks.
- Repeat 3–4 times, slower each round.
Let the body feel:
It’s okay to unfurl.
B. Green Light Reset — “Back Lift”
For bracing, over-effort, chronic low back tension.
- Lie face down, forehead resting on your hands.
- Lift your chest just one inch.
- Hold the contraction.
- Release as slowly as possible — melting into the floor.
- Repeat 3 times.
Teach your back:
You don’t have to be on duty all the time.
C. Trauma Reflex Reset — Side Curl & Pelvic Clock
Side Curl
- Lie on your right side.
- Gently curl your right hip and shoulder toward each other.
- Pause.
- Slowly lengthen back out.
- Repeat on both sides.
Pelvic Clock
- Lie on your back and imagine your pelvis is a clock.
- Rock 12 → 6.
- Rock 3 → 9.
- Circle clockwise, then counterclockwise.
This tells the system:
Rotation is safe.
Movement is possible.
Confusion is welcome — amnesia is gold.
Integration
Place one hand on your low ribs, one on your belly.
Take three slow breaths into your back ribs.
Let your system register what just happened:
- You spoke a truth you’ve been carrying.
- You softened reflexes that were guarding you.
- You opened space inside the fascia.
- You reminded your nervous system: I am safe now.
This blend — emotional release + somatic repatterning — is the heart of healing.
Not force.
Not performance.
Not perfection.
But presence.
Permission.
Pattern interruption.
And flow restored.
Closing Reflection
If this practice gave you even one moment of softness, breath, or relief — honor that.
You did something powerful today.
If you want more support in reshaping these patterns, subscribe, leave a comment, and explore the other practices in this series.
This community is built for healing — and for truth.
See you Gaias later,
Dr. Melanie Carlone 🎥 Link to full length YouTube Video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=scFWuWFNViM
🪷 Schedule your in-person or virtual wellness appointment here: https://alignrenewthrive.com/schedule/