The Value of Being Connected to our Bodies

Think about the last time you felt a powerful emotion, something like excitement, anger, or fear. Did you notice anything physically in your body? It could be an energy, a lightness, or an openness. It could also be a tightness, a pain, or a void. Maybe your heart rate or breathing changed. It could be felt in your head, chest, or gut. Maybe you did notice something, or like many of us, maybe you didn’t. We don’t exactly live in a society that encourages getting in touch with our bodies. But the thing is, when we pay attention, our bodies can provide a lot of valuable information.

There’s a reason why people say “listen to your gut.” Sometimes our rational side says one thing, but our body says otherwise, protesting and insisting something is wrong. Sometimes it doesn’t seem to make sense from a cognitive perspective, but that doesn’t mean it’s not valid. When it doesn’t line up, many of us will dismiss what the body is saying, instead favouring the reasonable side. But what can happen when we do this too much is that we deny what’s truly going on, and then we can get stuck.

Sometimes cognitive strategies, like reframing our thoughts, can help us to cope more effectively, but sometimes trying to think our way out of problems isn’t enough. If my body is reacting as though there’s a threat, I can try to convince my body to stop reacting by telling myself it’s not valid, but if my body doesn’t feel safe it’s not going to relax. Oftentimes ignoring what our body is saying only makes it louder and more powerful. Bessel van der Kolk, Psychiatrist and author of The Body Keeps the Score, suggests, “for real change to take place, the body needs to learn that the danger has passed and to live in the reality of the present.” We can only do this by paying attention to what the body is saying, and integrating it into our understanding.

When we start to get in tune with our bodies, we can better understand the full picture, and then respond in more effective ways. Instead of trying to think our way out of a problem, we can instead soothe our nervous system with sensory strategies to help us calm, and send the signal to our bodies that we’re safe. I know it might sound foreign and strange, but when the old isn’t working, sometimes something new and different is exactly what is needed to begin to make changes.

If you’re more interested in learning about body-based approaches and how they can help you, feel free to reach out for a free consultation.