What’s the difference, does it matter?
Mind Body or Body Mind-connection?
“Most psychologists treat the mind as disembodied,
a phenomenon with little or no connection to the physical body.
Conversely, physicians treat the body with no regard to the mind or the emotions.
But the body and mind are not separate, and we cannot treat one without the other”
– Author: Candace Pert
I believe many struggle because they’re disconnected from their body and aren’t aware of it. I’ve learned that many just don’t know what “Mind – Body means. I believe there is too much mind and to heal our bodies, our families and our communities, we would benefit greatly if we understood what the “Body Mind”is. Every opportunity I have to say “Body Mind Connection” is one way I create more awareness to embody our physical, emotional and spiritual health to live more whole.
My own healing journey has led me down many
Mind – Body rabbit holes. Let me explain.
So you’re searching for answers to your physical or emotional pain. You’ve discovered another, latest, greatest, best thing that’s going to take away the pain. You study up on it, you search out practitioners or therapists that you’re sure are going to finally give you the answers. Your results are, maybe mixed, you’re almost sure you saw some improvement, and then there’s still a continuation of the previous symptoms. You keep searching.
After decades of not seeing results, I started just not believing.
I became so skeptical, so I started doing my own research.
Then testing to see what would happen.
One program would lead to another program. I learned a lot, I still felt like I must not be on the right trail.
I felt I was looking for depth I wasn’t being shown. The information was good, but there had to be more. I started down an unconventional path. Alternative healing, then to what I consider to be wholistic healing.
Their lifestyle tells a lot about the quality of their nutrition, how they nourish their body, mind and soul.
Their past and present environments paint a picture of their quality of life and how they feel about what’s happened to them in their life.
Their environments explain the condition of their life, their body and even how they look.
For over a decade I taught practitioners body language messaging. It helped them to understand their clients.
For a therapist, it’s like having a conversation with their client’s soul. “The body never lies”
You might be able to tell if a person isn’t getting enough hydration by looking at them. But what about the pain they carry from loss of a parent at a young age, or being bullied in grade 2.
What does it look like in your life, in your body when the relationship with your mother is unhealthy, toxic or unrepairable? I marveled at how body shapes explained so much about the pain in people’s lives.
I wanted to know more about how to fix it.
I had heard enough about what causes painful states, I wanted more result based therapies.
I was into my third year of studying the body – mind connection when I started a dedicated yoga practice.
The more my body healed in the hot room, the more time I spent there.
I started reading the bodies of those in my class. I had the best classroom after all. partially clothed, moving bodies of all shapes, sizes. I didn’t need to hear their story of what was going on with them.
Their bodies told their stories.
The following comes from my own experience and observing students as a teacher of psychosomatic
therapy for over a decade.
Related to mind-body therapies are therapies that use the body to affect the mind, such as yoga, tai chi, qigong, and some types of dance (these are sometimes called body-mind therapies). Ultimately mind-body and body-mind therapies are interrelated: the body affects the mind, which in turn impacts the body (and the mind.)
that “mind” is not synonymous with brain. Instead, in our definition, the mind consists of mental states such as thoughts, emotions, beliefs, attitudes, and images. The brain is the hardware that allows us to experience these mental states.
Mental states can be fully conscious or unconscious. We can have emotional reactions to situations without being aware of why we are reacting. Each mental state has a physiology associated with it—a positive or negative effect felt in the physical body. For example, when you feel anxiety, it causes you to produce stress hormones. Many mind-body therapies focus on becoming more conscious of mental states and using this increased awareness to guide our mental states in a better, less destructive direction.
Positive feeling states are associated with healthier bodies, improved thinking, and enhanced decision-making capabilities. Intentionally invoking a positive feeling can enhance our ability to function in our lives.
How do you shift to a more positive state? It involves re-experiencing a positive emotional state and feeling it in your body (not just visualizing or talking about it). In less than a minute, you can shift an emotion, change your physiology, and become more effective and happier.
The mind, even physical and existing can only think. But only the actions of the body can give results. … A body cannot function well without the rules of the mind, but formed habits can make the body autopilot even without the help of the mind.
One of the best ways to work with your body is to get out of your mind. Consciously moving the body while connecting your breath is one of the most impactful. Just doing a yoga class or going to the gym isn’t the same unless you consciously incorporate breath.
Check it out and let me know how your experience was.
