Emotions are directly linked to bodily sensations from "summary" of The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk, M.D.
Our bodies are the vessels through which we experience the world around us. Every sensation, every emotion, every experience is registered in our bodies, leaving a lasting imprint that shapes who we are. When we feel joy, our bodies respond with a lightness, a sense of ease that permeates every cell. When we feel fear, our bodies tense up, ready to either fight or flee from the perceived threat. These bodily sensations are not just a byproduct of our emotions – they are intimately connected to them. In fact, our bodies often react to stimuli before our conscious minds even register them. This is because our nervous system is constantly scanning our environment for potential threats, ready to mobilize a response at a moment's notice.
When we experience trauma, this connection between our emotions and bodily sensations can become dysregulated. The body's stress response system goes into overdrive, flooding our system with stress hormones that keep us in a state of hyperarousal. This can lead to a host of physical symptoms, from chronic pain to digestive issues to autoimmune disorders.
At the same time, the parts of our brain that are responsible for regulating our emotions – such as the prefrontal cortex – can become impaired, making it difficult for us to process and integrate our experiences in a healthy way. This can result in a vicious cycle of emotional dysregulation and physical symptoms that can be hard to break.
But the good news is that we have the power to reestablish the connection between our emotions and bodily sensations. Through practices such as mindfulness, yoga, and somatic experiencing, we can learn to tune into our bodies and regulate our emotions in a more adaptive way. By doing so, we can begin to heal the wounds of the past and create a more balanced and integrated sense of self.
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