Is "Discharge" Real or Made Up?

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The term discharge has sparked considerable conversation within the Somatic Experiencing® (SE) community and the broader field of trauma healing. At the heart of this discussion lies a fundamental question: is discharge a real physiological event? Or is it a metaphor?

The answer? It’s both—though “metaphor” may be too vague a term to capture the full nuance depending on how one uses metaphor.

Discharge as a Felt Experience

Discharge is very much a real, kinesthetic and observable phenomenon-one widely reported by clinicians, clients, athletes and everyday people alike. It manifests in a variety of physical sensations and motor behaviors such as:

  • Shaking or trembling

  • Warmth or heat waves

  • Gut gurgling or peristaltic movement

  • Tears, laughter, yawning, or sighing

  • Disorganized or spontaneous movement

  • Muscle twitching or stretching

These physical experiences reflect the body’s attempt to return to autonomic balance following heightened arousal (Levine, 2010; van der Kolk, 2014).

Activation and Intensity

The intensity of a discharge correlates directly with the intensity of the activation—the body’s physiological mobilization in response to a challenge. Activation refers specifically to sympathetic nervous system arousal: the biological system that prepares us for action (Sapolsky, 2004).

Sympathetic activation can arise from a variety of stimuli, not all of which are negative. Examples include:

  • Intense physical exercise

  • Confronting a threat

  • Dancing ecstatically

  • Emotional shock or joy

  • Significant surprise

While the context and emotional tone may differ—terror versus triumph, for example—the underlying sympathetic processes are largely the same. After a significant activation (e.g., a hard workout or acute stress response), a person may feel jittery or trembly as their system transitions back to a resting state (Porges, 2011).

The Biochemistry of Discharge

From a biological standpoint, the experience of discharge is closely tied to the metabolism of stress hormones. During sympathetic arousal and activation, the body releases catecholamines such as:

  • Adrenaline (epinephrine)

  • Noradrenaline (norepinephrine)

  • Dopamine

These chemicals are metabolized and cleared through well-defined processes:

What Happens Biochemically:

  • Degradation: Enzymes like monoamine oxidase (MAO) and catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) break down catecholamines (Goldstein & Kopin, 2007).

  • Clearance: Metabolites such as vanillylmandelic acid (VMA) are excreted via urine.

  • Inactivation: Once broken down, signaling molecules lose their biological activity.

Terms Commonly Used:

  • Metabolism

  • Breakdown

  • Clearance

  • Deactivation

  • Catabolism

  • Inactivation

These physiological events correspond to what somatic practitioners observe and clients often describe during and following the resolution of activation.

The Role of the Parasympathetic System

As the sympathetic system deactivates, the parasympathetic system—especially the ventral vagal branch of the vagus nerve—re-engages.  More accurately, the parasympathetic nervous system increases its effect on the physiology of the sympathetic activation. This rebalancing process involves:

  • Decreased heart rate and respiration

  • Muscle relaxation

  • Resumption of digestion and immune function

  • Feelings of safety and connectedness (Porges, 2011)

This returning to balance is what many in the SE community refer to as discharge—not just a “release” of energy but a deeply embodied return to autonomic regulation.

So, Is It Real?

Yes. While "discharge" may not be a biochemical term in the strictest sense, it describes a set of real physiological and experiential phenomena. It reflects:

  • Sympathetic nervous system deactivation

  • Metabolic clearance of stress hormones

  • Neuromuscular and emotional rebalancing

  • Re-engagement of parasympathetic regulation

In clinical and somatic practice, "discharge" serves as a valuable shorthand for a complex interplay of neurophysiological and biochemical events. As a metaphor it is embodied experience of physiological activation and deactivation.

References

Goldstein, D. S., & Kopin, I. J. (2007). Evolution of concepts of stress. Stress, 10(2), 109–120. https://doi.org/10.1080/10253890701288935

Levine, P. A. (2010). In an unspoken voice: How the body releases trauma and restores goodness. North Atlantic Books.

Porges, S. W. (2011). The polyvagal theory: Neurophysiological foundations of emotions, attachment, communication, self-regulation. W. W. Norton & Company.

Sapolsky, R. M. (2004). Why zebras don’t get ulcers: The acclaimed guide to stress, stress-related diseases, and coping(3rd ed.). Holt Paperbacks.

van der Kolk, B. (2014). The body keeps the score: Brain, mind, and body in the healing of trauma. Viking.