Tatiana Khodakova
Our body and psyche are parts of a unified system. In other words, what and how we think influences how we feel. Similarly, our bodily sensations impact the direction of our thoughts. In general, everything related to our sensations, emotions, and muscle tensions is part of an interconnected system with everything related to our thinking and state.
In body-mind therapy, it is believed that each muscle has its own psychological function (note: body-mind therapy is a system of body-oriented psychotherapy). Muscle “engagements” (the activation of muscles) affect our emotional state.
Every person has their own life story with events and situations that shape character structure. If stressful situations occurred in a person’s early experience (which can lead to the “loss” of connection between the body and psyche), then the “memory” of such events is stored in the muscles and felt as states of tension or helplessness.
When an adult encounters a situation they perceive as dangerous (regardless of whether there is a real threat to life or an imaginary one), sensations from early experiences are activated in the body. At this moment, the connection to reality is lost! Some people instantly “leave” into their heads (into thoughts, images, pictures that have nothing to do with the “here and now”), the ability for critical thinking is lost, the connection to the body weakens, and actions become inadequate to what is happening.
Sometimes it’s the other way around: a person is “overwhelmed” by emotions and loses the “friendship with their head”: at that moment, they are unable to think, leading to irrational behavior.
In the first case, there is a departure from the body (and, therefore, from reality) into thoughts, and in the second case, there is a departure from the head (mind) into actions that are not aligned with logic. Thus, critical thinking and the ability to adequately perceive what is happening are lost.
Such problematic patterned behavioral strategies can be changed to healthy ones by restoring the connection between the head (psyche) and the body. This can be done quite easily! How? By consciously restoring the body’s supportive position, which leads to a quick return to a state of safety.
Here is a simple psychosomatic exercise for you. It is best performed while seated:
1. Place your feet parallel to each other on a supportive surface. Physically feel that there is support under your feet!!!
2. Then feel how your sitting muscles are resting on the chair’s surface.
3. Align your spine, letting the crown of your head reach upwards.
4. Let your hands rest freely on your knees (make sure there is space between your elbows and torso).
5. Pay attention to your breathing while maintaining the supportive position of your body.
The exercise can also be performed standing, feeling the support under your feet. There should be space between your hands and torso. Watch your breathing.
By maintaining conscious contact with the body and keeping a supportive pose, the connection to reality is restored: clarity in thoughts emerges, and a sense of safety and confidence arises.
Yes, such a simple exercise can return a resourceful state: the muscles that were tense naturally relax, while those that were excessively weak recover to a normal tone.
Photo Getty Images
Translated by Maria Zayats
Read also:
How criticism helps to realize values
How We Extinguish Our Inner Fire While Trying to Preserve It
Boundaries of Permission: The Theory of ‘Let’ as the Foundation of Antifragility
Татьяна Ходакова
Практический психолог
Интегративный подход
