In Episode 10 of Unseen but Not Untold: Overcoming Covert Narcissistic Abuse, Dr. Christine C. Zacharia MD, integrative covert narcissistic abuse recovery expert and board certified endocrinologist, continues her exploration of how covert narcissistic abuse manifests within the body. She builds on the discussion from Episode 9, focusing on chakras, stagnant energy and the somatic manifestations of covert narcissistic abuse in this second part of the two-part mini-series within the podcast.
The Heart Chakra: Where Protection Becomes Constriction
Just below the throat chakra lies the heart chakra—the center of connection, love and emotional safety.
This is where trust lives, where attachment forms and where grief lingers.
"This energy center is deeply tied to attachment, trust, grief and the ability to both give and receive love."
In covert narcissistic abuse, this space is repeatedly wounded.
"In the context of covert narcissistic abuse, this chakra takes a heavy hit - profoundly affected through repeated betrayal, emotional abandonment, chronic invalidation and the experience of being unseen and unheard."
When the heart chakra is imbalanced, individuals struggle with trust, vulnerability and emotional safety—even in the absence of an active threat.
The body reflects this shift.
"You may have noticed development of a hunched posture, physically compressing the chest area - creating a 'closed off' space following the repeated betrayal that accompanies covert narcissistic relationships."
This can also manifest with symptoms of:
- Chest tightness.
- Shallow breathing.
- A lingering sense of constriction.
"You may have also noticed chest tightness and inability to catch your breath despite deep inhalations."
Before moving forward, Dr. Zacharia takes a moment to stress this important point in the episode:
"A quick but important note: any chest pain, palpitations or shortness of breath should always be evaluated by a medical professional to rule out heart or lung conditions. Chronic stress alone—like the kind caused by covert narcissistic abuse—is an independent risk factor for heart disease. Once all medical causes have been ruled out, then it is okay to assume these sensations reflect blocked energy in the heart chakra region."
Dr. Zacharia recounts when she developed chest pain as a result of covert narcissistic abuse.
"I still remember when I developed onset of ongoing chest tightness in 2018."
At that point, the impact of covert narcissistic abuse had already been building for years prior to this sensation.
"I was two years into my friendship with Jessie, eighteen years into my friendship with Levi—and had already been carrying the invisible weight of my father’s covert narcissistic abuse for 36 years."
Dr. Zacharia recounts how her body began to respond in ways that words could not fully capture.
"I noticed my posture beginning to shift, as if my body were instinctively curling inward to protect my heart."
Even something as intentional as correcting her posture became overridden by survival.
"My body began resisting that effort—not from weakness, but as a quiet, automatic defense."
Moments of impact—subtle or overt—triggered the same response.
"Whenever a boundary was crossed or a backhanded compliment thrown my way, my chest would cave in reflexively, as if trying to absorb the impact of the abuse."
And even in moments that should have felt joyful, her body remained braced.
"At times, it felt like I could never catch my breath, no matter how deeply I inhaled."
This is the insidious nature of covert narcissistic abuse. It conditions the body to expect harm—even in the active absence of a visible threat.
Gratitude, Prayer and Reopening the Heart Chakra
What began to shift this pattern in Dr. Zacharia's life was not force—but intention.
Specifically, her cultivation of a gratitude practice helped foster the initial stages of this process.
"This chest tightness didn’t start to ease until I committed to a daily gratitude practice in 2023."
"Gratitude didn’t just interrupt the endless cycles of rumination—it acted as a profound heart-opening exercise.
"When we practice gratitude, our heart posture opens. Shoulders relax, the chest lifts and there’s a subtle release of the tension that the body has been holding onto for years."
Beyond the physical shift, something deeper also occurs. It interrupts the narrative implanted by the covert narcissist.
"Practicing gratitude interrupts the internalized narrative of lack and inadequacy that we absorbed from the covert narcissist. Gratitude also helps us notice the many ways God shows up in our day-to-day life."
This is where healing moves beyond the physical aspect of one’s existence — it meets and nourishes the soul.
"As I’ve shared before, God is central to the soul level healing necessary to counter the spiritual warfare of covert narcissistic abuse."
Gratitude and prayer do not operate in isolation. They activate something higher. When the connection to God strengthens, the entire system stabilizes.
"This is why prayer and gratitude are so powerful."
They restore alignment. They create safety. They open the heart again.
The Crown Chakra: Restoring Divine Connection
As the heart chakra opens, the crown chakra does as well.
"When gratitude and prayer soften the heart space, they also activate the crown chakra, located at the top of the head."
This is the center of divine connection.
"When crown chakra energy is disrupted, it generates confusion, rumination and a sense of spiritual instability."
This is why divine surrender becomes essential. Here, the survivor is called to surrender the healing process to God, placing the reins of the healing journey in His hands.
"He is the original physician—the OG, so to speak. He designed our bodies and knows best how to restore balance within them."
Physiologic Changes That Accompany Prayer and Gratitude
Dr. Zacharia takes this moment in the episode to delve deeper into what is happening on a physiological level when prayer and gratitude are incorporated into the healing journey.
“When we look at what’s happening on a physiologic level during prayer and gratitude, it becomes clear why these practices are so regulating.”
She explains that prayer and gratitude are associated with the release of dopamine and oxytocin.
“They stimulate the release of dopamine—the ‘reward’ neurotransmitter—which supports focus, motivation and emotional regulation.”
“They also increase oxytocin, often referred to as the ‘bonding hormone,’ which enhances feelings of trust, connection and safety.”
At the same time, she notes that these practices reduce cortisol levels and help shift the nervous system out of a stress response and into a state of rest, where restoration and healing can occur.
“They also lower cortisol, the primary stress hormone in the body.”
“It also shifts us out of the sympathetic ‘fight-or-flight’ state and into the parasympathetic ‘rest-and-digest’ state—where healing, nervous system regulation and true soul-level restoration can occur.”
Dr. Zacharia further explains that once the body begins to feel safe, deeper emotional and energetic healing becomes possible. In her framework, this includes what she describes as an opening of the heart space.
“And once the body starts to feel safe, the heart chakra can open up in ways beyond prayer and gratitude.”
Laughter: The Unexpected Release
She identifies laughter as one of the most powerful yet unexpected forms of somatic healing. Not polite or restrained laughter, but full-bodied, embodied release.
“One of the most unexpected—but incredibly powerful—ways this happens is through laughter.”
“And I don’t mean polite or nervous laughter. I mean full-bodied, belly-deep laughter—the kind that makes your chest expand, your diaphragm vibrate and your throat resonate with pure, unfiltered joy.”
In her description, this kind of laughter does more than improve mood—it physically shifts stored tension in the body and helps release long-held emotional residue.
“Laughter like this doesn’t just make you feel good. It physically opens the body, releases held tension and helps shift stagnant energy that’s been stored in the chest for years.”
She reflects on a personal experience that made this realization especially clear to her. While watching a familiar childhood film, she noticed a change in her emotional and physical response to humor.
“Around Christmas of 2024, I was watching Home Alone—a movie I’ve loved since childhood.”
She notes that this period in her life followed years of emotional distancing and no contact with individuals tied to her past experiences of covert narcissistic abuse.
“By this point, it had been nearly a year since going no contact with Jessie and two years since going no contact with Levi.”
Despite having seen the film many times before, she experienced laughter in a new and unfamiliar way—one that felt deeply restorative.
“The scenes with Marv always cracked me up, but this time, the laughter felt different. It was foreign, yet familiar.”
She describes a somatic shift that accompanied this moment of joy, including physical relaxation, emotional release and a sense of reconnection with parts of herself that had felt dormant.
“My shoulders relaxed, a deep, almost forgotten joy rose from the very center of my being. My heart space expanded and my chest opened in a way it hadn’t in years.”
In retrospect, she interprets this experience as a moment of reclaiming a suppressed aspect of herself—joy that had been diminished through prolonged trauma.
“I realized in that moment that I hadn’t laughed wholeheartedly in a long time.”
She concludes that this form of laughter became a kind of emotional restoration, allowing joy to re-enter her body and loosening the grip of chronic tension and hypervigilance.
“After years of dormancy, that laughter felt like a deep hug from the inside out.”
“And in that laughter, joy began to reclaim space in my body as the chains of tension and hypervigilance loosened their grip.”
Grounding the Body: The Root and Solar Plexus Chakras
Dr. Zacharia shifts the conversation to the root and solar plexus chakras—centers in the body essential for rebuilding safety, stability and personal power from the ground up.
She explains that the root chakra, located at the base of the spine, is associated with safety, belonging and self-worth. It governs the most fundamental questions of human security and existence.
“The root chakra, located at the base of the spine, is all about safety, stability and a basic sense of self-worth. It answers the questions: ‘Do I belong? Am I safe? Do I matter?’”
Dr. Zacharia notes that chronic fear, betrayal and psychological manipulation—such as that experienced in covert narcissistic abuse— destabilizes this foundational energy center, leading to both emotional and physical symptoms.
“When energy is blocked here, you may feel insecure, anxious or afraid of abandonment.”
She further connects this dysregulation to physical manifestations in the body, including lower back tension, hip tightness and pelvic discomfort.
“Physically, this shows up as lower back pain, hip tension or pelvic discomfort—related to the psoas muscle tightness I discussed in episode 9.”
Dr. Zacharia discusses how the root chakra functions as an energetic anchor. When disrupted, a person’s sense of grounding and stability becomes compromised.
Above the root chakra sits the solar plexus chakra, the energy center of personal power, self-esteem and boundaries. The solar plexus is the space where internal worth is translated into outward action.
She distinguishes between foundational worth (root) and active self-expression (solar plexus), noting how both must function together for emotional stability and empowerment.
“While the root chakra represents foundational self-worth, the belief that you matter, the solar plexus represents actionable self-esteem. The confidence to assert yourself, set boundaries and move decisively in the world.”
When this center is blocked, it manifests as self-doubt, shame, powerlessness and difficulty asserting boundaries. Physical symptoms can also manifest as well.
“Physically, blocked energy in this area can show up as digestive discomfort or IBS-type symptoms.”
Dr. Zacharia emphasizes the interdependence of these two chakras, explaining that insecurity at the root level can undermine confidence at the solar plexus, and vice versa.
“The root and solar plexus chakras are deeply connected.”
“Think of these chakras as working together—they form the foundation for feeling grounded and empowered in your life.”
She then transitions into practical healing tools, highlighting movement, breathwork and yoga as key methods for restoring nervous system balance and moving stagnant energy.
“Intentional movement and breathwork are powerful tools for releasing stagnant energy in both the root and solar plexus chakras.”
“Yoga, in particular, is incredibly effective—not because of flexibility or perfect form, but because of how movement paired with conscious breathwork can regulate energy.”
Yoga supports both emotional and physiological healing by lowering stress hormones and increasing neurotransmitters associated with well-being.
“Yoga not only moves stagnant energy, it lowers cortisol, shifts the body out of fight-or-flight mode and increases feel-good neurotransmitters like serotonin, dopamine and the body’s natural painkillers, endorphins.”
She reflects on her initial hesitation toward yoga, describing a shift in perspective after being encouraged by a coworker who was also a certified yoga instructor.
“At first, I was reluctant to embark on a regular yoga practice because I’m not naturally flexible. But with her encouragement, I decided to give it a try.”
That experience, she notes, reshaped her understanding of accessibility and adaptation in movement practices.
“I realized people of all backgrounds and body types could participate, as long as modifications were made for joint issues or other physical limitations.”
Over time, she describes yoga as transformative not only physically, but metabolically and emotionally—helping regulate stress hormones and support weight loss without intense exertion.
“Over time, I built a consistent yoga practice and even lost 20 pounds—not through intense workouts, but because yoga helped lower my cortisol.”
She contrasts this with periods where she did high-intensity exercise, that led to increased stress activation during already difficult emotional periods.
“Those high-intensity sessions spiked my already elevated cortisol and adrenaline—exactly what my body didn’t need while navigating ongoing abuse from three covert narcissists.”
Dr. Zacharia expands the discussion to include additional grounding tools such as walking, weighted blankets and strength training performed with intentional, slow movement and breath awareness.
“Walking is another simple, powerful way to ground the root chakra.”
“Even small adjustments, like using a weighted blanket, can be surprisingly effective.”
Ultimately, Dr. Zacharia emphasizes that healing is not about intensity or pushing the body harder, but about restoring safety, regulation and internal balance.
“The key takeaway here: avoid workouts that spike cortisol and adrenaline. When you’re healing from trauma, the goal isn’t to push harder—it’s to create safety, regulation and restoration.”
Energy Transference: Releasing What Was Stored
Dr. Zacharia adds that beyond the internal movement of energy, there is also value in outward emotional release.
"Energy can flow from your body into another object, surface or space."
This becomes a powerful tool - especially for releasing anger and tension.
"Activities that tap into this include boxing, racquet sports and even drumming."
Drumming, in particular, created a profound energetic shift for Dr. Zacharia.
"Striking the snare, crash, hi-hat and toms actively transferred energy from my body onto the drum set. All that tension and stored emotion finally had somewhere to go."
And the effects were immediate.
"Drumming boosted my serotonin and dopamine, released long-held tension and provided a safe, structured outlet to express emotion."
Even unexpected spaces became part of the healing process where intentional movement was involved. For example cooking.
"Making flour tortillas from scratch… became deeply therapeutic."
Writing is also another powerful way to transfer energy out of the body.
"I’ve spoken in earlier episodes about journaling as emotional catharsis. Physically, the act of writing is energy transfer—moving thoughts, emotions and memories out of the body and onto the page, where they no longer have to be carried internally."
At the end of the episode, Dr. Zacharia reminds listeners there are countless ways to move stagnant energy.
"What I’ve shared here are simply the methods that were most effective for me. The key is finding what resonates with you—what your body responds to, what brings you back into presence, regulation and wholeness. Healing isn’t one-size-fits-all. It’s deeply personal, embodied and often found in the most unexpected places."