Talking about our problems with a trusted other can be quite helpful. However, during intensely stressful or traumatic events, the parts of the brain responsible for thinking and putting experience into words actually turns off. So at a time when we need to process something out loud more than ever it is often the most difficult to do so.
In therapy we may notice this when we feel like we keep talking about the same thing but not actually changing. These experiences have a tendency to show up in the body as overall tension, pain in the neck and shoulders, shallow breathing, tightness and discomfort in the belly, or even a sense of being disconnected from the body. Using these body signals to access “sensed” or embodied memories and experiences helps us evolve from a feeling of being stuck and enable us to live in our vital energy.
The main tool in body-inclusive work is establishing a state of mindfulness. As we observe our breath and body, this awareness teaches us how our experiences have been held in the body and how these holding patterns get expressed in our emotional and mental life. With this newfound awareness and ability to recognize old, often unhelpful patterns, we are then able to create new ones that help us live into the life we want to lead. (Shifts in the body then have a corresponding effect on the mind, emotions, and relationships.)
And so the healing begins.