08/05/2026
The Psoas: “Muscle of the Soul” and Its Emotional Connections
The psoas major (often simply called the psoas) is a deep core muscle that connects the lower spine (lumbar vertebrae) through the pelvis to the top of the femur (thigh bone). It plays a key role in hip flexion, posture, walking, and stabilizing the pelvis and lower back.
Beyond its physical functions, the psoas is widely recognized in somatic therapy, trauma-informed bodywork, yoga, and energy-based modalities (including kinesiology-style approaches) as one of the most emotionally charged muscles in the body. It is frequently called the “muscle of the soul” or the “fight-or-flight muscle” because of its intimate ties to the autonomic nervous system.
Why the Psoas Holds Emotions
• Survival Response: The psoas is one of the first muscles to contract during perceived threat. It helps curl the body into a protective fetal position (freeze) or prepares it for running/fighting. This links directly to the reptilian brain and the sympathetic nervous system. When stress, fear, or trauma occurs and isn’t fully discharged, the psoas can stay chronically contracted, “remembering” the event on a neuromuscular level.
• Common Emotional Associations:
• Fear and Anxiety — Especially primal, survival-based fear. A tight psoas can perpetuate a low-level sense of unsafety or hypervigilance.
• Trauma & Unresolved Stress — Physical trauma, emotional shock, sexual trauma, or chronic stress (including performance pressure in athletes) can lodge in the psoas. It acts as a reservoir for unprocessed experiences.
• Protection & Control — It relates to feelings of vulnerability, loss of personal power, or the need to “hold it together.”
• Other linked emotions include anger, grief, and suppressed feelings that surface during deep release work (people often report sudden tears, waves of emotion, or anger during psoas release).
• Physiological Links:
• The psoas sits close to the adrenal glands (stress hormones) and has fascial connections to the diaphragm (breathing). Chronic tension here can affect breathing patterns, energy levels, and the body’s ability to shift out of fight/flight/freeze.
• It influences posture — a tight psoas can contribute to anterior pelvic tilt, lower back pain, and inhibited glute function (as you saw in your athlete client where both psoas and glute med were switched off).
In muscle testing and Kinergetics, when the psoas tests “switched off” or inhibited (along with related muscles like glute med, TFL, QL, etc.), it often points to deeper emotional or stress-related blocks rather than purely mechanical issues. Clearing associated emotions — especially through regression from present-day stressors back through past experiences (or even further layers the body reveals) — frequently restores function quickly, just as you experienced.
Connection to TMJ Work
The jaw (TMJ) and psoas are often linked through postural chains, fascial lines, and shared stress patterns. Jaw clenching or TMJ stress can reflect (and reinforce) the same survival tension held in the psoas. Starting with a TMJ balance, as you did, can release upstream interference so the psoas and lower-body muscles can respond better to targeted emotional clearing.
In your athlete’s session, the psoas being switched off on the right side alongside the glute med highlights how the body can “protect” through inhibition when emotional or stress layers are present — even in high-performing bodies. The regression work you did (uncovering emotions and clearing stressors across timelines while monitoring the muscle) is a beautiful example of how Kinergetics listens to what the body is holding beyond the physical injury.
In short: The psoas doesn’t just move the body — it reflects how safe we feel. When emotions like fear or unresolved stress remain locked in, the muscle stays guarded, affecting strength, stability, and recovery. Releasing those layers (via emotion work, regression, and fast fixes) allows it to “switch back on” and support optimal function again.
This pairs powerfully with physio and medical care by addressing the hidden energetic/emotional components that keep pain or inhibition persisting.
Soulful Resilience Healing with Danielle Argent offers Kinergetics, Reiki, Reflexology and energy sessions in Bellingen. Every session is individualised to you.
