As we navigate life, we can always rely on our body as an ally. Our bodies send us messages all the time to to help us make decisions about life and health. Our bodies are microcosms of the Universe and intimately connected to all of the information in the Universe, due to the holographic nature of reality. In a hologram, each piece contains the whole. On a very personal level, your body stores ALL of your memories (conscious or not) from this life and likely others as well. Your body is also storing any unprocessed emotions which can cause disease over time. Your body will give you physical or emotional clues that something from the past still needs to healed. Bodies also give signs when energies and trapped emotions are being processed and released.
Most of us have some unresolved trauma in our bodies. A lot of the stored trauma is from our childhood when we are the most vulnerable and have the least amount of resources to process our experiences. Even if nothing “traumatic” has ever happened to you, a lot of accumulated stresses stack up as “trauma” in the body. Sometimes when something painful happens we shut down and don’t express our emotions. Often we do this as a survival strategy, especially when we are children. These stored traumas and emotions can feel painful, tight, or numb, and can affect our musculoskeletal system which affects the form, support, movement, and stability of the body.
See if you can pay attention to any uncomfortable sensations in your body and notice any patterns about when they show up. Perhaps you notice that your neck gets tight every time your boss criticizes you; this may be a sign that you have an unresolved wounding from being criticized and that wound has taken up residence in your neck. I suggest looking at your childhood and pay attention to your earliest painful memories. Inner child work can do wonders for clearing old traumas, and I will write another blog post on how your wounded inner child speaks to you and how to heal your inner child.
Examples of how stored traumas can show up:
-Tightness in the jaw from unexpressed anger
-Tightness in the throat from not speaking up
-Restless leg syndrome from not running away when you wanted to but froze instead
-Pain, tingling, or numbness anywhere in the body from any kind of unresolved stress
-Emotions that seem to come from nowhere
Sometimes the body waits until you are ready to show you a stored trauma.
A dear friend of mine recovered repressed childhood sexual abuse memories when she was 35 after several years of doing transformational work on herself. The day she went to confront her abuser she developed a severe pain in her lower abdomen and ended up being bed ridden for 5 days. This pain lingered as a dull ache for a couple of years. She found a loving partner and within a few months she began to have strong pain during sexual activity which she had never experienced before. She knew this was related to her abuse. In her relationship, the body finally felt safe enough to release more of the trauma which started to release the day she confronted her father. She has been seeking a lot of support with her healing and her pain is almost gone. Trauma can take a while to resolve, and one principle of trauma healing is titration: a little at a time.
Meditation, quiet time in nature, experiencing sensations in the body while noticing the present “safe” environment, verbal processing, energy work, plant medicine ceremonies, and bodywork can all invite the body to release trauma and trapped emotions.
The most common ways I notice my body releasing old energies are:
–Tears (not caused by sadness and usually accompanied with big yawns)
–Yawns (big wide yawns that often move my head and have nothing to do with sleepiness)
–Shaking (usually happens when I am talking about something painful)
Other sensations when the body is clearing old energies include:
-Heat
-Tingling
-Sharp pain
-Pulses
– Dull ache
-Pressure
-Shivers
**An interesting side note: I give thanks to the animal that gave its life when I bless my dogs’ food. I often get a shiver and almost always a quick cough. I believe the shiver is the animal responding back with a “thank you for acknowledging what I went through so your dogs could eat” and I believe the cough is clearing some energy out of the food such as residual trauma. I also give thanks to my vegan meals and often experience a shiver and a cough. Plants are sentient beings as well.
The body can help you with decisions.
Your body wants to help you make the most empowered choices for your life path. Sometimes it can be very difficult to make a choice when we only use our mind to decide. Sometimes the better choice is not logical and the mind will not let you make that choice, but the intelligence of your body is signaling to that very choice.
My body gives me a few sensations that I always equate with a yes:
-Pleasurable shivers that start at the base of my spine and as it ascends to the top of my spine, my body jerks
-Yawns that may be small or very large
-A little gurgle in my throat
Exercise to experience a yes and a no in your body:
Imagine a few things that you know are very good for you and that you love very much: your yoga practice, hiking, spending time with your best friend, cuddling with your dog…
How does your body feel? What sensations are coming up?
Now, do the opposite. Imagine a few things that have been very harmful to you: an addiction, a stressful job, toxic people….
How does your body feel? What sensations are coming up?
For most people, when there is a yes, the body often feels light, expansive, relaxed, tingly, and at peace.
When there is a no, the body may feel constricted, tight, uneasy, and a bit more sweaty with a higher heart rate and shallow breathing.
Please leave a comment on any ways your body communicates with you. I would love to hear from you.
