Why Include the Body?
We experience our lives in and through our bodies. Also, our bodies are deeply impacted by our experiences. So much so, in fact, that our bodies hold a perfect record of the experiences that have impacted us most significantly. Our brain may, or may not, have stories of past experiences. The stories we have may, or may not, be accurate. Unless we have a photographic memory, our cognitive recall will be at best fragmented and filled with our perceptions and judgments.
Our bodies, on the other hand, hold snapshots of all of the experiences that have impacted us most deeply. We can access these snapshots by simply noticing what is happening on the inside - in the here and now. This noticing can give rise to sensations, emotions, insights, images, and physical responses. Attending to all that we can become aware of within us is not simply a passive witnessing. As we attend to this inner experience, things shift and move and unfold. Pleasant or neutral experiences may simply integrate more fully and consciously. Unpleasant experiences have an opportunity to transform into something more helpful and also integrate. Simply put, through our bodies we can heal our experiences.
“Neuroscience research shows that the only way we can change the way we feel is by becoming aware of our inner experience and learning to befriend what is going inside ourselves.”