The Gist Is That Bulls*it: Does The Body Keep the Score - in Your Hips
7 snips
Mar 19, 2026 
Sadie Dingfelder, science journalist and author who studies memory and perception, tackles the claim that trauma literally “lives” in your hips. She examines van der Kolk’s influential ideas and how yoga lore links emotions to anatomy. Short, clear takes explore cellular memory, why muscles do not store episodic memories, and how bodily sensations can trigger brain-based recall.
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
Cultural Script Explains Hips Keep The Score
- The popular claim that trauma is literally stored in specific body parts (like hips) is a cultural interpretation of physical sensations during stretching.
- Van der Kolk popularized broad ideas about trauma, but his vagueness allowed others to read the claim as body-stored memories.
Yoga Class Pigeon Pose Trigger
- Sadie Dingfelder described a yoga class pigeon pose where a woman suddenly sobbed because the teacher said trauma lives in your hips.
- The scene highlights how cultural scripts in yoga lead people to interpret emotional releases during stretches as stored bodily trauma.
Cellular Memory Is Real But Limited
- Muscle cells can undergo lasting changes from experience (cellular memory) like more mitochondria after exercise, but their memory capacity is limited.
- Unlike neurons, muscle cells broadcast signals broadly via the bloodstream and cannot form addressable episodic memories.
